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Ravi Sudan

Mr. Sudan is a Partner with the firm. In practice for more than 30 years, his astute factual and legal analyses have led to numerous successful pre-trial motion and appellate results. He has a diverse transactional, litigation, and appellate practice, covering Writs and Appeals, Insurance Coverage, Bad Faith Litigation, General Casualty Defense, Construction Defect Litigation, Government Tort Litigation, Business Litigation, Commercial Business Transactions and Asbestos Litigation Defense. Mr. Sudan represents clients before trial and in appellate courts in both California and New Delhi, India.

His interests include traveling, tennis and bridge. He is a fan of watching tennis, basketball and soccer.

Professional Activities

Mr. Sudan is a life member of the Bar Association of India and the Indian Society of International Law.

He has had a number of cases published, including: Sole Energy Co. v. Hodges (2005) 128 Cal. App. 4th 199, in which a $27 million default judgment was reversed, and the case was remanded to the trial court for further proceedings. After the remand, plaintiffs claimed damages in excess of $112 million. The trial court granted summary judgment in favor of defendants. The court of appeal affirmed (2008 Cal. App. Unpub. LEXIS 9798).

In Bias v. Wright (2002) 103 Cal. App. 4th 811, Mr. Sudan argued that defendant's oral acceptance of the Code of Civil procedure section 998 offer was sufficient to form a settlement agreement because the offer did not specify a mode of communicating acceptance. Plaintiff created an unnecessary factual dispute by denying that defendant's acceptance was communicated orally. Under the existing law, a party, who made a section 998 offer could easily deny receiving an oral communication of its acceptance and defeat the legislative purpose underlying section 998. The court urged the legislature to revise Code of Civil Procedure section 998 to expressly require that acceptance and proof of acceptance of a section 998 offer must be in writing. The court suggested that parties who serve offers pursuant to section 998, state in the offers that acceptances must be in writing. In 2005, the legislature amended subdivision(b) of section 998 to incorporate the court's recommendation.

Admissions

  • California Bar
  • Delhi Bar, India

Education

  • University of Delhi, BS
  • University of Delhi, Faculty of Law, LLB