John Hinman nominated for “Street Fighter of the Year”

After a failed back surgery left her unable to work and support herself, Orange County resident Christine Auble, 53, learned a critical post-surgical report was not properly faxed by Chapman Medical Center. As a result of doctors not receiving this report Auble required an emergency surgery and developed a life-threatening infection that ultimately left her to live a lifetime of chronic pain.

 
She wanted justice for the medical negligence she had suffered. Her case was reviewed by countless attorneys who all turned her away due to an outdated 40-year-old law known as MICRA (Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act), which limits the compensation victims of medical negligence can receive for pain and suffering, that ultimately capped the amount an attorney would earn if they took on her case.

By the time she found Long Beach attorney John Hinman, Auble was ready to give up. Hinman worked tirelessly on her case, eventually taking it to trial where a jury of Auble’s peers found Chapman responsible and awarded her with $1,795,751 in compensation for her injuries. Thanks to Hinman’s efforts, Auble was able to receive compensation for her past medical costs and on-going care.

Auble’s case was submitted for the “Street Fighter of the Year” award given out by the Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC) organization and Hinman, along with his trial co-counsel Andrew Ryan, are among the 3 finalists. The award is given to a small practitioner (no more than 5 attorneys in the firm and less than ten years a member of the bar) that achieved a significant result in a case that exemplifies the everyday struggles of the small practitioner in California.

“I’m honored to be selected as a finalist for this award from the CAOC,” Hinman said. “The economics of the case certainly would have dictated not taking it. For me, this represents the type of case that lawyers with the ability and the resources need to continue to make themselves take to ensure that there is at least some representation for victims of medical malpractice.”

The winner will be announced at the culmination of the CAOC’s 55th convention, the annual awards dinner held on Saturday, November 12 at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco.

Hinman is the lead litigator and founding partner at Hinman Law Group, a personal injury law firm headquartered in Long Beach, CA serving residents in counties across Southern California including Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Ventura and San Diego. The firm was founded upon the principle that individuals who have been injured as a result of the negligence or intentional actions of others are entitled to the same quality of representation enjoyed by insurance companies and corporations, regardless of their ability to pay for services in advance. Attorneys at the firm have been recognized by their peers as Southern California Super Lawyers Rising Stars and their work has been featured in the Associated Press, The Advocate and more.

Consumer Attorneys of California is a statewide professional organization of plaintiffs’ attorneys representing consumers seeking accountability against wrongdoers in cases involving personal injury, product liability, environmental degradation and other causes. For more information visit www.caoc.org.