Lawyer Overview

A member of the firm, Charles Douthat has been an active trial lawyer in Connecticut for over 25 years. Among judges and other lawyers, Charles
is widely known for his courtroom skills, his tenacity, and his innovative approaches to complex and challenging cases. His practice is primarily devoted to representing clients seriously injured by medical malpractice, dangerous products, and in workplace accidents. He has achieved a number of large verdicts and million dollar settlements for his clients. He co-authored, with Jonathan Katz, Injury Claims in Connecticut, a consumer's guide to personal injury case.

A few examples of Charles' cases include:

He secured a 1.4 million dollar trial verdict for an elderly woman who fell while left unattended in the Hospital of St. Raphael's emergency
room. Due to her injuries, the woman lost her capacity to live independently and was confined to a nursing home for the rest of her life. The hospital offered $50,000 to settle the case before trial.

He secured a multi-million dollar settlement for a custodial worker whose CT scan was misread during an emergency room admission. Due to a delay in proper diagnosis, the man suffered a massive stroke and became permanently disabled. The case was rejected as too difficult to prove by several other law firms before the family hired Charles.

He represented a teenage girl who was partially blinded by a parasite passed to her from a diseased puppy her parents bought at a local pet store. Charles filed a lawsuit alleging the puppy was a dangerous product under the Connecticut Product Liability Act. The trial court upheld this innovative claim, and the case settled shortly before trial for over one million dollars.

He represented Donny T, a young boy hospitalized with a head injury after running into a street and being hit by a car. From a coma, Donny was awakened when his family brought his dog into his hospital room. Using computer graphics, Charles reconstructed the accident to show the driver's fault. The case settled at the start of trial for $460,000.

He represented an elderly woman whose bladder was punctured during a routine interventional radiology procedure. She developed peritonitis and remained in the hospital for over a year. Eventually, Charles was able to obtain hospital records initially withheld which documented the physician's negligence. The case settled on the first day of trial for a confidential amount.

He represented a machinist whose hands were injured while operating a computerized lathe manufactured by a Japanese corporation. Charles brought the case in United States District Court, claiming the lathe was defectively designed. After the first trial witness, the Japanese company withdrew all settlement offers. The jury awarded $560,000.

He represented the family of a construction site elevator operator who fell seventeen stories to his death at a hotel under construction at the
Mohegan Sun reservation. Charles was able to prove that the elevator malfunctioned due to the installation of a defective brake part. The case settled after four days of court-sponsored mediation for a confidential amount.

Charles has been recognized for excellence by his fellow lawyers who selected him for membership in Outstanding Lawyers of America. He has been rated AV (the highest possible rating) by Martindale Hubbell, the attorney rating service. He has been appointed and served as an Attorney
Trial Referee, Arbitrator, and Special Master in the Connecticut Superior Court.

Charles was born in Santa Monica, California where he attended public schools before graduating from Stanford University. He received his law degree from Hastings College of the Law. Before joining JGBDK, Charles was a partner for many years in the AV rated, New Haven law firm, Jacobs
& Jacobs.

Charles lives in New Haven and is a parishioner at St. Mary's Church on Hillhouse Avenue. His son Ross, a graduate of Hamden Hall, is an author
and columnist for the New York Times. His daughter Jeanne, a graduate of Sacred Heart Academy in Hamden, attends Yale University.

Areas of Practice

• Medical Malpractice
• Personal Injury
• Workplace Injuries

Representative Cases

• Vece v. Vece, 43 Conn. App. 915 (1996)
• Tomei v. Sachs, 41 Conn. Supp. 179 (1989)
• Horn v. Lewis Equipment, 2004 Ct. Sup. 13652 (2004)
• Keating v. Allegheny Ludlam, 10 Conn. Worker's Comp. Rev. Op. 28 (1992)

West Practice Categories

Employment Law -- Employee, Employment Law -- Employer, Labor Law, Personal Injury -- Defense, Personal Injury -- Plaintiff, Medical Malpractice

Bar Admissions

• Connecticut, 1982
• U.S. District Court District of Connecticut, 1983
• U.S. Court of Appeals 2nd Circuit, 1987

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association (Member)
• American Association for Justice (Member)

Honors and Awards

• Listed in "The Outstanding Lawyers in America"
• Rated AV (The Highest Possible Rating) by Martindale Hubbell

Education

• University of California, Hastings College of the Law, San Francisco, California, 1977
  J.D.
• Stanford University, Stanford, California, 1972
  A.B.
  Honors: With Distinction
  Major: History

Offers Free Initial Consultation

Address

350 Orange Street
New Haven, CT 06511-6403

Phones

203-772-3100

Faxes

203-772-1691

Emails

Contact Us

Websites

http://www.jacobslaw.com