Six attorneys from the San Francisco-based elder abuse litigation firm Stebner Gertler & Guadagni have been named finalists for the Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC) 2026 Consumer Attorney of the Year award. The announcement was made by CAOC President Doug Saeltzer on August 18. The award honors a CAOC member or members who significantly advanced the rights or safety of California consumers through a noteworthy case result. Winners will be selected by secret ballot of the CAOC board on September 10 and announced November 14 at the Annual Installation and Awards Dinner during CAOC's 65th Annual Convention in San Francisco.
The finalist attorneys are Karman M. Guadagni, Kelsey S. Craven, Kirsten M. Fish, Kathryn A. Stebner, Deena K. Zacharin, and Valerie T. McGinty. Their recognition is due to their success in Tennier, et al. v. MBK Senior Living LLC, where they held a Petaluma facility accountable for elder neglect and death.
The case involved Theresa Donahue, an 85-year-old resident of MuirWoods Memory Care, a residential care facility for the elderly in Petaluma. Staff knew she was at risk for falls and needed assistance due to her dementia and other medical conditions, but repeatedly failed to meet her needs. She suffered four falls and weeks of untreated scabies before a fourth fall in 2021 caused a hip fracture that led to her decline and death.
At trial, the Stebner Gertler & Guadagni team built its case around the facility's purposeful understaffing to protect profits. When the defense destroyed multiple categories of staffing records, the attorneys proved the understaffing through witness testimony and admissions from staff. The first trial ended in a hung jury, but the team retried the case and won.
The case has had far-reaching implications for elder protection in California. The defense's motion to compel arbitration was denied and upheld on appeal in a published decision, creating favorable law for elders fighting long-term-care arbitration agreements. Additionally, the evidence of spoliation helped drive passage of Assembly Bill 251 (Kalra), which significantly revised the California Elder Abuse Act to better protect elders and hold bad actors accountable.
Stebner Gertler & Guadagni, founded in 1991, has more than 35 years of combined experience holding nursing homes, assisted living facilities, home health agencies, and hospitals accountable. The firm's attorneys represent elders and their families in cases of neglect, physical and financial abuse, and wrongful death, and pursue class actions and multi-party litigation against unethical and deceptive business practices targeting seniors. This recognition underscores the firm's commitment to preserving the dignity and independence of elders throughout their lives.
