Robert F. Vaage's profile

    Robert F. Vaage

    Top rated Personal Injury attorney in San Diego, California

    Education Qualification:

    University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law

    Practice Areas:

    Personal injury,

    Medical malpractice,

    Birth injury,

    Brain injury,

    Medical devices,

    Motor vehicle defects,

    Premises liability - plaintiff,

    Trucking accidents,

    Wrongful death

    402 W Broadway, Suite 1500, San Diego, CA 92101San Diego, California, 92101

    First Admitted: 1982, California

    Professional Webpage: https://www.vaagelaw.com/robert-vaage/

    Bar/Professional Activity:
    • Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC), 1997
    • American Association of Justice (AAJ, formerly ATLA), 1997
    • U.S. Court of Appeal 4th District, 1982
    • U.S. District Court Central District of California, 1982
    • American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)
    • U.S. District Court Northern District of California, 1982
    • Consumer Attorneys of San Diego (CASD)
    • San Diego Trial Lawyers Association (SDTLA)
    • U.S. District Court Southern District of California, 1982
    Verdicts/Settlements (Case Results):
    • Arbitration Award of $25,638,058.93 for failure to diagnose and treat bowel obstruction leading to perforation, sepsis, and brain injury in an infant., 2022
    • Jury Verdict of $12,617,674 against the County of San Diego for failure to provide medical services to a detainee, interference with ambulance personnel prior to arrest, resulting in a brain injury., 2019
    • Jury Verdict of $3,550,000 for conscious sedation overdose at pediatric dental office. $900,000 settlement with dentist., 2023
    • $13 million settlement for wrongful death/personal injury from a head-on automobile collision. Other driver crossed over the double yellow lines., 2017
    • Neurologist Injured In Auto Accident ($3.1 Million Settlement)
    • Failure to Diagnose and Treat Active Pneumonia and Pleural Effusions ($543,923 Arbitration Award Against Kaiser)
    • Mri of Patient With Pacemaker Causes Death ($250,000 Settlement)
    • Motor Home Goes Down 110-Foot Embankment Injuring Passengers ($700,000 Settlement)
    • Failure to Timely Diagnose and Treat Ovarian Cancer ($750,000 Settlement)
    • Failure to Timely Treat Postoperative Hematoma ($1.3 Million total Settlement)
    • Dural Tear During Back Surgery; Defective Nerve Monitoring Device ($2,490,251.98 Settlement)
    • Death of 40-Year-Old Following Prolonged Diarrhea and Internal Bleeding ($1.1 Million Settlement)
    • Child Given Wrong Chemotherapy Drug ($558,000 Arbitration Award)
    • Death of 50-Year-Old Following Overdose of Chemotherapy Drug 5Fu ($1,358,000 Settlement)
    • Failure to Diagnose and Timely Treat CAD, Results In Heart Attack ($1.175 Million Settlement)
    • Retaliation For Supporting Gender Discrimination Claims ($966,500 Settlement)
    • Surgeon Removes Wrong Rib ($1,024,614 Jury Verdict)
    • Failure to monitor intracranial pressure leads to blindness ($2,250,000 settlement)
    • Physician Implants Pain Pump After Failed Trial; Undisclosed Financial Interest In Pharmacy Providing Narcotics ($2,050,000 Settlement)
    • Failure to Timely Diagnose and Treat Thyroid Cancer ($900,000 Mediated Settlement)
    • Slip and Fall on Wet Floor at Restaurant ($500,000 Settlement)
    • Overdose of Insulin and Glucose Lead to Brain Injury ($4,043,728 Settlement)
    • Army Veteran Overdosed on Heparin Leading to Stroke ($420,878 Judgment)
    • Engineer Severely Burned When 30-Inch Reheat Steam Pipe Bursts ($15 Million Settlement)
    • Failure to Timely Diagnose and Treat Prostate Cancer ($550,000 Settlement)
    • Child Dies After Given Norpace and Inderal ($1.2 Million Jury Verdict)
    • Elder Dies From Multiple Infected Bed Sores ($750,000 Settlement)
    • Military Doctor Refuses Request For C-Section ($1,259,970 Judgment)
    • Cardiac Arrest After Administration of Succinylcholine ($400,000 Settlement)
    • Retaliation For Complaining of Pregnancy Discrimination ($150,000 Jury Verdict Plus $273,481 In Attorney's Fees and Costs)
    • Delay In Diagnosis of Colon Cancer ($825,000 Settlement)
    • Overly aggressive sinus surgery/battery ($370,000 settlement)
    • Kitrosser v. Nuvasive, Inc.  ($3.099 Million Verdict) - upheld on appeal
    • Failure to Timely Diagnose and Treat Symptoms of Tia, Resulting In Stroke ($5 Million Arbitration Award Against Kaiser)
    • Failure to Treat Chronic A-Fib Leads to Stroke ($865,000 Settlement Plus $15,000 For Future Wrongful Death)
    • Slip and Fall At Open House ($290,000 Settlement)
    • Failure to Follow Up on Elevated PSA and Enlarged Prostate ($400,000 Settlement)
    • Failure to Timely Diagnose and Treat Rectal Cancer ($850,000 Settlement)
    • 16-Year-Old Dies After State-Mandated Physical Fitness Test ($400,000 Jury Verdict)
    • Death of 55-Year-Old From Laceration of Heart During Hernia Repair ($260,000 Settlement)
    • Massive Staph Infection Destroys Hip and L3-4 Disc Space ($345,000)
    • Elder Abuse and Neglect Lead to Death of A 94-Year-Old ($700,000 Settlement)
    • Delay In Treatment of Postop Hematoma Leads to Permanent Paralysis ($800,000 Arbitration Award and Confidential Settlement)
    • Failure to Timely Diagnose Lung Cancer Leads to Death ($500,000 (Settlement)
    • Misplaced Feeding Tube Kills 89-Year-Old ($110,000 Settlement)
    • Failure to Refer to Urologist Despite Elevated Psa ($850,000 Settlement)
    • Failure to treat complications from bariatric surgery ($8,999,998 settlement)
    • Kitrosser v. The Regents of The University of California, William Taylor, M.D. ($1.750 Million Settlement)
    • Failure to Timely Diagnose and Treat Symptoms of Tia Leads to Stroke ($1,237,321 + $30,000 Arbitration Award Against Kaiser)
    • Delay In C-Section of Baby In Fetal Distress ($1.3 Million Settlement)
    Representative Clients:
    • Kirwan v. Jose Perez, Nick's Dairy Commodities, et al.
    • Lindburg, et al. v. Unnamed Hospital, Roe Dr. 1, Roe Dr.
    • Palacios v. Alan Horowitch, M.D.
    • Plaintiff vs. Doe Hospital
    • Jones v. Fernald Wentzell, M.D.
    • Weamer v. Samuel C. Hon, MD.
    • Amrine v. Koll Center, et al.
    • Jane Doe v. Public Entity
    • Garrett v. Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, et al.
    • Minor Doe v. County of Riverside, et al.
    • Lobb, et al. v. Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, et al.
    • Doe Parents v. Roe Medical Group
    • Long v. Ervin Wheeler, M.D.
    • Velasquez v. U.S.A.
    • Waldal v. Charles Campbell, M.D. and Scripps Memorial Hospital
    • Klug v. Roe Hospital and Roe Inc (settlement), James F. Marino, M.D. (arbitration)
    • Sobczak, et al. v. Motlagh, M.D.; Knauf, M.D.; Scripps Hospital East County
    • Ryan v. S.D. Hospital Assoc. dba Sharp HealthCare and AIG Life Ins Co.
    • Crosthwaite v. Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, et al.
    • Paul Adkins and Katie Adkins v. Kaiser Foundation Hospitals
    • Prafke v. Alvarado Hospital Medical Center, et al.
    • Brown v. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc.
    • Rubidoux, et al. v. Country Hills Health Care Center, Jassmann, M.D., et al.
    • John Doe v. Roe Company, et al.
    • Jensen v. Mark Stern, M.D.
    Honors/Awards:
    • Outstanding Trial Lawyer, Consumer Attorneys of San Diego
    • The board of directors of the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego voted to present the Outstanding Advocate Award to Robert F. Vaage for his work in the Weiss v. Wang and Lew v. Wang.  Both plaintiffs claimed that they were injured by former UCLA spine surgeon, Jeffrey Wang, M.D., who failed to inform them of his extensive financial and research ties to the manufacturers of the medical devices he implanted in them.  The Regents of the University of California settled with Mr. Lew for $4.2 million and with Mr. and Mrs. Weiss for $4.25 million. Mr. Lew reached a separate confidential settlement with the device manufacturer. Mr. Vaage is emphatic that patients have a right to know if their physician receives compensation from a medical device company or pharmaceutical company.  “It’s not up to the physician to decide whether he/she has a conflict of interest; that decision should be left up to the patient.”, Consumer Advocate of the Year, Consumer Attorneys of San Diego, 2017
    • The Best Lawyers in America
    • Outstanding Trial Advocate, Consumer Attorneys of San Diego
    • "AV" rating from Martindale-Hubbell, a Nationwide Legal Publication
    Educational Background:
    • University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, 1982
    • University of California, San Diego, California, B.S. in History, 1979
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