Bowman and Brooke Logo
H. Franklin Hostetler

H. Franklin Hostetler

Of Counsel
Phone:310-380-6559

Frank Hostetler is a distinguished attorney whose practice focuses largely on defending catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases for the automotive industry. He also handles commercial and civil litigation for product manufacturers.

With an engineering background, Frank is uniquely qualified to understand, analyze, and communicate complex technical design issues to a jury. As a second-generation automotive engineer, he understands the details of product design and performance. Frank brings over eight years of automotive design and development to his trial practice. For more than 40 years, Frank has been dedicated to the defense of manufacturers in product liability, warranty and commercial litigation for the automotive industry and other members of the manufacturing community.

His courtroom experience includes jury trials across the country as well as arguments before various appellate courts. His "client first" approach and accomplished skills produce swift and cost-effective results. Representative cases include:

  • Lawrence v. Toyota: San Bernardino County Superior Court
  • Moniz v. Nissan: Los Angeles County Superior Court
  • Jones-Jefferson v. Nissan: Clark County, NV District Court
  • Gordon v. Nissan: Los Angeles County Superior Court
  • Arreola/Guevara v. Toyota: Orange County Superior Court
  • Correa v. Toyota: Santa Clara County Superior Court
  • Wirsz v. Nissan: Los Angeles County Superior Court
  • Clark/Kornmann v. Nissan: Los Angeles County Superior Court

Frank has presented to the Defense Research Institute Automotive Section several times and has lectured in the SAE TOPTEC series on the topic of expert witnesses in accident reconstruction.

Bar Admissions

  • California, 1990
  • Arizona, 1989
  • Connecticut, 1985
  • Michigan, 1981

Court Admissions

  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, 1981
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, 1989
  • U.S. District Court, Central District of California, 1990
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, 1981

Education

  • University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, J.D., 1981
  • University of Michigan, B.S.E, 1973
    —Major: Mechanical Engineering

Professional Associations

    • Society of Automotive Engineers International
    • Sports Car Club of America
    • Orange County Bar Association

Distinctions

    • Who's Who Legal  
      International Who's Who of Product Liability Defence Lawyer, 2013 – 2014
    • The Legal 500
      Named in Product Liability Defense, 2009 – 2011
    • Super Lawyers Magazine 
      Southwest Super Lawyers, 2006 – 2014

Recent Verdicts & Case Studies


CASE RESULTS DEPEND UPON A VARIETY OF FACTORS UNIQUE TO EACH CASE. CASE RESULTS DO NOT GUARANTEE OR PREDICT A SIMILAR RESULT IN ANY FUTURE CASE.