Tad Allan

For more than 30 years, Tad Allan has represented O’Melveny’s technology, aviation, and automobile clients in large, complex trials. Companies rely on him to navigate the most serious legal hurdles, including multi-billion-dollar lawsuits, wrongful death cases, and commercial disputes. Legal500 describes Tad as being “highly valued by clients.”

Tad was a member of the trial team that obtained a defense jury verdict in a US$12 billion antitrust case brought by Rambus, Inc. against SK hynix Inc., a result that also was hailed by the Daily Journal as a Top Defense Verdict.

Tad also obtained a US$58 million judgment for a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin in litigation against the State of California concerning a failed software development contract.

Tad has represented major airlines in air crash and commercial litigation. Tad obtained a precedent-setting appellate decision in a wrongful death lawsuit against China Eastern Airlines, affirming the trial court dismissal on forum non conveniens grounds of wrongful death cases arising from a fatal crash in Inner Mongolia.

He represented a domestic airline in a criminal investigation arising from another fatal crash, and he currently leads the defense of US Airways in multiple personal injury cases arising from an aborted take-off .

Tad has represented several automobile manufacturers, prevailing in more than a dozen trials for clients including General Motors, Ford, and Honda. His experience spans from consumer class actions alleging product defects, fraudulent marketing programs, and deceptive sales tactics, to dealer and general commercial litigation.

Education :

• George Washington University, J.D., 1981
• University of California at Berkeley, B.A., 1976

Bar Admissions : California

Professional Activities :

• State Bar of California
• California State Bar Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation (2011-2013)

Experience :

• Guimei v. General Electric Co., 172 Cal. App. 4th 689 (2009) (case arising out of air crash in China properly stayed in favor of proceedings in China, on forum non conveniens grounds)
• Daugherty v. American Honda Motor Co., Ltd., 144 Cal. App. 4th 824 (2006) (auto manufacturer not liable for defects that do not manifest within the warranty period)
• Woods v. Saturn Distribution Corp., 78 F.3d 424 (9th Cir. 1996) (award of arbitration panel consisting of Saturn employees and dealers enforced notwithstanding charge of “evident bias”).