Craig A. Livingston and Amy E. Blair Secure Defense Verdicts following 2 1/2 month Trial in San Mateo County

On March 6, 2026, shareholder Craig A. Livingston and Sr. Counsel Amy E. Blair, along with partners Maria Bellafronto and Jedidiah Dooley of the Spencer Fane LLP firm in San Jose, secured defense verdicts in two hotly contested consolidated property damage cases arising out of severe flooding that occurred in Woodside, California, following torrential storms in December 2022. Plaintiffs, property owners upstream of defendants’ property, alleged gate structures installed across the West Union Creek caused the flooding by restricting the creek’s flow. They claimed that the sudden release of creek water following the eventual failure of the north gate structure caused a bridge to fail on one property and caused severe erosion damage to a bridge on the other property. The claims included negligence, private nuisance and trespass. Relying on day-of-storm video evidence and expert testimony, the defense team argued the storms were so severe that the damage would have occurred with or without the gate structures in place.
 
The trial spanned 2 ½ months in the Northern Division of San Mateo County Superior Court in South San Francisco. Plaintiffs and the defense offered expert testimony in the areas of hydrology, hydraulics, geomorphology, civil engineering, structural engineering, bridge construction, and property damage valuation.  Plaintiffs demanded $5,090,000 and $1,500,000, respectively, during closing arguments. Defendants made no settlement offers before or during trial. The jury deliberated over 3 ½ days before reaching the defense verdicts.
 
[Woodside Property Ventures, LLC. v. Kings Mountain Road, LLC, et al. – San Mateo County Superior Court Case No. 23-CIV-02211;
Zambezi Creek Development, LLC v. Kings Mountain Road, LLC, et al. – San Mateo County Superior Court Case No. 23-CIV-02214]