James J. Yukevich

Litigation

Los Angeles

James Yukevich still remembers the moment he reached a settlement in Brunner v. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. -- a case involving a young man who, at age three, fell from a third-story window and suffered a traumatic brain injury. The man was 20, and the plaintiffs sought damages exceeding eight figures. The window at issue was more than two decades old, and the central question was whether it had been defective. Yukevich, a partner at Yukevich Cavanaugh, and his team established that the window had exceeded applicable building code requirements at the time of construction, had been approved by both the building and fire departments, and included a window opening control device that the child's father had not used. No one who had worked on the window's design remained with the manufacturer, which meant the defense had to humanize a company without direct witnesses to its history.

"For me, the key was making sure a jury could understand the distinction between a tragic accident and a defect in the product," Yukevich said. "And find in favor of the defendant."

That same distinction shaped his approach in Ramon Tinoco Lopez v. Michelin North America Inc., a $99.7 million product liability case in which Yukevich represented Michelin. "The Michelin case also involved a tragic accident," he said. "We had to make sure the emotional impact of the event did not overshadow the legal and scientific evidence." His strategy centered on showing that Michelin bore no legal responsibility simply because the tire was old, since no scientific or industry consensus existed at the time of manufacture requiring an expiration date. He also introduced evidence of the tire's wear and underinflation. A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge granted summary adjudication, finding no duty to warn and no causal link between any alleged failure to warn and the accident. The 2nd District Court of Appeal affirmed, agreeing that plaintiffs had not shown a manufacturing-year consensus on tire replacement timing.

Yukevich has recently been retained to help defend S&S, the manufacturer of the X2 roller coaster cars, and he is now serving as lead trial counsel in Ford Motor Company toxic tort cases. He is also preparing for a Michelin North America trial set for February 2027.

Yukevich traces his path to law back to his debate coach, Coach Bruno, in Pittsburgh. "I enjoyed the challenge of debate, I was good at it, and I liked the idea of having to think on my feet and make a persuasive argument," he said. Watching Perry Mason with his mother reinforced the pull toward the courtroom, and years later, his senior partner, Harold Schwab, taught him how to cross-examine a witness and deliver a closing argument.

Outside the courtroom, Yukevich has spent more than 20 years supporting the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, helping raise millions of dollars for Angelenos facing food insecurity.