Donald Ornelas is an associate and a member of the firm’s General Liability and Medical Malpractice Defense Groups. Don’s practice focuses on sports and recreation, general and premises liability, government entity liability, business litigation and medical malpractice, including elder abuse. Don also regularly works on transactional projects.

Recently, in Cardoza v. USC University Hospital, Don obtained a complete dismissal of all claims against his client, a prominent local university hospital, via a successful motion for summary judgment. In this case, the plaintiff was the surviving daughter of a hospital patient that had died of natural causes. However, plaintiff claimed that her mother had not been allowed to “die with dignity”, and asserted claims for fraud, violations of various sections of the Probate Code, along with a request for punitive damages. Don convinced the trial court that the hospital had not committed any fraudulent conduct and that it had been in compliance with all relevant laws and regulations with respect to its treatment of the patient.

In Dermenjyan v. Quantum Rock, Don convinced the court to dismiss the case against reality TV guru Mark Burnett Productions, the USA Television Networks, and two other clients. In his motion for summary judgment, Don successfully challenged the essential elements of each of the plaintiff’s claims, including general negligence, premises liability, and strict products liability.

Don has had similar victories in other cases, including obtaining summary judgment in favor of a health club facility for injuries arising out of a shooting and ensuing altercation that occurred in the club’s building. Don adds, “We’ve also been very successful in the motorsports area, defending lawsuits brought by a participant in a race or by a spectator that gets injured. We are almost always able to successfully defend the case and get our client dismissed based upon the waivers and releases that are signed or on the doctrine of assumption of the risk.”

Southwestern University, J.D.
Recipient, CALI Excellence Award, Comparative Law
George A. Kraft Memorial Writing Award
Article of the Year, The Commentator
Nominee, National Law School Newspaper Writing Award, Feature Article Category

University of California at Los Angeles, B.A. History
Admitted:
State Bar of California

Admitted to Practice:
U.S. District Court, Central District of California

Board of Directors:
West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame, Inc., 2009-present

Member:
Los Angeles County Bar Association
International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA)
International Amusement and Leisure Defense Association (IALDA)
Roller Skating Association (RSA)

Publications:

“Off-site Demonstrations- Fun, revenue generator, possdible insurance liability?” Roller Skating Business Nov/Dec 2010: 20-21.

"Safety First: Making Internet Marketing Safe for Children and Skating Center Operators." Roller Skating Business July/Aug 2010.

“Maintenance Toolbox: Tools for keeping skating centers and skaters safe.” Roller Skating Business Nov/Dec 2009: 13-15.

“Taking Stock: The dos and don’ts of downloading images from the Web.” Roller Skating Business July/Aug 2009: 12-14.

“Equipment Maintenance." Club Industry’s Fitness Business Pro 10 August 2009. Online at: http://clubindustry.com/stepbystep/clubs/equipment-maintenance/

“Putting Together Incident Reports." Club Industry’s Fitness Business Pro 11 May 2009. Online at: http://clubindustry.com/stepbystep/clubs/0511-incident-reports/

“Bruises, Breaks & Other Incidents." World Waterpark April 2009: 42-45. "Conducting Incident Investigations." Club Industry's Fitness Business Pro 10 April 2009. Online at: http://clubindustry.com/stepbystep/clubs/0410-incident-investigations/

“Proper Use of Audiovisual Media: Protect yourself and your skaters while promoting with videos and photographs.” Roller Skating Business March/April 2009: 21-23.

“Conducting Efficient Incident Investigations: When the worst happens it's important that skating centers have a plan in place.” Roller Skating Business Jan/Feb 2009: 17-19.

“Always Be Prepared: Incident reports benefit skating center operators, insurance companies, and attorneys.” Roller Skating Business Nov/Dec 2008: 10-12.

“Incident Reports: How and why to do them right.” IHRSA’s Club Business for Entrepreneurs Nov. 2008: 18-19.

Legal Q & A. 38th Annual RPM Racing Promotion Monthly Workshop Series: Reno, Nev., Dec 2010, and Daytona Beach, Fla., Feb. 2011.

Legal and Legislative Roundtable. IAAPA Attractions Expo, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando Fla., Nov. 2010.

IALDA Mock Trial. 73nd Annual Roller Skating Association Convention & Trade Show, Las Vegas, Nev., April 2010.

RACE SAFE: Risk Management Q & A and RACE SAFE: Cary Agajanian Case Law Report. 37th Annual RPM Racing Promotion Monthly Workshop Series: Reno, Nev., Dec. 2009, and Daytona Beach, Fla., Feb. 2010.

IALDA Legal and Legislative Roundtable. IAAPA Attractions Expo, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nev., Nov. 2009.

IALDA’s Most Popular Theories of Liability & How to Defeat Them. World Waterpark Association 29th Annual Symposium and Trade Show, Orlando, Fla., Oct. 2009.

IALDA Presents: How Not To Lose Cases- Free and Easy Solutions for Avoiding Common Litigation Headaches. 72nd Annual Roller Skating Association Convention & Trade Show, Las Vegas, Nev., August 2009.

Legal Guardian’s Hour and Risky Business Q & A. 36th Annual RPM Racing Promotion Monthly Workshop Series: Reno, Nev., Dec. 2008, and Lake Mary, Fla., Feb. 2009.