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Recent News

Mark Chavez Appointed to Public Citizen Board of Directors

Mark Chavez has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Public Citizen, one of the premier public interest organizations in the country.  Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Public Citizen is a national, non-profit consumer advocacy organization founded in 1971 to represent consumer interests in Congress, the executive branch and the courts.  It fights for openness, and democratic accountability in government, for the right of consumers to seek redress in the courts; for clean, safe and sustainable energy sources; for social and economic justice in trade policies; for strong health, safety and environmental protections; and for safe, effective and affordable prescription drugs and health care.

In Public Citizen’s release announcing his appointment, Chavez stated:

After over three decades of tireless work on an expansive array of issues, Public Citizen has achieved a well-deserved reputation as one of the leading and most effective public advocacy organizations in this country.  I welcome the opportunity to serve on Public Citizen’s board at this critical juncture in its history.

Other recent news include:

Objections to Settlement Filed in a Class Action Against Facebook for Privacy Violations

Chavez & Gertler, along with Public Citizen and the Friedman Law Offices, filed objections on behalf of Ginger McCall to a proposed settlement in Lane v. Facebook (N.D. Cal. Civ. No: 08-cv-03845-RS) that would provide no value to potentially millions of Facebook users whose privacy rights were violated by Facebook's "Beacon" marketing program.  Facebook users complained that online purchases they made from merchandisers participating in the Beacon program were published on Facebook without their permission. 

But rather than compensate the millions of Facebook members whose rights were violated, the proposed settlement only called for the creation of a nonprofit foundation that would largely be controlled by Facebook and that would duplicate the work of already existing organizations such as the Electronic Privacy Information Center, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, and many other non profit foundations. Under the proposed settlement, Facebook would also terminate the Beacon program, but Facebook had already essentially ended the program in response to widespread negative publicity before the lawsuit was even filed.  Although Facebook would pay $9.5 million to settle the lawsuit, only the named plaintiffs and their attorneys would receive any monetary benefit.  The millions of Facebook users whose rights were violated would get nothing of value.

To view the objections, click here. 

Jon Gertler Elected President-Elect of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association

Jon Gertler has been elected 2010 President-Elect of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association. SFTLA is one of the oldest organizations representing consumers, workers and others in lawsuits protecting and vindicating individual civil rights in the United States. About 800 trial lawyers are members. Jon won the organization's "Trial Lawyer of the Year Award" in 2006, and was finalist for the award again in 2008.

Jon Gertler Named Finalist for Trial Lawyer of the Year Award 2008

Founding partner Jon Gertler was named a Finalist in the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association's annual competition for the Trial Lawyer of the Year Award for his victory in Madrid v. Frank C. Alegre Trucking Inc., et al. It is the second time Jon has been a finalist in the last three years; in 2006 he won the award for his outstanding verdict in Pietrowski v. Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. The trial lawyer's organization is one of the oldest in the country, and has about 850 trial lawyers as active members. Jon will be the President of the group in 2011.

Mark Chavez speaks at Stanford University Law School's Distinguished Practitioner Speaker Series

Stanford University Law School’s Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law selected founding partner Mark Chavez to participate in its Distinguished Practitioner Speaker Series on October 23, 2007. Mark has been recognized for his leadership in his field and spoke at the law school on his work as a nationally prominent attorney representing plaintiffs in consumer, employment, and civil rights class actions.

Jon Gertler Named San Francisco's Trial Lawyer of the Year for 2006

Chavez & Gertler founding partner Jonathan E. Gertler was named Trial Lawyer of the Year for 2006 by the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association. The prestigious organization is comprised of more than 750 consumer and employment lawyers who represent individuals or groups of individuals in civil cases.

Jon was honored for his victory in Pietrowski v. Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, in which Chavez & Gertler won a multi-million dollar jury verdict, including $2 million in punitive damages. At the end of the nine week trial, the railroad agreed to re-examine the safety conditions at its 10,000 private crossings in order to avoid an even larger punitive verdict.

Jon Gertler Named Finalist for California Consumer Attorney of the Year

Jon Gertler, a founding partner of Chavez & Gertler, was named a finalist in the 2006 competition for the Consumer Attorney of the Year award following a trial victory in the case of Pietrowski v. Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. The coveted award is annually given by the statewide trial lawyer organization, Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC). Associate Joe Igelmund was also nominated for his contributions to the victory before and during the trial.

CAOC is comprised of about 3,000 California lawyers who represent consumers, workers, and victims of civil wrongs of all kinds. Its Consumer Attorney of the Year award honors lawyers who have achieved litigation victories that significantly assist consumers, enhance public safety, display skill and determination and advance the cause of civil justice. In the second phase of the Pietrowski trial, the railroad told the jury that as a result of the litigation it intended to re-examine the safety of its 10,000 private railroad crossings.