Profile

Highly skilled and very experienced at litigation and dispute resolution in high-stakes business, real estate and public sector conflicts, commercial litigator Douglas C. Straus represents a wide range of private and public sector clients. Working efficiently, Doug devises dispute solutions that align with a client’s litigation goals and their political and business needs.

Guiding Clients in California’s Strategic Industries

Doug has significant experience representing clients in such areas as financial services, real estate development and lending, solid waste management, healthcare, and insurance. While most disputes are settled to his clients’ satisfaction, his clients regularly prevail when necessary in significant jury trials, binding arbitrations and court trials.

Leading Litigation Defense in Class Actions and Financial Services

Doug has successfully defended numerous purported consumer class action lawsuits including claims for unfair competition, unfair life insurance sales practices Unruh Act violations and FDCPA claims.

For consumer lenders, he defends claims involving the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), RESPA, and the complete range of federal and California statutes and regulations governing the origination, servicing and enforcement of secured loans. Doug also counsels financial institutions on emerging issues, such as alternatives to foreclosure in large-borrower defaults.

Legal Advocate for Real Estate, Solid Waste and Healthcare Clients

Waste management disputes are a particular practice strength for Doug. His achievements include prevailing against a city in collection rate litigation and securing a multimillion-dollar arbitration award for a recycling processor in a dispute with a recycling collector.

Additionally, Doug represents several regional healthcare districts in a variety of business and public sector conflicts.

Experience

Doug Straus’s representative matters include:

• Consumer Lending - Represent several banks and financial services companies in consumer claims involving the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), fraud, Fair Debt Collection Practice Acts (FDCPA), Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) and other regulatory issues for licensed and regulated lenders.
• Business Tort Verdict - Acted as plaintiff’s counsel in a business torts case involving claims of misappropriation of quarry resources made by our client against his former business partner. We obtained a multimillion-dollar verdict on his behalf.
• Business Fraud - Obtained a defense jury verdict, on behalf of insurers, in extremely sensitive high-stakes trial involving allegations of business fraud.
• Medicare Reimbursement - Prevailed at the appellate level on behalf of our client, a hospital, in mandating the government to reimburse our client’s nearly $1 million MediCal payment. At issue was the refusal of the California Department of Health Care Services to consider our client’s request for reimbursement.
• Healthcare District - Favorably resolved a major dispute on behalf of our client, a large healthcare district, involving a hospital tenant.
• Hospital Development - Defended a healthcare district against a quasi-public legal challenge to development plans for a new $400 million, not-for-profit community hospital.
• Solid Waste Management - Represented a recyclables processor who was delivered garbage instead of recyclables from a solid waste collection company.  Doug obtained a multimillion-dollar award in arbitration on behalf of his client.
• Waste Collection Rates - Prevailed over city authorities on behalf of our client, a garbage company. Doug convinced the judge that the city abused its discretion in its treatment of our client who was seeking a reasonable rate.

Industries

• Financial Institutions
• Waste Management
• Healthcare
• Real Estate Lender
• Real Estate Development