Guy R. Gruppie

Guy R. Gruppie is a Senior Partner in the Los Angeles and San Francisco offices of Murchison & Cumming, LLP. He serves as Co-Chair of the Emerging Risks & Specialty Tort Practice Group and is a senior member of the firm's Product Liability, General Liability, Business Litigation and Hospitality Litigation practice groups. Mr. Gruppie specializes in the defense of complex and high-stakes litigation. With extensive civil trial experience, Mr. Gruppie has developed a diverse portfolio of clients which includes large and small international, national and local businesses, entertainment/media companies, celebrities, athletes and other high net-worth individuals involved in high-profile matters. He is considered one of California’s “go to” defense trial lawyers.

He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (Associate Rank), Los Angeles Chapter, the Claims Litigation Management Alliance (CLM) , and the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel (FDCC) among other prestigious bar organizations. Mr. Gruppie was formerly Vice Chair of the Trial Tactics/Trial Practice Section of the FDCC, a premier defense attorney organization.

He has served as an adjunct professor in California Civil Procedure at Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles, and is a popular author and sought-after speaker on torts, business litigation and jury trial matters. Mr. Gruppie has addressed national and local trade groups, insurance company executives, members of the bench and bar and law students on issues relating to effective use of mock trials and focus groups as a means of preparing for complex trials, jury verdicts and tort law trends in California and evidentiary issues facing corporate defendants in tort and business litigation, among other trial issues and trends.

Mr. Gruppie is "AV" rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been recognized as a "Southern California Super Lawyer" in a peer vote for 15 consecutive years. He is admitted to practice in all California state courts and the United States District Court, Central, Eastern and Southern districts of California. He is an honors graduate of the University of Southern California (B.A.) and Loyola Law School (J.D.) where he earned the American Jurisprudence Award in Trial Advocacy. Before law school, Mr. Gruppie worked as a reporter and editor at the Los Angeles Times. He is active in several San Gabriel Valley youth sports organizations and charities. He has served on Murchison & Cumming's Executive, Hiring, and Diversity Committees, having joined the firm as a summer associate in 1990.

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Member, American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), Los Angeles Chapter
• Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel (FDCC)
• Claims Litigation Management Alliance (CLM)
• Defense Research Institute (DRI)

Published Works

• Co-Author, "Lose The Evidence, Lose Your Case: Understanding and Avoiding Spoliation of Evidence," FDCC Quarterly, Vol. 63 No. 1
• "Uncommon Perception: The Common Carrier Duty Does Not Rule Out Defense Verdicts in Elevator and Escalator Accident Trials," Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel Quarterly, Vol. 59, No. 2
• "Admissibility of Evidence Involving Absence of Prior Incidents/Injuries: The Law in Certain Major States," Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel Quarterly, Volume 58, No. 4
• "Ethical Issues in the Use of Trial Consultants," Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel Quarterly, Vol. 56, No. 2
• Labor Code Section 4558: A Dangerous Exception to the Exclusive Remedy Rule, Association of Southern California, Verdict

Classes/Seminars Taught

• "Defense Perspective on Medical Evidence/Damages," Consumer Attorney's Association of Los Angeles Annual Seminar, August 30, 2019
• "The History of American Product Liability Law," Allianz Global Exchange, 2015
• United III/NAEC 2012 Convention & Exposition, September 10-13, 2012, Atlantic City, NJ
• "California Civil Procedure," Southwestern University School of Law, Los Angeles, CA 2012 and 2013
• "Anatomy of an Elevator Accident Trial", National Association of Elevator Contractors Annual Meeting, Sarasota, FL, 2008
• Murchison& Cumming Annual Year in Review, 2006-2016