Thomas S. Alch is a Los Angeles product liability attorney at Shoop, A Professional Law Corporation, in Beverly Hills.
For more than 35 years, Tom has represented people and families whose lives have been changed by defective products, dangerous medical devices, catastrophic injuries, industrial accidents, severe burns, paralysis, traumatic brain injuries, cerebral palsy, and wrongful death.
Over the course of his career, Tom has recovered more than $500 million for injured clients and their families. His cases and courtroom successes have been featured by news organizations including Fox, ABC, and the Los Angeles Times, as well as in radio and magazine interviews.
Tom’s practice combines complex product-liability and medical issues with a highly personal approach to client representation. He spends time with clients in their homes, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and therapy sessions to understand not only what caused the injury, but the lifelong impact the injury will have on the lives of his clients and their families.
Product Liability and Catastrophic Injury Experience
Tom has handled complex cases involving defective consumer products, medical and surgical devices, recalled products, dangerous children’s products, industrial machinery, and catastrophic injuries. His work has required detailed analysis of product design, manufacturing, testing, warnings, regulatory history, failure mechanisms, medical causation, and the long-term consequences of serious injury.
Representative Verdicts and Settlements
Tom has personally been responsible for numerous multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements. Many settlements are confidential, so client names and identifying details are omitted where required. Representative results include:
$30 Million Verdict: Wrongful Death / Defective Industrial Machinery
Anaya v. Superior Industries, Los Angeles County Superior Court, Case No. BC594187.
Tom represented the family of a father of three children who was crushed to death in a conveyor belt. The case proved that the machinery should have incorporated a safety interlock and an emergency stop cable that the worker could have reached with the arm that was not caught in the conveyor. The jury returned a $30 million wrongful death verdict.
$11 Million Settlement: Brain Injury
Landers v. Kaiser, Superior Court for the State of Washington, Clark County, Case No. 112044142.
Tom obtained an $11 million settlement for a client who suffered a catastrophic brain injury.
$9 Million Settlement: Brain Injury / Cerebral Palsy
Leah Gumb v. Regents of the University of California, Sacramento County Superior Court, Case No. 34-2011-00115981.
Tom represented a child who suffered a catastrophic hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and cerebral palsy. The $9 million settlement helped provide resources for lifelong medical treatment, therapy, nursing care, and other needs.
The result was reported by FOX40 News.
https://fox40.com/news/local-news/uc-hospital-settles-medical-malpractice-lawsuit-for-9-million/
$7 Million Settlement: Dangerous Consumer Product / Child Injury
Tom obtained a $7 million confidential settlement for a child seriously injured after swallowing powerful magnets from a kitchen trivet. The product was later recalled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Because the matter is confidential, the client name and case number are not disclosed.
Additional Multimillion-Dollar Recoveries
- $11 million recovery involving kernicterus and catastrophic injury.
- $10 million recovery involving a perforated bowel.
- $9 million recovery involving a premature infant who suffered asphyxia and brain damage.
- $8.86 million recovery involving a child requiring lifetime total parenteral nutrition (TPN).
- $8.2 million recovery involving hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, cerebral palsy, and seizures.
- Multiple $7.5 million recoveries involving catastrophic neurological injuries, including cerebral palsy and brain injury.
- $7.2 million recovery involving ischemic brain damage in the neonatal intensive care setting.
- $565,000 jury verdict in Rodriguez v. Danso, Los Angeles County Superior Court, Case No. MC007965, involving a ruptured uterus.
Results current as of August 2026.
Injured by a defective product? Tom offers a free case review and works on contingency, so there is no fee unless he recovers for you. Call (310) 620-9533 or request a consultation.
What Clients Say About Tom Alch
Tom believes that representing someone after a catastrophic injury requires more than knowing the law. It requires being available, listening, explaining what is happening, and making sure the client never feels lost in the legal process. His clients repeatedly describe that personal involvement.
“He was absolutely wonderful from start to finish. From day one, he personally responded to every phone call, email and follow up. He made us feel like we were the most important client he had and took the time to answer every single question, along the way.” - Nina Walsh, mother of a son represented by Tom in a burn injury case
“Tom was professional, transparent, and extremely dedicated. He always took the time to answer my questions, followed up consistently, and made sure I felt fully prepared every step of the way.” - Natalie M.
“Tom was extremely professional, kept me informed on timelines and steps along the way, and was always available to answer any questions I had. A+ experience.” - Tim Wolf, product liability client
“Thomas Alch is the best!!!” - Bob
“Highly recommend Tom Alch and the Shoop Law firm. Extremely pleased with how easy it was to work with Tom.” - Jessica Hearty
One of the messages that has meant the most to Tom was not a formal review. It came directly from the mother of two boys he represented:
“You rock ... thank you for helping us threw this journey i no my babies are forever safe with u standing behind them” - Client message, reproduced verbatim
For Tom, that message captures something verdict and settlement numbers cannot. A catastrophic injury case is ultimately about helping a person and family build the safest and most secure future possible after their lives have unexpectedly changed.
Trial and Appellate Experience
Tom has litigated complex cases in state and federal courts and has won favorable results in both trial and appellate proceedings. He has handled product-liability matters involving sophisticated medical, scientific, engineering, regulatory, and causation issues, and has worked with local counsel in cases throughout the country.
He is licensed to practice in California, Nevada, and Arizona and is admitted to multiple federal courts.
Recognition
Tom has been selected to Super Lawyers in multiple years, including 2013 through 2017 and 2019. He has also received formal notice of selection to the 2027 Southern California Super Lawyers list in the Products Liability category.
His work and cases have been covered by major news outlets, including Fox, ABC, and the Los Angeles Times.
Bar and Court Admissions
- California State Bar
- Nevada State Bar
- Arizona State Bar
- U.S. District Court, Central District of California
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
- U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
Frequently Asked Questions
What kinds of cases does Thomas Alch handle?
Thomas Alch handles product liability and catastrophic injury cases in Los Angeles and across California. That includes defective and recalled consumer products, defective medical and surgical devices, industrial machinery accidents, severe burns, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, paralysis, amputation, child injuries, and wrongful death. He takes cases that turn on product design, manufacturing defects, inadequate warnings, and medical causation, and he works with local counsel on matters filed outside California.
Does a product recall mean I automatically have a case?
A product recall does not win a case on its own, but it is strong evidence. A recall shows that the manufacturer or the Consumer Product Safety Commission identified a defect, and it usually generates records on design, testing, and prior complaints that are otherwise hard to obtain. You still have to prove the defect caused your injury and show the extent of your damages. Tom’s $7 million magnet ingestion settlement involved a product the CPSC recalled after the client’s injury.
A Personal Commitment
Tom cares deeply about his clients and the relationships he builds with them. For more than 35 years, he has approached catastrophic injury cases with the belief that a lawyer must understand the person behind the case: the life that existed before the injury, the challenges that followed it, and the resources the client and family will need for the future.
For Tom, success is not measured only by a verdict or settlement. It is measured by whether the work helps leave a client and family better off than he found them.
Contact Thomas S. Alch
Shoop, A Professional Law Corporation
9701 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 950, Beverly Hills, CA 90212
Phone: (310) 620-9533
Email: thomas.alch@shooplaw.com
