Patricia Lee-Gulley

Patricia Lee-Gulley is a Partner in the Orange County office and has been with GRSM since 1998. Her active litigation practice focuses primarily on product liability, complex/mass tort litigation, premises liability, business/commercial litigation, and employment litigation for the firm’s Southern California offices.

Her litigation practice is supplemented by her industry experience and background in both manufacturing and business, including operations, processes, safety, and human resources. She has also served as national counsel for a major corporation and as local counsel for various out-of-state corporations.

Patricia is AV-Preeminent-rated by Martindale-Hubbel, a Top Attorney in Litigation by the OC Register Metro Magazine, and Superb-rated by Avvo.com.

Admissions

• California
• U.S. District Courts, Central, Eastern, Northern, and Southern Districts of California
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
• U.S. Supreme Court

Memberships

• California Minority Counsel Program, Director, Former Secretary, and Executive Committee Member
• Los Angeles County Bar Association
• National Association of Women Lawyers
• National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
• Orange County Bar Association, Community Outreach Committee Member, Former Director, and Member
• Orange County Women Lawyers Association, Former President
• Orange County Asian American Bar Association, Former President
• Western State College of Law Dean’s Counselors, Alumni Advisor
• William P. Gray Legion Lex Inn of Court

Representative Experience

Examples of Patricia's extensive experience include the following:

Tort and Product Liability

• Experience in defending product liability and premises liability matters involving industrial equipment, commercial products, furniture, sports/recreational products and automotive components, catastrophic injuries, sports/recreational injuries, workplace injuries, and/or other personal injuries.

Employment Litigation

• Experience in handling employment litigation involving discrimination, harassment, hostile workplace environment, and other employment-related claims.

Business and Commercial Litigation

• Experience in handling business disputes, breach of contract, collections (writ of possession), and employment-related matters.

Environmental/Toxic Tort

• Experience in defending soil contamination matters involving property damage and/or personal injury. Chaired a Defense Discovery Committee in mass environmental tort litigation of three consolidated matters involving over 4,000 plaintiffs and 100 industrial defendants.

Successful Results

• Obtained summary judgments in premises liability-personal injury cases based on the waiver of liability provision in the membership agreement for a national health club by establishing there was no gross negligence and that express assumption of the risk was proper.
• Obtained a defense verdict in favor of the general manager against claims of assault, battery, and negligence.  The plaintiff who was a member of a national health club alleged that the general manager wrongfully and negligently ejected him from the premises.
• Obtained a summary judgment in a wrongful death motorcycle helmet product liability case. Tragically, a San Bernardino County Sheriff's Deputy was killed when a vehicle pulled out in front of the officer’s motorcycle as the officer was responding to an emergency call. The officer was ejected from his motorcycle in the collision and came to rest a considerable distance from the point of impact. During the accident event, the officer’s helmet separated from his head, and the officer sustained fatal head wounds. Arguing the affirmative defense of post-sale product modification, Patricia established that an after-market buckle added to the helmet retention system by the motorcycle officer was the cause of the helmet coming off the officer’s head and that the fatal head wounds were sustained after the point in time when the officer’s head was unprotected by the helmet.
• Obtained a summary judgment in a product liability case for a furniture manufacturer whose product was sold between 13 and 23 years ago. The plaintiff was a student attending an art class at a community college in San Bernardino County when the chair that she was seated in broke. The plaintiff claimed permanent injuries/disability to her lower back. Patricia established both that the chair had been modified over years of use and that the plaintiff was unable to prove either a design or manufacture defect.
• Obtained a summary judgment in a multi-party litigation a sequence of two separate floods that occurred in a short time period, causing personal injury and property damage. The parties, represented by a prior counsel, filed a lawsuit for claims of personal injuries and property damage that were compensated in a settlement agreement. Patricia established that the damages alleged by the parties, who were represented by a new and second counsel, in their new (second) lawsuit were barred by the parties’ general release from the first lawsuit and that there was no exclusion to permit the parties to retain the right to pursue additional litigation against agents of the principal named in the first lawsuit.
• Obtained a summary judgment in a Labor Code Section 4558 (Power Press Exception) case in Los Angeles for a manufacturer whose employee was operating a press brake that had both dual palm buttons and a light curtain installed as safety guards when he sustained injury. Patricia established that there was no evidence that the employer knowingly removed a guard from the power press that the employee was operating at the time of the injury or that the employer knowingly failed to install a guard that was mandated by the manufacturer.
• Obtained a dismissal based on lack of jurisdiction and minimum contacts that involved respondent briefing and oral argument at the appellate level that resulted in a favorable published opinion (Carretti v. Italpast, (2002) 101 Cal.App.4th 1236).

Education

J.D., Western State University

M.B.A., East Carolina University

B.A., magna cum laude, University of Southern California

Honors

AV-Preeminent Rating, Martindale-Hubbell

Top Attorney in Orange County, OC Register Metro Magazine

Superb Rating, AVVO.com

Everyday Heroes, Orange County Women Lawyers Association

Outstanding Community Service Award, APALSA of Western State College of Law

Hall of Fame in recognition of an exemplary career and outstanding community and professional service, Western State College of Law

What do you enjoy most about your practice?

I enjoy the opportunities to build long-lasting partnerships with clients; as well as the constant trends or changes in the law that are needed to keep pace with our changing society.

What is the secret to obtaining successful trial results?

Understanding and accepting the facts that define the scope of your case as well as moving your case management forward in an "out of the box" mindset to stay ahead of your opposing counsel.

What are your favorite pastimes when you are not practicing law?

Spending time with my family--husband, son and my parents--and our lovable Alaskan Malamute Kayla.