Christopher B. Queally is a senior attorney at Callahan & Blaine who represents businesses and individuals in all aspects of business, insurance, product liability, and construction litigation. Mr. Queally is both a trial and an appellate practitioner who has achieved outstanding results for his clients at both the trial and appellate level. Mr. Queally represents a broad spectrum of clients in each of his practice areas including small businesses, large corporations, public entities and individuals.
Representative Matters
A sampling of some of the results Mr. Queally has achieved for his clients include the following:
- La Donna Corp. v. Qantas Airways Ltd., Los Angeles Superior Court Case No. BC387143: Mr. Queally represented Qantas Airways, Ltd., a major international airline, as the defendant in a multi-million dollar commercial litigation filed by a vendor. The plaintiff-vendor alleged causes of action for fraud and breach of contract, and sought compensatory and punitive damages. Mr. Queally obtained dismissal of the entire action at the pleading stage based on the doctrines of res judicata and collateral estoppel.
- Sullivan v. Knobeloch, California Court of Appeal (1st Dist.), No. A126696: Mr. Queally successfully defended the former husband of Elizabeth Sullivan, creator of Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, in post-divorce litigation arising out of a catastrophic automobile accident in Australia. The plaintiff, Elizabeth Sullivan, and her former husband were involved in an automobile accident in Victoria, Australia. Several years later, after divorce proceedings had been initiated, plaintiff Sullivan filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Mr. Knobeloch in San Francisco, California for brain injuries arising out of the accident. Mr. Queally was able to obtain dismissal of the action at the pleading stage based on lack of personal jurisdiction. Plaintiff Sullivan then appealed the trial court's dismissal to the California Court of Appeal for the First District. Mr. Queally argued the appeal and convinced the appellate court to uphold the dismissal.
- Thompson v. Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. U.S. District Court for the Central District of California Case No. 2:09-cv-04515-CAS-PLA: Mr. Queally was part of the trial team that obtained a defense verdict in favor of Hawaiian Airlines, Inc., a major airline, in a lawsuit arising out of an in-flight assault by one passenger against another. Mr. Queally acted as second-chair for the trial team and cross-examined plaintiff's expert witness at trial in federal court. Plaintiff argued the airline was liable for allowing an allegedly intoxicated passenger to board the aircraft and sexually assault plaintiff. Following a week long trial, the jury returned a verdict for the defendant airline in less than 30 minutes.
- Mathison v. Bumbo, U.S. District Court Central District of California Case No. 8:2008cv00369; and Whitson v. Bumbo, U.S. District Court Northern District of California Case No. C 07-05597 MHP: Mr. Queally successfully defeated two class action lawsuits against the manufacturer of a baby seat at the pleading stage pursuant to a motion to dismiss. The plaintiff classes had alleged that the baby seat was designed negligently and permitted children to escape when unsupervised. Both lawsuits sought injunctive relief and attorneys fees. Mr. Queally obtained dismissal of both actions based on the plaintiffs' lack of standing and failure to allege a cognizable claim.
- MD-7 US Group, Inc., et al. v. Tai Lam, et al., Orange County Superior Court Case No. 30-2011-00473529: Mr. Queally, representing plaintiff MD-7 US Group, Inc. secured a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against the defendants, a manufacturer and wholesale distributor of certain skin care products in California, based on causes of action for fraud, breach of contract, and unfair business practices. Following issuance of the TRO and injunction, the defendant was caught selling certain products in violation of the TRO. Mr. Queally filed contempt of court charges on behalf of the plaintiff and obtained a guilty verdict against the defendants for violation of the TRO and perjury following a two-day contempt of court trial. Defendants were sentenced to jail time and ordered to pay more than $15,000 in attorneys fees to plaintiffs.
- PBJT935927 2008 Investments LLC v. Salas, Riverside County Superior Court Case No. RIC 1104515: Mr. Queally obtained a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against certain lenders and mortgage brokers preventing foreclosure on 315 residential lots in San Jacinto, California based on causes of action for fraud, economic duress, and breach of contract. The defendant mortgage broker had arranged a loan with a usurious rate of interest, and failed to disclose to the borrowers that his real estate license had been cancelled by the California Department of Real Estate, that he had been convicted of felony charges relating to a real estate Ponzi scheme, and that the loan arrangement violated multiple provisions of the California Business & Professions Code.
- Nell v. Miller-Jones Mortuary & Crematory, Riverside County Superior Court Case No. RIC 424831: Mr. Queally successfully defeated several tort claims for mishandling of remains against a funeral home on summary adjudication. The plaintiffs had filed a multi-million dollar action against a funeral home in southern California alleging that the funeral home was responsible for allegedly referring the plaintiff-family to an unqualified pathologist for an autopsy. Mr. Queally obtained summary adjudication and dismissal of all tort claims, including all claims for emotional distress damages, reducing the defendant's liability exposure at trial from several million dollars to under $10,000.
Mr. Queally was born in Boston, Massachusetts and attended Bates College in Lewiston, Maine where he received his B.A. in Philosophy in 1998, and was awarded Dean's List Honors for six semesters. Mr. Queally completed an internship at the State of Maine Office of Probation and Parole in Auburn, Maine during his second year at Bates College, and was Director of Student Telemarketing at the Office of Alumni Affairs during his senior year.
Mr. Queally received his J.D. from Pepperdine University School of Law in 2003. While attending Pepperdine School of Law Mr. Queally worked as a summer associate for the law firm of Bergman & Dacey, A.P.C., focusing on litigation involving municipalities and other public entities. During his time at Pepperdine School of Law Mr. Queally was also selected to be a member of Pepperdine's prestigious Moot Court Appellate Team, and was a finalist in the 2001 National Criminal Procedure Moot Court Tournament at the University of San Diego School of Law. During law school Mr. Queally completed an externship at Bet Tzedek Legal Services, a legal aid office in Los Angeles, where he worked on Social Security claims for the disabled and landlord-tenant disputes for indigent clients.
