When catastrophe strikes, families face an avalanche of questions. What happened? Who bears responsibility? How will they cope financially? The legal system offers a path toward answers, though few understand this journey better than those who guide families through it daily.
Legal veteran David Oddo has spent decades representing families during their darkest hours—after unexpected deaths, preventable accidents, and medical negligence. Through his practice, he's witnessed how proper litigation delivers more than financial compensation. It uncovers truth, establishes accountability, and sometimes prevents similar tragedies from befalling others.
What is Litigation?
Litigation plays a dual role as a mechanism for individual remedy and societal protection, a process where attorneys advocate for clients seeking accountability and compensation through the court system after suffering injuries or losses.
The Search for Truth When Answers Seem Unreachable
"What these cases do is they get to the truth," David Oddo explains when discussing the role of litigation in uncovering negligence. Through careful investigation, these legal proceedings reveal how seemingly safe environments can harbor hidden dangers that lead to tragic accidents. The process not only seeks justice for those harmed but also exposes overlooked hazards, potentially preventing future incidents by ensuring responsible parties address dangerous conditions before others are injured.
Understanding exactly what transpired often carries as much significance as financial restitution in the eyes of grieving families. "It's important for the family to know, to have some sort of closure if there can be closure, if there's just a knowledge of how this could have happened and who was responsible for it," Oddo says.
Finding Meaning Amid Tragedy
David Oddo describes profound satisfaction from implementing fundamental fairness principles that help families rebuild.
His method echoes the childhood teachings of taking responsibility for one’s actions. With houses close together in his Westchester neighborhood, baseball games sometimes ended with shattered glass. The expectations were clear: "You throw the ball, you break the neighbor's window, you're paying for it," he recalls. "How? Didn't matter. You were doing chores, cutting the grass, and working for the neighbor whose window you broke. Whatever it took to make them whole."
Oddo applies this same principle to negligent doctors, reckless drivers, unsafe construction sites, and negligent property owners. "You break it, you fix it. You've got to make it right.", he says.
When dealing with tragedies, personal bonds are inevitably formed. These personal connections eliminate any need for external motivation. Understanding what's at stake for each client "provides all the necessary motivation."
Creating Safer Communities Through Accountability
In addition to providing answers and compensation, litigation often drives broader safety improvements that benefit countless families who will never set foot in a courtroom.
David Oddo's career spans decades of cases that transformed dangerous products and practices. He recalls the notorious Ford Pinto that would explode in minor rear-end collisions, children's pajamas treated with flammable chemicals, defective tires causing highway accidents, and faulty pressure cookers causing serious burns.
"Cars, pharmaceuticals, and products we buy every day are safer because of trial lawyers. You're wearing seat belts because of trial lawyers. The car you’re driving is safer. Power saws are fitted with safety guards. Most things from your car, to household appliances, to hospital care are safer now because of trial lawyers”. Oddo explains.
