Nicolas H. Pak

Experience

Mr. Springer is an experienced trial lawyer recognized and greatly respected as one of the leading eminent domain attorneys in Southern California. His litigation practice includes land use, real estate, contracts, environmental law, constitutional law, municipal law and oil and gas matters. He regularly represents clients in jury trials, court trials, arbitration matters, administrative proceedings and appeals.

Mr. Springer has successfully represented government entities, private landowners, and business owners in highly complex matters. He has built a considerable reputation based upon his unparalleled trial success record.

In the governmental sector, Mr. Springer has overseen acquisitions for many major public infrastructure projects, including projects for the County of Los Angeles, the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (“Metro”), and the Los Angeles Unified School District. Mr. Springer was responsible for the acquisitions of many Metro Subway and Light Rail Projects, including the light rail maintenance yard near the LAX airport, as well as station sites for the 96th Street Station, Beverly Hills, Universal City, Hollywood and Vine, Hollywood / Normandie, Wilshire / Vermont, Vermont / Beverly, and Wilshire / Alvarado.

Mr. Springer’s experience in land use related litigation includes inverse condemnation, zoning and CEQA compliance. Mr. Springer also has an active practice in general business litigation and regulatory matters.

Summary of Appellate Decisions and Jury Verdicts

• Plaine v. McCabe, 797 F.2d 713 (9^th 1986). Mr. Springer successfully argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in a $100 million class action securities fraud matter for the application of the defense of collateral estoppel.  In an issue of first impression, the court agreed that a “fairness” determination by the California Department of Corporations was entitled to collateral estoppel effect.
• Calop Business Systems, Inc. v. City of Los Angeles(2013 WL 6182627).  Mr. Springer successfully defended the City’s Living Wage Ordinance for airport employees in an action filed in the United States District Court. Affd. 614 Fed.Appx. 867 (9^th 2015)
• Brookside Investments, Ltd. V. City of El Monte (2015) 5 Cal.App. 5^th Mr. Springer successfully defended the City’s mobilehome rent control ordinance from a facial constitutional challenge.
• CalTrans v. Smurfit Stone Container Corp. Springer represented the owner of an improved industrial property in a condemnation matter brought to acquire a strip of the property for the Interstate 5 widening project.  The initial offer was only $486,000 after CalTrans’ appraisal was reduced by alleged environmental impacts and contained no amount for severance damages.  Mr. Springer successfully tried the matter to a jury verdict awarding the owner $4,005,856.  The award reflected that the property was not contaminated and that the taking did result in severance damages.
• Fredericks v. The Santa Rosa Cove Assn. Springer represented Mr. and Mrs. Fredericks, the owners of a home, against a homeowner association that blocked access along a roadway providing a second means of access.  The jury awarded Mr. and Mrs. Fredericks $600,000 in economic damages, $1,000,000 in non-economic damages (pain and suffering), and $400,000 in punitive damages for a total award of $2 million.
• County of Ventura v. Channel Islands Marina.  Mr. Springer represented the County of Ventura at trial and on appeal with respect to an inverse condemnation action asserting that a marina’s docks and other improvements were taken by the County’s alleged conduct in blocking the marina owner’s attempts to obtain removal permits.  The alleged damage, however, was caused by the State of California, not the County.  As a result, the County was the prevailing party, leading to dismissal of the action with prejudice.