Ron Park

Ron Park joined Friedman | Rubin to help people harmed by the wrongdoing of others.  He is admitted to practice in the Courts of Washington, California, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.  Ron focuses on appeals in both state and federal courts as well as complex trial-level litigation in Washington and other states throughout the country.

Ron has briefed, argued, and won appeals before all three divisions of the Washington Court of Appeals as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.  His successes on appeal include:

• Reversing summary judgment in Berge v. Kitsap County, No. 56865-9-II (Wash. Ct. App. Jul. 11, 2023), a case in which a gate in a county park swung over the roadway and pierced through a car, injuring the driver. The trial judge dismissed the case citing recreational immunity. Ron successfully argued on appeal that an exception to recreational immunity could apply, and that there were genuine issues of material fact regarding what the “injury-causing condition” was and whether the county had “actual knowledge” of that condition.
• Affirming personal jurisdiction over an out-of-state aircraft manufacturer in Downing v. Losvar, No. 36298-1-III (Wash. Ct. App. Apr. 14, 2022), a case in which a plane crash killed both the pilot and the passenger. The manufacturer argued that it could not be sued in Washington because it had not sold the crashed aircraft to anyone in Washington, delivered the aircraft into Washington, or had any contact with the aircraft after it was brought into Washington.  Ron successfully argued on appeal that the manufacturer could be held accountable in a Washington court based on the manufacturer’s systematic efforts to market, sell, and service its aircraft in Washington; the fact that the aircraft was registered in Washington and owned by a Washington resident; and the fact that the crash occurred in Washington and killed Washington residents.
• Reversing summary judgment in Crabtree v. Jefferson County Public Hospital District No. 2, 500 P.3d 203 (Wash. Ct. App. 2021), a case in which a hospital fired an employee after she became pregnant. The trial judge dismissed the case before trial.  Ron successfully argued on appeal that this was legal error, that there were genuine issues of material fact that needed to be resolved by a jury, and the Court of Appeals reversed the dismissal and ordered that the case proceed to trial.  The case settled shortly thereafter.
• Reversing a defense verdict in Soucy v. Gilbertson, 14 Wash. App. 2d 1016 (2020), a case in which a chiropractor performed a dangerous maneuver on a patient that resulted in torn arteries and a stroke. The trial judge had refused to instruct the jury that they could infer the chiropractor’s negligence based on the facts of the case.  Ron successfully argued on appeal that this was legal error, and the Court of Appeals reversed the trial judge’s decision and ordered a new trial.  The case settled shortly thereafter.

In addition to his appellate victories, Ron was part of the trial teams that obtained:

• A $185 million verdict against Monsanto for injuries caused by exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Erickson v. Pharmacia LLC, No. 18-2-11915-4 SEA;
• A $62 million verdict against Monsanto for injuries caused by exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Long v. Pharmacia LLC, No. 18-2-00001-7 SEA;
• A $21 million verdict against Monsanto for injuries caused by exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Beutler v. Pharmacia LLC, No. 21-2-14302-1 SEA;
• A $275 million verdict against Monsanto for injuries caused by exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Allison v. Pharmacia LLC, No. 18-2-26074-4 SEA;
• A $15 million verdict in a wrongful death case arising from a plane crash in Messina v. Walker, No. 16-2-30032-4 SEA.

Before joining Friedman | Rubin, Ron served as a law clerk to the Hon. Josephine L. Staton at the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and the Hon. Jacqueline H. Nguyen at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.  He earned his Juris Doctor degree, magna cum laude, from the University of California, Irvine School of Law and his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

California ● Washington

U.S. District Court for the Central District of California

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Note, Is the Political Question Doctrine Jurisdictional or Prudential?, 6 UC Irvine L. Rev. 255 (2016)

When Racism Affects Legal Representation, WSAJ Trial News (Dec. 2018)

Avoid 12(b)(6) Dismissal – Tell Client’s Story, WSAJ Trial News (May 2019)

A Sea Change in the Failure to Enforce Exception to the Public Duty Doctrine, WSAJ Trial News (May 2020)

Ford Motor Re-empowers State Courts Over Out-of-State Defendants, WSAJ Trial News (Jun. 2021)

Downing Brings Ford’s Personal Jurisdiction Holding to Washington, WSAJ Trial News (Jun. 2022)

Erickson v. Pharmacia LLC: Reading Beyond the Headlines, WSAJ Trial News (Jun. 2024).