H. Franklin Hostetler, III
Partner
Phone: 310.380.6515
Fax: 310.719.1019
Our Attorneys

H. Franklin Hostetler, III

Biography

Frank has built a career as a trial attorney handling catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases for the automotive industry and other manufacturers.

With an engineering background, Frank is uniquely qualified to understand, analyze, and communicate complex technical design issues to a jury. As a second generation automotive engineer, he understands the details of product design and performance. Frank brings over eight years of automotive design and development to his trial practice. Since his admission to the bar in 1981, Frank has been dedicated to the defense of manufacturers in product liability, warranty and commercial litigation for the automotive industry and other members of the manufacturing community.

His courtroom experience includes jury trials across the country as well as arguments before various appellate courts. His "client first" approach and accomplished skills produce swift and cost-effective results. Representative cases include: 

    Lawrence v. Toyota: San Bernardino County Superior Court 
    Moniz v. Nissan: Los Angeles County Superior Court 
    Jones-Jefferson v. Nissan: Clark County, NV District Court 
    Gordon v. Nissan: Los Angeles County Superior Court 
    Arreola/Guevara v. Toyota: Orange County Superior Court 
    Correa v. Toyota: Santa Clara County Superior Court

Frank has presented to the Defense Research Institute Automotive Section several times and has lectured in the SAE TOPTEC series on the topic of expert witnesses in accident reconstruction.

Education

  • University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, J.D., 1981
  • University of Michigan, B.S.E, 1973
    Major:  Mechanical Engineering

Bar Admissions

  • California, 1990
  • Arizona, 1989
  • Connecticut, 1985
  • Michigan, 1981

Court Admissions

  • U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit, 1981
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 1989
  • U.S. District Court Central District of California, 1990
  • U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan, 1981

Memberships and Affiliations

Defense Research Institute, Inc., 1998 - Present

Society of Automotive Engineers, 1974 - Present

Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine, 1985 - Present

Los Angeles County Bar Association

Orange County Bar Association

American Bar Association

Distinctions

The Legal 500 United States, 2009-2011

Super Lawyer®, 2006-2011 
    Southern California Super Lawyers Magazine