Jason Itkin

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Jason Itkin earned his Bachelor of Arts with Special Honors in the Plan II Honors Program and his Doctorate of Jurisprudence with Honors from the University of Texas. While at the University of Texas, Jason received numerous honors and awards, including the Dean's Achievement Award in Professional Responsibility, serving on the Liberal Arts Counsel and Student Services Board. He was also elected president of the Silver Spurs.

Jason's legal career began in the Honors Program at the Office of the Attorney General where he protected the rights of Texans in courthouses across the state. Jason's trial and appellate work helped the state protect the rights of individuals who could not afford a lawyer.

After leaving the Attorney General's office, Jason joined Susman Godfrey LLP. While there, Jason successfully represented plaintiffs and defendants in complex business litigation and product liability cases. Jason worked on several 'bet the company' cases and achieved victories inside and outside of the court room.

In 2004, Jason founded his own firm — Arnold & Itkin LLP. Since then, Jason has won victories for partners in high-stakes business disputes, seriously injured people, families of wrongfully killed workers, and numerous other companies and people involved in legal battles.

Jason is licensed to practice law in Texas and Pennsylvania and before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Jason has tried more than 30 cases, most of which have gone to verdict. He has represented clients in approximately 20 different states in front of juries, judges, and arbitration panels. In the last four years, Jason has helped win hundreds of millions of dollars for his clients.

In a survey of his legal peers, Jason has been named a "Texas Rising Star" several times and has also been repeatedly included in "Top Lawyers for the People" lists. As a fellow of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Jason has made significant contributions to ensure that the law protects individuals who would otherwise not have a voice. When he is not working, Jason is involved in community outreach programs and charities.

Some of Jason’s representative cases include:

• $40 Million - Jason Itkin and Kurt Arnold tried a case involving a complex business against one of the nation's largest banks. After weeks of intense trial preparation, the case was tried in Hawaii state court. The jury ultimately awarded Arnold & Itkin LLP’s client more than $40 million – one of the largest verdicts in Hawaii history. The pretrial offer to plaintiff was less than 5% of the ultimate verdict. The case was successfully resolved in October 2008.
• $14 Million - Jason Itkin worked with Kurt Arnold and Mike Pierce to achieve a $14 million settlement for an injured worker. The case settled just 2 days before trial. The settlement will ensure that Arnold & Itkin LLP’s client will have the care and attention he needs for the rest of his life.
• $11 Million - Jason Itkin, Kurt Arnold, and Jeff Seely won an $11 million verdict on behalf of family injured in a train collision. The trial lasted nearly four weeks in Beaumont, Texas. The defendant’s final offer in trial was less than 10% of the trial verdict.
• $9.6 Million - Jason Itkin, working with Kurt Arnold and Michael Pierce, received a $9.6 million jury verdict in an industrial injury case. The trial lasted over two weeks, but the jury deliberated for only a day and a half before finding Occidental Chemical Corporation liable for an improperly designed piece of equipment, which led to the industrial accident that resulted in a worker losing most of the site in one eye. The verdict was received in Harris County Texas.
• $9 Million - Jason Itkin and Kurt Arnold settled an offshore injury case against several defendants for nearly $9 million on the first day of trial. The settlement ensured that Arnold & Itkin LLP’s clients would be cared for during the rest of their lives.
• $3.7 Million - Jason Itkin and Kurt Arnold won a $3.7 million jury verdict on behalf of a longshoreman who was killed in the port of Houston. Utilizing various experts and computer graphics, the jury confirmed that the defendant’s ship was improperly maintained. The defendant’s pretrial settlement offer was less than 10% of the trial verdict.
• $2.9 Million - Jason Itkin was lead counsel in a trial against SCI funeral homes. The trial resulted in a $2.9 million verdict for Arnold & Itkin LLP’s client. In that case, a long-term SCI employee fell 10 feet off a parking garage that lacked a guardrail. Before trial, the defendant offered to settle the case for $200,000. The jury awarded the Plaintiff more than $2.9 million.
• $2.5 Million - Jason Itkin and Kurt Arnold resolved a business case for $2.5 million. The case involved an oral agreement between the firm’s client and a several private equity firms. By taking some hard-hitting depositions, the plaintiff was able to prove the oral contract existed and was enforceable. Ultimately, the defendants settled the case rather than face trial.
• $2.25 Million - Jason Itkin and Kurt Arnold settled a case for $2.25 million on behalf of a worker who injured his back and wrist. The case was pending in Hidalgo County, Texas.
• $2 Million - Jason Itkin and Mike Pierce reached a confidential settlement on behalf of a Jones Act Seaman who contracted a bacterial infection while working aboard a pleasure craft. The infection rendered the injured crew member paralyzed for more than a year. Thankfully, through advances in medicine, Arnold & Itkin LLP's client can now walk, and the settlement will ensure that the Plaintiff will be able to pay his future medical bills, which will likely exceed $2 million. The settlement also will provide the seaman with money to compensate him for his pain and suffering.
• $2 Million - Jason Itkin (along with Kurt Arnold and Cory Itkin) started trial in front of Judge Vanessa Gilmore in a case involving two industrial workers with orthopedic injuries. The case ultimately settled for more than $2 million.
• $1.75 Million - Jason Itkin and Kurt Arnold settled a case for $1.75 million during trial. The firm represented an injured maritime worker who needed a lumbar fusion as a result of a fall. The defendants nearly doubled their pre-trial offer after the first day of evidence.
• $1.75 Million - Jason Itkin and Kurt Arnold won a $1.75 million settlement for an employee of Wood Group who was injured in an offshore crane accident. The incident occurred aboard an offshore platform when a crane operator caused the boom crane he was operating to jerk. Without warning, the crane struck the firm’s client in the face, knocking him off the railing he was standing on. In the fall, the plaintiff herniated a disc in his back, which ultimately required lumbar fusion surgery. The worker also had post concussion symptoms related to being struck in the head. The case was litigated in the federal court for the Southern District of Texas. It settled 2 weeks before trial.
• $1.55 Million - Arnold & Itkin LLP personal injury attorneys Jason Itkin and Cory Itkin won a $1.55 million jury verdict on behalf of Gilberto Villegas. APM Terminals' highest settlement offer before trial was only $35,000. On May 29, 2008, Mr. Villegas was seriously injured while he was working as a ship repairman at APM Terminals' marine terminal at the Port of Houston. He was standing in the bed of a pick up truck when a yard mule driver working for APM Terminals collided with the pick up truck. APM Terminals argued that its driver was not at fault because the pick up truck was parked in the middle of an intersection. They also argued that there was only a minor impact because the yard mule driver was only driving 1 or 2 miles per hour at the time of the accident. Mr. Villegas' doctor eventually needed to perform neck surgery as a result of the collision. However, APM Terminals argued that the surgery was unnecessary and pointed out that Mr. Villegas had neck complaints which pre-existed the accident. Arnold & Itkin LLP is proud to have stood by its client and proud to have gotten him the compensation he deserved. The case was pending in Harris County, Texas with the Honorable Jaclanal McFarland presiding.
• $1.2 Million - Jason Itkin and Kurt Arnold tried a personal injury case in Houston federal court in front of Judge David Hittner. The defendant never offered more than $30,000.00 to settle the case. After a weeklong trial, the jury awarded Arnold & Itkin LLP’s client $1.2 million. Ultimately, the 5th Circuit affirmed the jury’s verdict.
• $1.05 Million - Jason Itkin, Kurt Arnold, and Mike Tilton reached a partial settlement of $1,050,000 for a client who suffered a herniated disk in a crane collapse industrial accident. The horrific incident occurred when the cab of a crawler crane sheared away from the crane’s base forcefully ejecting the terrified occupant. The crane operator was lucky to survive. Because the workers’ compensation carrier refused the injury claim and would not pay the plaintiff’s medical bills, Arnold & Itkin LLP helped their client survive during the pendency of the lawsuit. The firm’s innovative approach to establishing liability and circumventing the workers’ compensation bar allowed the plaintiff to recover a substantial award. The rest of the case is set for trial in April 2010.
• Arnold & Itkin LLP Settles Offshore Worker’s Knee Case for More Than $1 Million Dollars Jason Itkin, Mike Pierce, and Cory Itkin won a fantastic settlement for an injured ship repairman. Ken Romero partially tore his meniscus while climbing beneath the deck of a jack up rig. His injury required knee surgery. Unfortunately for Mr. Romero, the knee surgery did not turn out well and he suffered several medical complications. Ken’s case was initially dismissed on summary judgment, but Arnold & Itkin successfully reversed that ruling in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. As part of the settlement, Mr. Romero won more than $1 million and will have his future medical benefits paid for the rest of his life.
• $935,000 - Jason Itkin and Mike Tilton successfully settled a commercial truck accident case for $935,000. Arnold & Itkin LLP’s clients suffered herniated discs when an 18-wheeler slammed into a sedan driven by the plaintiff. Arnold & Itkin LLP claimed that the driver of the semi-trailer truck caused the accident when he drove straight through a 'turn only' lane. Even though the plaintiff was cited by the police for the accident, Arnold & Itkin LLP was able to show that the defendants were at fault by tracking down several eyewitnesses who blamed the driver of the semi-trailer truck.
• $810,000 - Jason Itkin was lead counsel in a trial against Niche Oilfield Services. The trial resulted in an $810,000 verdict for the plaintiff. In addition to the verdict amount, Jason Itkin was also able to negotiate a confidential settlement from another defendant in the case. Niche’s last offer to settle the case before trial was $11,000.00.
• $675,000 - Arnold & Itkin LLP maritime lawyers Jason Itkin, Cory Itkin, and Mike Tilton won a $675,000 settlement for a Jones Act seaman who had a back injury that did not require surgery. The Plaintiff, who lives in Florida, hurt his back when he fell approximately 3 feet while working alone. The Defendant refused to pay maintenance and cure because the client failed a post-accident drug screen. As a result of the company’s failure to honor its cure obligations, Arnold & Itkin worked hard to make sure that the firm’s client still received proper medical care. Arnold & Itkin filed the suit in Beaumont, Texas and settled the case just days before trial.
• Jason Itkin represented the family of a mentally disabled woman who was brutally raped by a special needs driver provided by a national transportation company. Arnold & Itkin LLP sued the transportation company for failing to conduct proper background checks on its drivers and failing to train them. Jason Itkin negotiated a substantial, confidential settlement for the family. As part of the settlement, the defendant agreed to change many of its policies nationwide so that a tragedy like this does not happen again.
• Jason Itkin and Kurt Arnold represented a Dallas resident who received injuries to his eye when his hockey mask failed. The case resulted in a substantial, seven figure settlement for the client. More importantly, Arnold & Itkin LLP was able to ensure that the unsafe product was recalled nationwide.
• Jason Itkin & Kurt Arnold resolved a variety of claims arising out of the BP Texas City explosion. The cases were settled for a confidential amount favorable to the plaintiffs.

If you have any questions about our firm or would like to speak with one of our lawyers, please contact our Houston office.