Timothy J. Tatro Esq.

For more than two decades, Tim has been representing individuals, small and large businesses, non-profits, HOAs, and certified classes throughout California and nationwide. His practice embraces great diversity, from large scale construction defect cases, to art fraud, catastrophic personal injuries and nursing home abuse, insurance bad faith, and business disputes. Tim has served for many years as outside special counsel to the Zoological Society of San Diego, working to protect endangered species and special habitats at the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park. And he has developed a unique subspecialty in mobilehome parks and ensuring that homeowners receive proper compensation when their park closes. He handles jury trials, bench trials, arbitrations, and appeals. Tim is a member of the San Diego County Bar, Consumer Attorneys of San Diego, various Inns of Court, and the Poker Players Alliance. He has lived abroad, loves exercise, and plays acoustic guitar with more passion than talent.

Areas of Practice

• 33% Personal Injury
• 33% Real Estate Litigation
• 33% Class Actions

Litigation Percentage

• 100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Bar Admissions

• California, 1994

Education

• University of San Diego School of Law, San Diego, California
  • J.D. – 1994
  • Law Review: University of San Diego Law review, Editorial Board, 1993 – 1994
• University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
  • B.A. – 1989
  • Major: Journalism/Literature

Published Works

• Braun v. Soldier of Fortune: Tort Law Enters the Braun’s Age as Constitutional Safeguards for Commercial Speech Buckle ‘neath the Crunch of Third- Party Liability, 30 SDLR 95, 1993

Representative Cases

• De Anza Cove HOA, et al. v. City of San Diego: Multiple violations of mobile home residency law by City of San Diego when it attempted to close mobile home park without providing legally required relocation benefits, $36 million judgement after trial.
• Brack v. Khan: Punitive damage award against fraudulent art dealer.
• Abbit v. City of San Diego, et al. Failure to maintain mobile home park, resident abuse; $3.6 Million Settlement.
• Zoological Society of S.D. v. Doe Defendants: Recovered seven-figure settlement for S.D. Zoo from multiple contractors for defects related to faulty construction of animal enclosures
• Zoological Society of San Diego v. Doe Steel Contractor: Successful pre-litigation settlement involving defective construction of commercial elevator tower.
• Zoological Society of San Diego v. Rudolph & Sletten: Arbitration regarding cost overruns, construction delays, and defective work stemming from new $70+ million Africa Rocks Exhibit.
• Abbit v. ING/Voya: Multi-state class action involving the sale of fraudulent annuity products that prey on senior citizens.
• Griffin v. BMR LLC: Putative class action involving the quality of drinking water provided to a large residential community and resultant property damage caused by corrosive water leaching copper from household plumbing systems.
• Pfaff v. Bess: Neighbor v. neighbor suit involving unpermitted grading which caused massive flooding and property damage, resolved for six figures just prior to trial.
• Baggs v. Doe Skilled Nursing Facility: Elder abuse case involving unexplained injuries and premature death of an elderly resident.
• Redwood Capital Group v. Doe Insurance Company: Bad faith case and judgment collection involving carrier’s refusal to provide a defense and failure to indemnify the insurer.

Representative Clients

• Individuals, businesses, homeowners, mobile home residents, entrepreneurs, environmental groups, animal conservationists

Honors and Awards

• Top Attorneys Nominee- San Diego Daily Transcript, 2011
• Trial Lawyers Care- American Trial Lawyers Organization, 2003
• Editorial Board Comments Editor- University of San Diego School of Law, Law Review, 1994

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Poker Players Alliance, Member, 2011 – Present
• Hon. J. Clifford Wallace American Inn of Court, Barrister, 2005 – 2007
• Consumer Attorneys of San Diego, 1999 – Present
• San Diego County Bar, Member, 1995 – Present
• State Bar of California, Attorney Member, 1994 – Present

Past Employment Positions

• Tatro & Zamoyski, LLP, Partner, 2003 – 2017
• Thorsnes Bartolotta & McGuire, Associate Attorney, 1999 – 2003
• Belsky & Associates, Associate Attorney, 1995 – 1999
• California Court of Appeals, 4th District Division One, Judicial Intern, 1994
• Bonne Bridges Mueller O’Keefe & Nichols, Summer Associate, 1993
• Hunewill Guest Ranch, Irrigation Specialist, 1987 – 1991

Languages

• English
• Spanish

Contact Detail

We can be reached online or by telephone at 858-244-5032.