Mr. Franco represents both plaintiffs and defendants in complex civil litigation cases ranging from insurance bad faith to professional malpractice, catastrophic injury/wrongful death, Child Protective Services negligence, as well as trucking and construction related injury cases. He has extensive experience representing insurance companies, individuals insured by insurance companies, self-insured companies, traffic control companies, municipalities as well as individual victims of torts in general.
Mr. Franco joined the firm in 1996 and became a partner in 1998. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Franco was a trial attorney for State Farm Insurance Co., with its in-house law firm, where he obtained extensive litigation and trial experience.
Mr. Franco is a graduate of Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania (B.A. 1985) and Thomas M. Cooley Law School (J.D. 1991).
In March 2007, Mr. Franco was appointed as adjunct faculty to the Phoenix School of Law to teach a general practice skills course to third year law students preparing to graduate and enter the practice of law.
Mr. Franco is AV rated by Martindale Hubbell®.
Mr. Franco is fluent in Spanish.
Representative Engagements
- $875,000 Jury verdict (2009) on behalf of a father in a high profile case against State of Arizona Child Protective Services for the wrongful death of his daughter, which resulted from the neglect of her drug and alcohol defendant mother. This case resulted in the enactment of legislation known as Haley's Law, which now requires CPS to obtain relevant background records from other states during its investigations of child abuse or neglect.
(Co-Counsel: Larry J. Crown, Partner, Jennings, Haug & Cunningham) - $250,000 settlement (2009) against State of Arizona Child Protective Services on behalf of a mother for the wrongful death of her 5-year old son who was given a lethal dose of prescription SOMA while in the custody of his disturbed father in an attempted murder/suicide.
(Co-Counsel: Larry J. Crown, Partner, Jennings, Haug & Cunningham) - Million dollar settlement (2008) on behalf of a young mother in a high profile case against State of Arizona Child Protective Services for the wrongful death of two Tucson siblings killed by their father.
$752,500 pre-litigation settlement (2007) obtained against a Louisiana commercial motor carrier on behalf of a client who sustained catastrophic injuries in a freeway trucking accident where, after extensive lien negotiations, the settlement yielded a net equivalency of $1 million for the client
- Million dollar settlement (2006) against a Utah construction company, reached on behalf of a job foreman who sustained permanent and disfiguring leg burns and crush injuries when he was struck and pinned by an out of control piece of construction equipment.
- Multi-million dollar verdict against the State of Arizona Child Protective Services in the wrongful death and severe beating of two sisters ages 3 and 20 months. Together with Larry Crown, and with the assistance of paralegal Sheri Sadler, Mr. Franco and his trial team obtained the largest Arizona tort trial verdict in 2004 in this case.
- Mr. Franco and Mr. Crown continue to represent individuals in wrongful death cases against Child Protective Services. They also consult with other attorneys on similar cases against the State of Arizona.
- Mr. Franco has also had vast experience representing traffic control companies and the traffic control industry in all aspects of their business and industry, from drafting or reviewing Non-Compete Agreements, to revising company policies and procedures, defending job site injury cases, representing them in contract disputes and administrative hearings, and offering general advice and guidance on every day business, liability and risk management matters.
- Mr. Franco represents various restaurants and businesses in defending claims of negligence, sexual assault, dram shop liability, wrongful death and premises liability.
- Mr. Franco has also successfully defended and prosecuted numerous insurance bad faith claims.
- Mr. Franco also represents numerous public entities and/or municipalities in matters of general liability.
