Dave Ring
LOCATION: Los Angeles, California
VCARD: 
Dave Ring is a plaintiff's personal injury trial lawyer with many precedent-setting verdicts and settlements. He is recognized as one of the leading victim advocate lawyers in the nation for his work representing survivors of sexual abuse and assault. For over 30 years he has represented children and adults who suffered sexual abuse in cases against schools, churches, youth organizations and other institutions.
Dave also handles major personal injury cases, including those involving wrongful death, serious motor vehicle and motorcycle accidents, premises liability, product liability and civil rights.
Dave's recent results include: a $100 million settlement on behalf of a group of men who were sexually molested as boys by a police civilian employee who worked for the City of Santa Monica; $45 million jury verdict on behalf of a young girl who was sexually abused while under DCFS supervision; a $27 million settlement on behalf of a family whose son was killed by two bullies at his middle school; and a $16 million settlement for an adult male injured in an auto accident.
Dave has been honored for his trial and litigation skills. California Lawyer named him "Personal Injury Lawyer of the Year" for California. The Daily Journal selected him as one of the Top 30 Plaintiff Lawyers in California and one of the Top 100 lawyers (of any type) in the state. Lawdragon has routinely named Dave as one of the Top 500 Lawyers (of any type) in the nation.
Dave is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a prestigious organization made up of the best trial lawyers in the country. He is also a member of ABOTA (America Board of Trial Advocates). He has been a long-time member of CAALA (Consumer Attorney Association of Los Angeles) and CAOC (Consumer Attorneys of California). In 2016, Dave served as the President of CAALA, which is the largest plaintiff-attorney association in the country, consisting of over 3000 members.
Many of Dave's cases receive significant media attention in California and across the country. For example, in 2023, Dave obtained the largest settlement ever paid in the nation in a case involving bullying at school ($27 million). The case received a lot of media coverage and played a significant role in having schools change and improve their anti-bullying policies. His cases have been featured on national shows such as Dateline, 48 Hours, 20/20 and Newsweek.
Many of Dave's cases involve high-profile defendants, including celebrity actors, athletes, and businessmen. He represented Jane Doe 1 in the Harvey Weinstein case in Los Angeles (Jane Doe 1 was the only victim to obtain a criminal conviction of Weinstein in California).
Dave graduated cum laude from USC, and in the top 10% of his class (Order of the Coif) from USC Law School.
Dave and his law partner, John C. Taylor, started Taylor & Ring on a handshake in 2002. Together, they have created one of the most powerful, successful, and well-respected law firms in California.
Media contributions
Dave Ring is a frequent contributor and sought-after legal analyst on prominent media outlets, where he offers insights into high-profile civil and criminal cases. Given his experience representing clients in cases against powerful figures and handling sensitive issues like sexual abuse, Dave is a trusted source for commentary on complex legal matters. Dave has contributed to many media outlets, including Bloomberg, Rolling Stone, Court TV, Law & Crime.
Some of his recent appearances include:
David’s representative results include:
- $97.5 million settlement in sexual abuse case against the City of Santa Monica on behalf of victims of Eric Uller.
- $45.4 million jury award in sexual abuse case against LA County and the Department of Children and Family Services on behalf of a client whose minor daughter was subjected to repeated sexual abuse over the course of three years. This was the 8thlargest jury award in California in 2018.
- $27 million settlement for the family of a young boy who was bullied and killed at his school. This is the largest settlement in a bullying case in the United States.
- $24 million settlement in child sexual abuse case against L.A. Unified for three women who were molested by their 4th-grade teacher.
- $18.6 million jury verdict on behalf of an injured motorcycle rider who was struck by a negligent driver.
- $14 million settlement in sexual abuse case against Moraga School District on behalf of two adult females who were victimized by their middle school teacher in the 1990s. Each victim obtained $7 million, which is the largest amount “per victim” ever paid by any school district in any state.
- $10.8 million jury verdict against a school district on behalf of teenage boy who was sexually abused by a teacher.
- $10 million settlement from Lucia Mar Unified School District on behalf of a minor with special needs who was repeatedly sexually abused by her bus driver. Read more here.
- A confidential 8-figure settlement award on behalf of two girls who were molested by their teacher.
- $8 million settlement on behalf of Jane, a teenager who was sexually assaulted by an adult relative one time.
- $7.5 million settlement in Jane Doe v. LACC: teen girl raped by after school care supervisor on LAUSD campus.
- $7.5 million settlement on behalf of a #metoo client, who was sexually assaulted by her employer.
- $7.4 million settlement on behalf of Samuel Chang, who was attacked on Halloween night by two off duty firefighters and three other individuals. (Samuel Chang v. Carpenter, et al.)
- $6.75 million settlement on behalf of several boys who were abused by their fourth-grade teacher.
- $5.6 million jury verdict against a school district on behalf of a 14-year-old girl who was manipulated into engaging in a sexual relationship with her high school teacher.
- $5 million settlement in Doe v. Big Oak School District, for a teenage girl abused by teacher who was given glowing, but false, recommendations from his prior school. The prior school knew he posed a danger to female students, but “passed the trash” to get rid of him, putting other students at risk.
- $4.5 million jury verdict against a school district on behalf of two young girls who were sexually abused by their third-grade teacher.
- $4.3 million settlement on behalf of a man who suffered brain damage after being struck by a vehicle while walking in a crosswalk.
- $3.9 million in Doe v. Confidential School District, where a girl was abused by her middle school teacher. She brought a suit against them at the age of 26.
- $3.5 million settlement for several children in the high-profile LAUSD / Miramonte School case in which Mark Berndt fed tainted cookies to students.
- $3.5 million settlement for Jane Doe v. Tulare Joint Union High School District: high school girl sexually exploited by assistant coach.
- $3.5 million settlement for John Doe v. Law Firm: legal malpractice; failure to file client’s lawsuit in timely fashion.
- $3.25 million settlement for a woman injured in a Metrolink train crash.
- $3 million settlement against a school district on behalf of a special needs student who was sexually harassed and assaulted by another student.
- $3 million settlement against a school district on behalf of a 13-year-old girl who was sexually manipulated and exploited by her middle school teacher.
