Ian Fusselman

 Ian Fusselman spent the first 20 years of his career as a litigator in state and federal court and is now a full-time mediator with ADR Services.

Fusselman began his career as a civil defense attorney, working for six years at the law firms of Belcher, Henzie & Biegenzahn, and Murchison & Cumming. He then joined the San Diego plaintiff’s law firm of Thorsnes Bartolotta McGuire in 2004 and was elevated to partner in 2012. His work over his entire career focused on catastrophic personal injury cases, aviation crashes, insurance bad faith litigation, construction litigation, landslide and flood litigation, employment law, real estate litigation, mass torts and other complex litigation.

As a defense attorney, his clients included Goodyear Tire & Rubber, Robinsons May, Cessna Aircraft Company and Progressive Insurance. Notably, he represented the target defendant in the litigation arising from the folk singer John Denver’s fatal plane crash. As a plaintiff’s attorney, he helped to recover more than $185 million in verdicts and settlements on behalf of his clients.

Fusselman has received several recognitions, including as a “San Diego Top Attorney” by the San Diego Daily Transcript in 2013, “Best of the Bar” by the San Diego Business Journal in 2014 and as a “Super Lawyer” by Thomson Reuters, 2014-2019. In 2016, he was listed in Top Verdict as having one of the top 50 personal injury settlements in California.

He has written extensively on issues relating to California evidence law and has a particular interest in the ongoing debate over changes to the mediation privilege.

Fusselman began serving as a mediator in 2014 and is a member of the San Diego County Superior Court Civil Mediation Panel and the Department of Fair Employment and Housing Volunteer Mediator Panel. He is a graduate of the USC Gould School of Law, earning his JD in 1998.  

FACULTY IN THE NEWS

The Washington Post
March 20, 2019
Re: Ariela Gross

Ariela Gross was quoted on the appointment of Carol Folt as USC's new president. “It’s a great choice,” she said. “I think at Chapel Hill, Carol Folt showed herself to be a person of great integrity, someone with moral leadership, someone who wasn’t afraid to get out in front of issues — and also a really caring leader and teacher who worked with students and with faculty in an educational community.”

RECENT SCHOLARSHIP

Emily Ryo
January, 2019

Emily Ryo was a discussant for "Harsh Realities: Treatment of Detained Asylum Seekers in the U.S." which was part of Diversity and Inclusion Week at USC Gould School of Law.

Thomas D. Lyon
January, 2019

"Younger and Older Adults’ Lie-detection and Credibility Judgments of Children’s Coached Reports" (with Alison M. O’Connor & Angela D. Evans)  Psychology, Crime, & Law.

Gregory Keating
January, 2019

"Recognizing Wrongs: Philosophy of Tort Law," Jurisprudence Panel 2, AALS 2019 Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA.