Shaun DeSantis

ACCOLADES

• Selected to Rising Stars*: 2015 – 2020

MEMBERSHIPS

• Massachusetts Bar Association
• New Hampshire Bar Association
• Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys
• American Association for Justice

Shaun’s passion for the law began at a young age, when as a boy, he would sit with his grandfather and watch the late Judge Wapner deliver justice on the then poplar program, The People’s Court.

Though his desire to serve the law remained constant, how he would make his impact on the justice system changed throughout the years. Shaun’s path began in high school where he volunteered to help build temporary shelters for victims of domestic violence. While earning his B.A. in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University, Shaun continued to focus on helping those affected by violence as both a community volunteer and as a researcher, studying the use of defensive design techniques to prevent campus assaults.

Prior to earning his J.D. from Suffolk University Law School in 2009, Shaun worked on complex civil matters involving Pharmaceutical Industry and Healthcare Fraud for some of Boston’s top law firms, as well as for the United States District Attorney’s Office.

Shaun has been with DILLER LAW, LLP since 2007, during which time he has managed numerous civil litigation cases involving unsafe and defective products, distracted drivers, and dangerous conditions on premises as an attorney licensed in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Professionally, it is Shaun’s goal to provide his clients with the access to justice they deserve and to provide education as well as advice, so that his clients are empowered to make informed decisions about their case.

After the pandemic shut down courthouses and precluded in person hearings, Shaun still found ways to obtain justice for his clients. Shaun was one of the first lawyers in Massachusetts to conduct successfully virtual ZOOM arbitrations.

Personally, Shaun spends his free time traveling with his wife Adrienne, playing bass guitar, and enjoying craft beer.

*Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.

Selected Recent Cases

Six Figure Verdict for Rear End Collision

In a recent jury trial before the Middlesex Superior Court, Attorney Shaun DeSantis represented a client who suffered back injuries after being involved in rear-end crash. In this case, the insurer refused to make any offer of settlement until five years after the crash occurred and only weeks before trial, citing minimal visible property damage to the client’s vehicle and blaming her injuries on the client’s preexisting spinal condition. Following three days of trial testimony, including a medical expert who explained how the client’s condition made her more vulnerable to injury, the jury returned a six-figure verdict. Through its verdict, the jury held the Defendant accountable for the injuries they caused by the crash, and has ordered that they pay more than 14x the insurer’s initial offer of settlement.

Defective fishing rod injures fisherman

Attorney DeSantis assisted in bringing a Product Liability claim against a Chinese manufacturer, the California based designer, and the local sporting goods retailer, of an unsafe fishing rod, which broke under low tension resulting in shrapnel from the rod striking the eye of the fisherman using the rod. Plaintiff’s expert was prepared to testify that the defendants did not test the product to its minimum recommended line strength and the unsafe rod fractured because the composite materials were too weak to handle stresses even below the recommended line strength. This case was settled at mediation, just prior to trial.

Teenage motorist injures Motorcyclist

Attorney DeSantis acted as co-chair at trial, representing a motorcyclist who suffered a severe wrist injury resulting in multiple surgeries and permanent disability. At the trial it was demonstrated that the teenage motorist pulled in front of the motorcyclist and left the motorcyclist with no time to react, causing the plaintiff to be ejected from the motorcycle, over the defendant’s car, and onto the highway pavement. After five days of presenting testimony at trial, the case settled.

Settlement in Slip & Fall on Ice at Condominium

Attorney DeSantis assisted in bringing a premises liability claim on behalf of a client who slipped and fell on black ice in a condominium parking lot. Plaintiff’s fall resulted in a fractured ankle, which required multiple surgeries and months of rehabilitation. Plaintiff presented expert testimony demonstrating that the poorly constructed and similarly maintained parking area caused the unnaturally icy conditions responsible for Plaintiff’s severe injury. This case was settled at Mediation, prior to the initiation of any litigation.

2.4 Million: Diller Law Obtains Judgment Against Nursing Home for COVID Exposure

Attorney Shaun K. DeSantis obtained a judgment in the amount of 3.5 million on behalf of a 58-year-old physical therapist who contracted COVID-19 while working at a skilled nursing facility in Arlington. 

While providing while providing essential medical care and therapy to his elderly patients, the client was denied necessary personal protective equipment and contracted the COVID 19 virus. As a result of this illness, the client was hospitalized with near fatal respiratory issues and later developed severe “long-COVID” symptoms, including chronic physical fatigue and cognitive deficits that has left them unable to perform his regular duties as a physical therapist. 

“Healthcare workers at senior and veteran’s homes risked their personal health and safety each day for the benefit of our community,” said DeSantis. “Regardless of the circumstances, these workers deserve to have access to all necessary personal protective equipment, for their safety and that of their patients.”

As the Defendants failed to appear and defend the claims against them, Judgment was entered in the amount of $2,427,200.00, plus pre-judgment interest, following an assessment of damages hearing at the Middlesex Superior Court.