Mr. Baghdassarian's practice focuses on construction contract administration, claims and litigation, including construction defects and delays. He has represented owners, developers, subcontractors, specialty contractors, and design professionals.
Mr. Baghdassarian was one of the trial lawyers that obtained a $146 million jury verdict for the owner in the Royal Palm Resort litigation, a ten-month jury trial in Guam involving the structural collapse of a high-rise hotel building during an earthquake as a result of various construction and design defects.
Mr. Baghdassarian has represented Fortune 500 and other large multi-national companies and foreign corporations, as well as individuals, partnerships and small corporations. He has worked with clients in a wide range of industries, including pharmaceutical companies, defense contractors, telecommunications companies, insurers, software developers, franchisors and small businesses. His business litigation experience includes matters in the areas of securities litigation, products' liability, wrongful death, lender's liability, directors and officers liability coverage, wrongful termination, legal malpractice, partnership disputes and professional liability coverage. Mr. Baghdassarian has handled binding arbitrations, as well as jury and bench trials in the Los Angeles Superior Court.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Baghdassarian practiced as coverage counsel on behalf of major national and international insurers. His dealings included high-end coverage issues relating to directors’ and officers’ liability policies, professional liability policies, comprehensive general liability policies, excess and reinsurance issues, as well as surety coverage on construction projects.
Education
University of Southern California Law School, J.D., 1989
University of Chicago, Biology, 1985
Bars and Courts
California (1989)
Admitted to all Federal District Courts in California
Admitted to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal
Personal Information
Mr. Baghdassarian speaks French and Arabic. He was an extern to the Hon. William J. Rea, United States District Court for the Central District of California. Mr. Baghdassarian has co-authored articles which have been published in the Association of Business Trial Lawyers journal, and he has conducted seminars on construction contract terms and insurance issues for owners and contractors. His most recent publication, co-authored, was "Waiving the Right to Sue" published in Construction and Design, Spring 2002, concerning insurance provisions in the A.I.A. General Conditions of Construction Contract.