MBK Chapman Wins $2.67 Million Jury Verdict Against San Diego Attorney in Legal Malpractice Trial

Former Orange County prosecutor, Jess Rodriguez, wins verdicts for two former clients of attorney Douglas Jaffe

ALISO VIEJO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On August 6, 2026, a San Diego jury returned verdicts totaling $2,671,539 against attorney Douglas Jaffe in a legal malpractice case brought by his former clients, Light Wireless Communications, LLC and Ephrem Malan. MBK Chapman PC trial attorney, Jess A. Rodriguez, a former deputy district attorney with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, tried the case for the plaintiffs.

San Diego Superior Court Judge Carolyn Caietti entered judgment on September 22, 2026. The verdict doesn’t include significant attorneys’ fees and costs, which the plaintiffs will seek by post-judgment motion.

The plaintiffs filed suit in February 2020 and waited more than six years for trial, which began on July 27, 2026. Jaffe represented himself. The 12-person jury found him liable to both plaintiffs for professional negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of contracts concerning a lease in Santee and an appeal. The jury found that Jaffe’s breaches harmed both plaintiffs and cost them a better result.

The jury awarded Light Wireless $2,599,539. That award includes $2,000,000 for lost profits and business opportunities, $519,539 for financial losses from the mishandling of legal matters, and $80,000 for legal fees and costs in underlying litigation. The jury also awarded Malan $72,000 for out-of-pocket expenses.

“Our clients trusted a lawyer with their business, and it cost them,” said Rodriguez. “They never gave up, and the jurors held him to the standard every client has a right to expect.”

“Jess was magnificent with the jury,” said Michael Kushner, founding attorney and managing partner of MBK Chapman. “When a lawyer breaks a client’s trust, the client deserves a day in court, and Jess made the most of ours.”

The case is Light Wireless Communications, LLC, et al. v. Douglas Jaffe, San Diego Superior Court Case No. 37-2020-00006157-CU-BC-CTL.

About MBK Chapman

The business litigation and trial lawyers at MBK Chapman are never afraid to go to trial. Having prosecuted and defended hundreds of business-related cases for their clients in federal and state court, MBK Chapman’s impressive trial record speaks for itself—multiple $10,000,000+ verdicts and scores of extremely satisfied clients.