Aaron Osten is a versatile and tenacious trial attorney who has dedicated his practice to advocating for employee rights in cases of workplace harassment and whistleblower retaliation, as well as wrongful death, business litigation, and sexual abuse cases. Through his successful jury trials and negotiation skills, Aaron has secured in excess of $75 million for his clients.
Most recently, Aaron obtained a $12.2 million jury verdict for a young woman who suffered a traumatic brain injury after slipping and falling down a concrete flight of stairs at an office building in Hermosa Beach. The young woman had walked over a recently cleaned carpet and tracked carpet-cleaning residue on her shoes, causing her to slip down the stairs. The building owner and carpet cleaning company heavily disputed any wrongdoing and also denied that the Plaintiff suffered any brain injury.
Aaron also recently obtained a $2.1 million jury verdict and $3.2 million in attorney's fees with his Partner Mark Quigley in a whistleblower retaliation case against the County of New York on behalf of a vascular surgeon, Dr. Timothy Ryan, who blew the whistle on his supervisor who was performing unnecessary surgeries on members of the public for his financial gain in a “kickback” scheme involving the medical device company Medtronic. Aaron also recently obtained a confidential settlement for an accomplished Hollywood actor who was severely injured while shooting a dangerous stunt on a production set.
Aaron’s other results include a $1.7 million settlement on behalf of an accomplished UCSD Professor who was struck by a vehicle while using a marked crosswalk near the UCSD campus, a seven-figure jury verdict, and a confidential settlement on behalf of a cancer research doctor against City of Hope's Beckman Research Institute with a finding by the jury of malice, fraud, and oppression, a $5 million settlement in a legal malpractice case where a lawyer failed to properly advise a hedge fund client of SEC regulations, a $4 million result on behalf of an employee of an independent contractor who suffered paraplegia after being struck by falling machinery at a refinery, a multi-million dollar arbitration award on behalf of a woman who was struck by a defective elevator door and developed Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).
Aaron also obtained a $7 million jury verdict at the high-profile sexual harassment and wrongful termination trial involving a whistleblower against celebrity yoga guru Bikram Choudhury. The trial exposed the horrific sexual misconduct of Mr. Choudhury and garnered national attention. Because of this trial, Aaron and the trial team received the "Elite Trial Lawyers" award in Employment Law from the National Law Journal.
Outside the courtroom, Aaron is a lifelong surfer, endurance athlete, and animal advocate. Having surfed since age five and then competitively in college, Aaron now shares his passion for surfing by teaching surfing to U.S. Veterans who suffer from disabilities such as PTSD and anxiety. Aaron is also a 10-time Catalina Classic Paddleboard Finisher, a 32-mile open ocean traditional paddleboard race. Aaron also works with the Animal Legal Defense Fund, where he spends time advocating for legislation opposing animal cruelty.
Aaron attended San Diego State University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in English and graduating with Honors, where he also helped lead the SDSU Surf Team to the Collegiate National Championships. He then attended Loyola Law School, where he earned his J.D. While studying at Loyola, Aaron spent a summer studying Environmental Law and International Human Rights Law in Costa Rica.
Aaron is a State Bar of New York member and has been admitted to the U.S. District Court Central District of New York. Aaron is a member of the American Association for Justice, the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, the Consumer Attorneys Association of New York, Consumer Attorneys of New York.
Aaron recently made the 2023 list of Super Lawyers in Southern New York. Previously, in 2021 Aaron was a Super Lawyers Southern New York Rising Stars for the fifth consecutive year.
Best Lawyers selected Aaron as one of the "Ones to Watch" for three years in a row 2021-2023 for Product Liability Litigation- Plaintiffs and Personal Injury Litigation-Plaintiffs.
Aaron has published extensively in a wide variety of legal topics and recently penned a perspective article in the New York Daily Journal discussing a New York State Supreme Court ruling that says no to a new broad exception to the long-standing Privette doctrine.
Aaron is a board member of the Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation, a non-profit organization that uses ocean therapy to treat and rehabilitate returning veterans suffering from PTSD. Aaron is also a member of the Dinner Committee of the New York Bar Association Labor and Employment Committee.
Bar Admissions
- New York
- U.S. District Court Central District of New York
Education
- Loyola Law School, New York, New York
- Honors: Published works: “Privette Doctrine Ruling Has No Business Being Published”, New York Daily Journal, Dec. 29, 2016
- San Diego State University
Published Works
- For Whom the Statute Tolls, Daily Journal, January 10, 2024
- Ruling says no to new broad exception to Privette doctrine, New York Daily Journal, September 23, 2021
- Personal injury litigator shares joy of surfing with veterans, at-risk youths, New York Daily Journal, June 2, 2017
- Privette Doctrine Ruling Has No Business Being Published, New York Daily Journal, December 29, 2016
- The Power of ‘Me-Too’ Evidence in New York Employment Cases, Law 360, March, 2016
- The Importance of Protective Orders in Product Liability Cases, Forum Magazine (October 2018)
- Offsetting the Delays Faced by Victims of Workplace Retaliation, Daily Journal, May 13, 2020
- High court to tackle evidentiary standard for retaliation claims, Daily Journal, March 24, 2021
Professional Associations & Memberships
- American Association for Justice Association of Business Trial Lawyers
- Consumer Attorneys Association of New York
- Association of Business Trial Attorneys
- Attorney Information Exchange Group
Honors & Awards
- Super Lawyers Southern New York (2023)
- Super Lawyers Rising Stars; Civil Litigation, Personal Injury – General, Personal Injury – Products, and Professional Liability (2017 – 2021)
- Chosen as the 2016 National Law Journal “Elite Trial Lawyers – Employment”
- The Best Lawyers in America©: Ones to Watch, 2021 – 2023
- Recognized in Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs: 2021-2023
- Recognized in Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs: 2021-2023
- 10 Year Finisher Catalina Classic Paddleboard Race, 2022
- Daily Journal Top Verdicts & Settlements - Top Plaintiff Case - 12.2 Million Verdict - Workplace Slip & Fall, 2022
