California Record
Largest Facility Suicide Wrongful Death Verdict in California History
One of the hardest cases there is to win.
Orange County
Two-Time Trial Lawyer of the Year
Statewide
2020 CAOC Consumer Attorney of the Year — Finalist
ABOTA
American Board of Trial Advocates — Board Member
Mental Health Facility Suicide Lawyer · California

A facility that accepts a patient at risk accepts the duty to watch them — and this is the lawyer who holds California's record facility suicide verdict.

Get Free Case Review Call now · 844-294-6445
Verdicts at Trial
Numerous 8, 7 & 6‑figure jury verdicts
Rejected $450K
Won $11M
at trial
Rejected $150K
Won $5.3M
at trial
Rejected $100K
Won $3M
at trial
Rejected the lowball. Tried the case. Won.
Gavin Long, California wrongful death trial attorney
Verdicts at Trial
Numerous 8, 7 & 6‑figure jury verdicts
Rejected $450K
Won $11M
at trial
Rejected $150K
Won $5.3M
at trial
Rejected $100K
Won $3M
at trial
Rejected the lowball. Tried the case. Won.
OC Trial Lawyer of the Year 2016 & 2020 · ABOTA Member · Record-Setting Verdicts · No Fee Unless HGL Wins · Free Consultation · California's Wrongful Death Advocate · OC Trial Lawyer of the Year 2016 & 2020 · ABOTA Member · Record-Setting Verdicts · No Fee Unless HGL Wins · Free Consultation · California's Wrongful Death Advocate ·
Landmark verdict The largest facility suicide jury verdict in the State of California JURY VERDICT · STATE RECORD THE LARGEST facility suicide jury verdict in the STATE OF CALIFORNIA
The Case That Set the Record

They Offered $450,000.
Gavin Said No.

When a grieving family came to Gavin, the two treatment facilities being sued had offered just $350,000 and $100,000 to settle the loss of their loved one. Their position was calculated and cold: because the death was a suicide, they wagered the case was worth little.

Gavin saw it differently. He believed the death was the direct result of the defendant's negligence — and that the family deserved the truth and full accountability. He rejected the offers outright, took the case to trial, and litigated it aggressively before a jury.

The jury returned a verdict of $11 million — the largest facility suicide wrongful death verdict in California history.

Largest Defense Offer
$450,000
→
Jury Verdict
$11 Million

Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Each case is unique and decided on its own facts.

In Their Words
“
Your hard work, dedication, and passion showed through during this whole process. You were absolutely brilliant. From the bottom of my heart — thank you.
Jan
Family member of a wrongful death client
2020 CAOC Consumer Attorney of the Year, Finalist 2020 CAOC Consumer Attorney of the Year, Finalist STATE RECOGNITION · CONSUMER ATTORNEYS OF CALIFORNIA CALIFORNIA Consumer Attorney of the Year 2020 FINALIST
Gavin Long, wrongful death and catastrophic injury trial attorney
Gavin Long
Trial Attorney · Harrison Gavin Long, APC
About

A Relentless
Advocate for Families

When negligence or misconduct takes a loved one's life, families deserve more than sympathy — they deserve a fighter. HGL won one of the hardest kinds of cases to win — suing someone else for the suicide of another. With decades of trial experience and a record of landmark verdicts, HGL holds the negligent accountable at the highest levels.

His practice is exclusively devoted to wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases. He goes to trial. He wins.

Named Orange County Trial Lawyer of the Year in 2016 and 2020. Inducted into ABOTA. Recognized by peers, courts, and clients across California as the attorney other attorneys call when they have a wrongful death case.

Multi Million
Dollar
Largest Facility Suicide Verdict in CA
2×
OC Trial Lawyer of the Year (2016 & 2020)
20+
Years of Trial Experience
$0
Fee Unless HGL Win Your Case
Featured

Meet Gavin Long

Watch one of Gavin's actual clients talk about him and what happened in her case which Gavin tried to a jury in Santa Cruz. Gavin also discusses his insight and approach to the case.

A Client's Story · Santa Cruz Jury Trial · 2 Minutes
Psychiatric & Mental Health Facility Suicide

Where The Duty Failed

These are among the hardest cases in California to prove, and most firms decline them. Harrison Gavin Long holds the largest facility suicide wrongful death verdict in California history. The questions are always the same: what did the facility know on admission, what level of supervision did it order, and what did it actually do. The answers live in records the family is rarely shown.

📋
Admission Risk Assessment
Every psychiatric and behavioral health facility screens for risk on admission. That assessment sets the level of observation the facility owes — and it is the first document we obtain.
👁️
Observation & Check Orders
When a physician orders a specific observation level, the facility is obligated to deliver it. Check logs, staffing sheets, and the gaps between them tell the real story.
👥
Understaffing On The Unit
Ordered observation requires staff to perform it. When a unit runs short, the checks recorded on paper and the checks actually performed stop matching.
🏥
Environmental Safety Duties
Licensed facilities are required to assess and maintain the safety of the treatment environment. Regulators publish those standards, and compliance is documented or it is not.
🚪
Elopement & Unsupervised Absence
A patient who leaves a locked or supervised unit represents a failure of the same duty. Door alarms, sign-out logs, and census counts establish when staff last knew where the patient was. Elopement & wandering deaths →
📄
Premature Or Unsafe Discharge
Discharging a patient still at risk, without a safety plan or follow-up in place, shifts a duty the facility had accepted. Discharge summaries and aftercare records show what was arranged.
Mental Health Facility Suicide

Can You Sue a Mental Health Facility for a Suicide?

Yes. Families ask this question more than any other, and the answer surprises most of them. A facility that admits a patient it knows is at risk of self-harm takes on a legal duty to protect that patient. When it fails, California law holds it accountable.

Can a family sue a psychiatric hospital or mental health facility after a suicide?

Yes. In California, a hospital or treatment facility that knows, or should know, that a patient is at risk of self-harm must take reasonable steps to protect that patient. When a facility fails to assess the risk, fails to provide the observation a physician ordered, leaves the means of self-harm within reach, or discharges a patient who is still at risk, the family may bring a wrongful death claim.

What kinds of facilities can be held responsible?

Psychiatric hospitals and inpatient psychiatric units, behavioral health and crisis stabilization units, emergency departments holding patients on involuntary holds, residential mental health treatment programs, detox and drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, and recovery homes that accept at-risk residents.

Isn’t a suicide the patient’s own choice?

That is exactly what the defense will argue. In Cunningham v. New Life Recovery, the two treatment facilities offered $350,000 and $100,000 and argued the case was worth little. Gavin rejected the offers and tried the case for 12 days. The jury returned $11 million — the largest facility suicide wrongful death verdict in California history. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.

Who can bring a wrongful death claim in California?

A spouse, registered domestic partner, or children of the person who died, and, when there is no spouse or child, the parents or others who would inherit under California law (Code of Civil Procedure §377.60). Others who were financially dependent on the decedent may also qualify.

How long do we have to file?

Deadlines are strict and can be short. Claims against licensed health care providers can be barred one year after the family discovers the cause of death (Code of Civil Procedure §340.5), and claims against a county or public hospital require a government claim within six months. Call as early as you can so the records are preserved.

What does it cost to talk to Gavin?

Nothing. The consultation is free, you speak with Gavin directly, and there is no fee unless HGL wins.

Get Free Case Review Talk to Gavin 24/7 · 844-294-6445
Track Record & Credentials

Proven in Court.
Recognized by Peers.

Jury Verdicts
8, 7 & 6
Figure Jury Verdicts

HGL has earned numerous eight, seven, and six figure jury verdicts throughout his career — results that reflect not just skill, but the willingness to take the hardest cases all the way to trial and win.

Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Each case is unique.

Elite Membership · Since 2014
ABOTA
American Board of Trial Advocates

HGL has been a proud member of ABOTA since 2014. ABOTA is one of the most elite trial lawyer organizations in the United States — fewer than 1% of all American lawyers qualify for membership. Admission is by invitation only, requires rigorous vetting, and demands a proven record of jury trials taken to verdict.

◆ Membership by invitation only
◆ Less than 1% of U.S. lawyers qualify
◆ Proven jury trial record required
◆ Member since 2014
Recognition

Honors & Distinctions

2016 & 2020
Orange County Trial Lawyer of the Year
Top 1%
ABOTA — fewer than 1% of U.S. lawyers qualify
2014–2023
Super Lawyers — California
AV Rated
Martindale-Hubbell Preeminent Rating
Member
Consumer Attorneys of California
Member
Orange County Trial Lawyers Association
State Record
Largest Facility Suicide Jury Verdict in CA
Top Verdict
Daily Journal Top Verdicts — California
Why Choose Us

HGL Goes to Trial.
Others Don't.

  • 01

    Trial-Tested Experience

    Most personal injury firms settle every case. HGL is a trial lawyer who regularly stand before juries — and insurance companies know it. That reputation drives better outcomes, in and out of the courtroom.

  • 02

    Exclusively Wrongful Death & Catastrophic Injury

    HGL doesn't dabble. Our entire practice is focused on the most serious cases — families who have lost someone and deserve the undivided attention of a specialist.

  • 03

    No Fee Unless HGL Wins

    HGL advances all costs and only collect if HGL recovers for your family. You face no financial risk in pursuing justice — that is our promise to every client.

  • 04

    Direct Attorney Access

    You work with the attorney — not a paralegal or case manager. Your case deserves personal attention, and that is exactly what HGL provides.

ABOTA Member
American Board of Trial Advocates
Membership reserved for attorneys who have tried a minimum number of civil jury trials to verdict — a mark of genuine courtroom experience.
Licensed in all California State Courts
Admitted to U.S. District Court, Central District of California
Peer-reviewed AV Preeminent Rating — Martindale-Hubbell
Member, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles
Member, Orange County Trial Lawyers Association
Named Super Lawyer — California, multiple years
What to Expect

A Clear Path, From the First Call

Reaching out after a sudden loss is hard. Here is exactly what happens when you contact HGL — no pressure, no obligation, and no fee unless he wins your case.

01

The First Conversation

Call or send a message anytime. You will speak with us directly — not a screener. Tell us what happened in your own words. The consultation is free, confidential, and carries no obligation.

02

Investigation & Case Review

If your case is one HGL can help with, he investigates thoroughly — gathering records, securing evidence, and consulting the right experts to understand exactly what went wrong and who is responsible. You pay nothing for this.

03

We Litigate. You Focus on Family.

HGL handles the filings, the defense lawyers, and the insurance companies so you don't have to. Every case is prepared as if it will be tried to a jury — because that readiness is what drives results.

04

Resolution

Whether your case resolves in a settlement or a verdict, HGL fights for full accountability. And there is no fee unless he wins — his costs and effort are advanced at no risk to your family.

Your Family Deserves
Answers.

The consultation is free. The conversation is confidential. And if HGL takes your case, there is no fee unless HGL wins.

Request a Free Case Review
844-294-6445
844-2WINHGL
Available 24/7 · No charge to speak with us
Gavin@CaliTrialAttorney.Com
Contact

Tell Us
What Happened

Share the details of your loss in confidence. Every inquiry is reviewed personally. HGL will respond within 24 hours — often the same day.

⚠ California wrongful death claims are subject to strict statutes of limitations. In most cases, families have two years from the date of death to file a claim. Do not wait — contact us today to protect your rights.

Submitting this form does not create an attorney-client relationship. All information shared is protected by attorney-client privilege and will be kept strictly confidential.