Judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court (Ret.)
Hon. Patricia L. Collins
Personal Injury
Representative Cases
Presided over trial and settled scores of personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits including slip & fall; motor vehicle accidents involving automobiles, buses, motorcycles, bicyclists; dogs, cats and spider bites; and bar and restaurant fights.
Presided over trials, litigation and settlement conferences involving the following unique subject matters:
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS, or also known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, RSD) allegedly arising from injuries sustained in motor vehicle accidents and slip and falls;
Wrongful death claims arising from gang shooting at Moose Lodge during a party;
Third party liability for sexual assaults, including complex law and motion issues involving question of dangerous condition arising from rape in an elevator on Regents property; contractor liability for rape following installation of defective lock; landlord liability for rape arising from defective windows; alleged sexual assault of nanny by employer husband.
Sexual Assault:
Sexual assault by bus driver on disabled child.
Repeated sexual assault by construction worker employed at middle school site.
Sexual assault on minor by adult cousin.
Sexual assault on 8 year old by 13 year old.
Sexual assault alleged by employee by superviser.
Property owner living in newly built home sues contractor after she was raped by gardener who gained entrance through defectively installed lock.
Government Tort Claims/ Civil Rights:
Judge Collins has presided over matters involving alleged dangerous conditions on government property, including for example:
drive test area at DMV;
new construction at UCLA;
traffic diversion on PCH;
negligence in handling police dog;
faulty courtroom seating.
Lawsuit alleging liability of law enforcement agency for fatality resulting from a police chase.
Various wrongful death cases resulting from shootings by law enforcement.
Transgender student dismissed from college and barred from campus for allegedly misrepresenting her gender.
Asbestos/Toxic Torts
While assigned to Central Civil West, Judge Collins presided over a lengthy jury trial regarding complex asbestos litigation involving alleged property damage to commercial high-rise building. She has also presided over numerous cases involving allegations of personal injury resulting from exposure to mold and other toxins.