Members | National Association of Distinguished Counsel

Biographical Information

Born in Oakland, California, Tietjen worked his way through college and law school, graduating from the University of San Francisco Law School in 1982. While in law school, he earned the prestigious American Jurisprudence Award in Torts, and clerked for Judge Ira Brown, a prominent and highly respected San Francisco Judge.

As one of California’s top personal injury attorneys, Tim’s sharp focus, unsurpassed witness examination skills, and attention to detail color everything he does. Tim always goes the extra mile to uncover any fact or witness that can help his client. And he does this with a relaxed and approachable nature. This unwavering commitment to excellence has led to numerous seven-figure verdicts and settlements over his career of nearly 30 years.

Tietjen had the distinction of obtaining a $29 million dollar settlement for a worker injured in an electrocution accident. This is one of the largest recoveries ever secured in California for an injured worker. Tim took particular pride in this accomplishment as several other attorneys turned down this potential case because of its difficulty and complexity. Tim loves a challenge.

Tim also served as lead counsel in an incredibly complex case involving 34 vehicles that crashed in the Newhall Tunnel in Los Angeles County. The chain reaction collisions caused an inferno that caused three deaths, five personal injury actions and dozens of property damage claims. Tim resolved over 150 claims through multiple mediations with the State of California and other defendants. Tim secured a generous settlement for the family of a man who was burned alive in the inferno. The result was one of the highest settlements for a wrongful death case of this nature in California.

Tietjen served as President of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association in 1999. He has also been repeatedly recognized as a “California Super Lawyer,” a distinction awarded to the top 5% of California lawyers.

Admission Dates & Jurisdictions

California State Bar 1982
Northern California District Court 1982

Education

J.D. from University San Francisco School of Law (1982)
B.A. from California State University at Hayward (1979)

Professional Experience

Managing Partner at Rouda, Feder, Tietjen & McGuinn (1983–present)

Honors & Awards

Northern California Super Lawyer 2007 – present
The Trial Lawyer Magazine (2001)
Selected to Best Lawyers Magazine (2013 & 2014)
Presidential Award of Merit from Consumer Attorneys of California (1986, 2000, & 2005)
American Jurisprudence Award for Torts (1979)

Professional Associations

San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association (Past President – 1999)
American Trial Lawyers Association
Consumer Attorneys of California
National Association of Distinguished Counsel
Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Association
Trial Lawyers For Public Justice

Verdicts & Settlements

Outcome: $29 million settlement
Description: A 36-year-old lineman, Sifa Tuiaki, suffered catastrophic injuries when he came into contact with a 7,200-volt power line. Tuiaki was working from an elevated workbasket installing a fiber-optic cable system. His co-worker was slowly driving the bucket truck around a turn in the highway, while Tuiaki elevated Tuiaki’s workbasket and the fiber-optic support cable to avoid some redwood trees. In doing so, Tuiaki backed into a power line that contacted the back of his neck and hardhat. Tuiaki suffered bilateral amputation of both arms, burns over 45% of his body and paraplegia. Suit was brought under the following theories: (1) negligent construction management against defendants Adelphia, Pauley Construction and FJS; (2) negligent premises maintenance against defendants Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Pacific Bell, Western Environmental Consultations (WECI) and Davey Tree Surgery; and (3) products liability against the manufacturer/successors in interest of the uninsulated bucket tree, i.e. Mobile Tool International (MTI), American Premier Underwriters (APU) and General Cable Corporation. Tuiaki was hospitalized for over seven months and underwent 14 surgeries. His wife, Lupe, age 37, was five months pregnant at the time of the accident with their second child. Their oldest child was four years old at the time. Lupe Tuiaki claimed loss of consortium due to her husband’s severe injuries. Tuiaki claimed past and future medical expenses and wage loss over $13,000,000, which was disputed by the defendants. Since the accident, Tuiaki obtained a general contractor’s license and used funds from his settlement to start his own business. He actively oversees construction from his wheelchair with the assistance of his wife.

Outcome: $1 million settlement
Description: Reid, a courier service employee at the time, slipped and fell on a wet tile walkway in front of Shorenstein Company’s building in Oakland. He suffered multiple severe injuries to his right leg that resulted in three surgeries and left him permanently disabled. Reid was working at the time of the incident, delivering papers to the bankruptcy court. As he left the building, he took 2-3 steps and slipped on the wet tile outside of the building. Reid fractured his kneecap and broke hardware that had been in his leg as a result of a fracture 20 years earlier. Shorenstein Company knew its tiled walkways throughout the Oakland City Center were extremely slippery and dangerous when wet. Through extensive discovery, Reid’s counsel discovered there had been over 50 documented slip and fall accidents on wet tile, and four previous lawsuits against Shorenstein Company related to this issue.

Outcome: $1 million settlement
Description: Carpenter Michael Patton and his employer, Krata Inc., were hired by Lincoln Property Co. and Larkspur Courts Associates to replace siding and paint 25 buildings at a Larkspur apartment complex. The complex was owned and managed by Lincoln Property and Larkspur Courts. Patton and two other employees were working on the roof to inspect for defective siding. While Patton was inspecting the gables on the pitched rooftop, he slipped and fell. He then tumbled over the edge and fell approximately 20 feet to the ground. Patton sustained a T-12 spinal fracture causing paraplegia. He additionally suffered a fractured nose, minor closed-head injury and severe emotional distress and depression because of his devastating injuries. Lincoln Property and Larkspur Courts controlled the work being performed by Patton’s employer, Krata. Patton claimed that Lincoln Property and Larkspur Courts specifically retained control over the “scope of the woodwork” to be replaced by Patton and his employer. Having retained control over this scope, the Lincoln Property and Larkspur Courts failed to instruct Patton and Krata as to what specific siding needed to be replaced on the 25 buildings, according to Patton.

Outcome: $29 million settlement
Description: A 36-year-old lineman, Sifa Tuiaki, suffered catastrophic injuries when he came into contact with a 7,200-volt power line. Tuiaki was working from an elevated workbasket installing a fiber-optic cable system. His co-worker was slowly driving the bucket truck around a turn in the highway, while Tuiaki elevated Tuiaki’s workbasket and the fiber-optic support cable to avoid some redwood trees. In doing so, Tuiaki backed into a power line that contacted the back of his neck and hardhat. Tuiaki suffered bilateral amputation of both arms, burns over 45% of his body and paraplegia. Suit was brought under the following theories: (1) negligent construction management against defendants Adelphia, Pauley Construction and FJS; (2) negligent premises maintenance against defendants Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Pacific Bell, Western Environmental Consultations (WECI) and Davey Tree Surgery; and (3) products liability against the manufacturer/successors in interest of the uninsulated bucket tree, i.e. Mobile Tool International (MTI), American Premier Underwriters (APU) and General Cable Corporation. Tuiaki was hospitalized for over seven months and underwent 14 surgeries. His wife, Lupe, age 37, was five months pregnant at the time of the accident with their second child. Their oldest child was four years old at the time. Lupe Tuiaki claimed loss of consortium due to her husband’s severe injuries. Tuiaki claimed past and future medical expenses and wage loss over $13,000,000, which was disputed by the defendants. Since the accident, Tuiaki obtained a general contractor’s license and used funds from his settlement to start his own business. He actively oversees construction from his wheelchair with the assistance of his wife.

Outcome: $3.87 million settlement
Description: Evelyn Penado, 39, a childcare provider, was riding in a car driven by one of her sons, with another son also in the car. Their car stayed right in its lane as the lane widened, in order to merge onto the entrance ramp to Interstate 280 in San Francisco. Regina Litz was ahead of the Penados and kept left in the same southbound lane until just before the split. Near the entrance ramp, Litz moved to her right and cut off the Penado vehicle. There was no contact between the vehicles, but to avoid a collision, Franklin swerved, lost control of his car and hit the crash barrels that divided the ramp from the roadway. His mother Evelyn’s neck broke, and she died on impact. Evelyn’s widower and four children sued Litz and Litz’s employer, Molex Inc. (which owned the car she was driving at the time of the accident) for the loss of their wife and mother and for the horror of seeing her die. The Penado family claimed Litz negligently failed to check whether any cars were approaching on her right, and made an unsafe turning movement toward the Penado car.

Outcome: $4.85 million
Description: Jim Doe took two 100-pound propane cylinders to defendant Durnall and Campora Propane to be filled. The cylinders were overfilled, which did not leave room in the tanks for the propane to safely expand without dangerously venting gas. The tanks’ certifications also had expired, and the tanks were not fitted with overfill-protection devices, which would have prevented the overfilling. After the cylinders were filled with propane, Doe drove home and parked his pickup truck in the driveway. A couple of hours later, he heard a hissing noise coming from near his truck and he went to investigate. A neighbor also heard the hissing sound and went to check. The neighbor saw a large cloud of propane vapor venting into the air from the back of Doe’s truck. Jim Doe was standing on the ground behind the truck. Suddenly, the propane cloud exploded in a fireball, engulfing him. The skin was burned off more than 80% of his body. Doe was never again able to speak with anyone due to the severity of his pain and injuries. Despite heroic efforts by the trauma center to save his life, Jim Doe died two months after the explosion due to complications from his severe burn injuries. Doe’s family contended that Durnall & Campora: (1) negligently overfilled one or both of the propane cylinders causing propane to vent into the air, triggering this explosion; (2) negligently trained the employee who filled Doe’s cylinders; (3) negligently filled the two propane cylinders that Doe leased from Durnall & Campora, as neither cylinder was legally certified on the day of the accident; (4) negligently allowed customers, including Doe, to transport propane cylinders in horizontal fashion, thus increasing the danger of a propane incident; and (5) negligently failed to warn Doe of the consequences of transporting the propane cylinders in a horizontal fashion. Does also alleged that Manchester, who manufactured the cylinders, was strictly liable for selling defective propane cylinders that failed to adequately warn consumers of the risk associated with transporting propane cylinders, and for failing to incorporate an overfill-protection device in its cylinders.

Representative Cases

Attorney Tietjen obtained one of the largest recoveries for a California worker in the amount of $29 million dollars.

Speaking Engagements

2010 CAOC lecturer: “How To Make Settlement Documentaries and Maximize The Value of Your Case”
2008 CAOC Forum, Identifying and Deposing the Corporate Witness
2004 CAOC lecturer: “Getting Prompt Payment (and Maybe Interest and Attorney’s Fees) on Your Settlements”
2003 CAOC lecturer: “How to Put Together a Mediation Brief”
2002 STFLA chair and lecturer: “Pearls of Wisdom in Premises Liability Litigation”
2000 SFTLA chair and lecturer: “Construction Injury Litigation: A Blueprint for Success”
1998 CAOC lecturer: “Setting the Stage for Victory: Winning Pre-Trial Motions”
1997 CAOC lecturer: “Expert Witnesses in an Auto Case: Who and What do You Need”
1996 CAOC lecturer: “Eliminating or Reducing Comparative Fault in Premises Liability Cases”
1995 STFLA chair: “Jury Selection”
1994 CAOC lecturer: “Using Focus Groups to Present Psychiatric Testimony”
1993 SFTLA panelist: “Ethics Workshop”
CAOC panelist: “Mediation for Plaintiffs’ Attorneys”
1992 CAOC/SFTLA panelist: “Annual Auto Seminar”
CAOC Forum: “Seatbelt Defenses: Biomechanical and Other Issues”
CAOC panelist: “Trains, Planes and Automobiles”
1991 SFTLA panelist: “Premises Liability”
CAOC Forum: “Government Tort Liability and Tactics Regarding Emergency Medical Services”
CAOC chair: “Premises Liability”
CAOC lecturer: “Evaluations and Settlement”
1990 CAOC lecturer: “Premises Liability: Non-delegable Duties”
1984 CAOC lecturer: “Insurance Bad Faith Discovery”
CAOC Forum: “Royal Globe Actions: From Birth through Infancy”

Publications

Identifying and Deposing the Corporate Witness (Consumer Attorneys of California Forum Magazine, 2008)
A Tietjen Cross: Timonthy G. Tietjen on Cross Examining Defense Experts (San Francisco Trial Lawyer’s Trial Magazine, 2001)