Attorneys

STEPHEN J. TOMASULO practices in the area of complex civil and business litigation.  Mr. Tomasulo has represented a wide array of clients ranging from large publicly traded entities to small, privately held businesses and individuals.  Mr. Tomasulo has substantial experience with business and real estate disputes as well as personal injury claims, including chemical exposure cases. 

Mr. Tomasulo graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1991 with a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Economics.  He received his Juris Doctor degree in 1995 from the U.C.L.A. School of Law.  While at U.C.L.A., he served as a judicial extern to Judge Alarcon of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.  Mr. Tomasulo was admitted to the California bar in 1995 and is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, the United States District Court for the Central District of California and the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.  Mr. Tomasulo is a member of the litigation sections of the State Bar of California and the Los Angeles County Bar Association and has been recognized three times as one of California's Rising Star Lawyers by Los Angeles Magazine.

Mr. Tomasulo's recent successes include the following:

Riverside County Transportation Commission v. The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company, JAMS Case No. 1220032805

            Plaintiff Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) sued Mr. Tomasulo's client, The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company (BNSF), for breach of a contract relating to RCTC's rights to operate commuter trains on BNSF's rail lines and declaratory relief regarding these rights.  The potential exposure to BNSF exceeded $100 million.  The matter proceeded to a binding arbitration in front of three retired judges.  Mr. Tomasulo served as lead counsel for this arbitration and won a defense verdict for BNSF which included the recovery of $581,000 in fees and costs.

Berger v. BNSF Railway Company, Los Angeles County Superior Court Case No. BC 350180

This was a complex real estate dispute in which Mr. Tomasulo represented BNSF Railway Company, a large railroad corporation with significant property interests near Los Angeles International Airport.  Plaintiffs alleged that BNSF had abandoned these property interests and that they had reverted to Plaintiffs and other neighboring landowners.  Plaintiffs asserted that BNSF had violated their rights, and those of the other neighboring landowners, by continuing to assert ownership of its property interests and selling them on the open market.  Plaintiffs alleged causes of action for 1) Declaratory Relief; 2) Quiet Title; 3) Unfair Competition (Unlawful, Unfair and Deceptive Business Practices); 4) Slander of Title; and, 5) Accounting.  Plaintiffs sought both damages and injunctive relief.  Plaintiffs demanded more than $1,000,000 and an unequivocal release of BNSF's property interests to settle the case.  Mr. Tomasulo successfully moved for summary adjudication of the damages claims and successfully tried the remaining claims to a defense verdict at trial.  Mr. Tomasulo then prevailed on the subsequent appeal filed by Plaintiffs.  BNSF thus prevailed on all claims at both the trial and appellate levels.

The People of the State of California, acting by and through the Department of Transportation v. BNSF Railway Company, Orange County Superior Court Case No. 05CC13341

This was a condemnation case in which Plaintiff The State of California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) sought to take property rights from Mr. Tomasulo's client, Defendant BNSF Railway Company (BNSF), for a public highway project through its power of eminent domain.  CalTrans offered BNSF only $2,500 for the rights at issue in this case.  Mr. Tomasulo and his partner, Benjamin Salvaty, took this matter to a seven day jury trial in which the jury awarded BNSF over $366,000 for the property rights acquired by CalTrans.  In addition to this judgment, BNSF recovered $144,000 in attorney's fees and costs.

Suncor Stainless, Inc. v. Structural Hardware and Supply, Inc., United States District Court for the Northern District of California, Case No. C03 00519

Mr. Tomasulo's client, Suncor Stainless, Inc. sued the defendant, Structural Hardware and Supply, Inc., for intentional interference with contract and related business torts.  Mr. Tomasulo tried this case to a successful verdict in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.  Mr. Tomasulo also prevailed on the subsequent appeal before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal (2006 U.S. App.Lexis 7539).