Christopher Bruni
Christopher Bruni has defended contractors, employers, distributors, retailers and manufacturers in asbestos and toxic tort litigation for over 20 years. He has litigated matters involving diseases such as lung cancer, mesothelioma, colon cancer and ARS. Early in his career, Mr. Bruni assisted in the successful defense of a Midwestern heavy equipment manufacturer against claims brought by its employees under Labor Code Section 3602(b)(2), the Johns-Manville exception, for the use of alleged cancer causing solvents in the manufacturing process. Since that time he has tried numerous asbestos cases, including a five-month, multi-plaintiff jury trial that resulted in two defense verdicts for his client. Mr. Bruni also participated as co-counsel in a four-month trial in Alameda County for an automotive parts distributor. At the close of the plaintiff’s evidence, Mr. Bruni brought a motion for nonsuit which was granted by the trial court.
Additionally, Mr. Bruni specializes in automobile manufacturer and dealer litigation. He began his practice in the automotive arena representing a Detroit automobile manufacturer in warranty litigation, obtaining a defense verdict in his first trial in 1986. He has since tried cases for both manufacturers and dealerships involving claims brought under the Song-Beverly Act, the Magnuson-Moss Act, the CLRA and Business and Professions Code Section 17200. For over seven years Mr. Bruni was statewide counsel for all dealerships insured by DaimlerChrysler Insurance in California. In the past twenty years he has mediated, handled and arbitrated over 400 cases on behalf of automobile manufacturers and dealerships. Mr. Bruni is the author of an auto law blog providing analysis and discussion on legal issues impacting auto dealers and manufacturers nationwide: http://autolaw.typepad.com
Mr. Bruni is also a well-known author and lecturer. He has been invited to speak both locally and nationally on a variety of topics, including California’s Song-Beverly Act, Business and Professions Code 17200 claims and contractor liability under the Privette decision and its progeny. He was the lead-off speaker at the 2005 Defense Research Institute’s Asbestos Medicine Seminar where he presented a paper, “Defending the Contractor: From Discovery through Trial” to over 1200 attendees. Mr. Bruni is also the author of “Avoiding Legal Land Mines; Contractors Must Learn to Manage Legal Issues Before They Arise” published in Constructor Magazine, the magazine of the Associated General Contractors of America.
Mr. Bruni has been named a Northern California Super Lawyer for four years.
He is a member of the Santa Clara County Bar Association, California New Car Dealers Association, Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and the Defense Research Institute. Mr. Bruni is a member of the State Bar of California and is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court, Northern, Eastern, Southern and Central Districts of California. He is a current member of the Board of Trustees of De La Salle High School, a Christian Brothers School located in Concord, California, and is a past president of the De La Salle Alumni Association. In 2003, the De La Salle Alumni Association named him Outstanding Alumni of the Year.
Mr. Bruni received his law degree from the University of Santa Clara. He was an Associate Editor of the Law Review, which published his case note, “The Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959-Union Members’ Bill of Rights Protects Rank and File Union Members Only,” 23 Santa Clara L. Rev. 955 (1983). He also holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Davis.
