Minor’s Compromises in California: Court Approval, Special Needs Trusts, and Pro

Wyatt Vespermann is an attorney at Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP focusing on pharmaceutical mass torts and foster care abuse litigation. He has handled significant cases on behalf of minor clients, including a $26 million verdict for a foster child in a sexual abuse case and a $32 million settlement for an infant harmed by child protective services failures. He is a member of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles and is admitted to practice in California and Nevada.

Hon. Ana Maria Luna (Ret.) brings more than four decades of diverse legal and judicial experience to her mediator role at Signature Resolution. Her distinguished service on the bench and legal practice is marked by her integrity and ability to connect with people from all walks of life. She is well respected for her intellect and balanced approach to resolving disputes. ​

As a neutral, Judge Luna is committed to creating a respectful and inclusive environment where all parties feel seen and heard. With extensive judicial experience in civil, family, and probate law, Judge Luna is well-equipped to handle and identify the critical issues that guide effective resolutions. She provides both clarity and compassion through her work, offering a trauma-informed, culturally competent lens particularly well suited to the emotionally complex matters that family law and probate law often bring. Her extensive experience shines through when navigating the many emotionally sensitive issues that permeate these two practice areas. For Judge Luna, the litigants’ stories are as equally important as the litigation itself.

Nadine Ninva Khedry is an attorney with Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP and focuses her practice on catastrophic personal injury, sexual abuse, wrongful death, dangerous condition, and product liability cases throughout California and Nevada.

Since joining the firm, Ms. Khedry has worked on a variety of personal injury cases. In September 2021, she and attorney Spencer Lucas obtained a $13,000,000 jury verdict in Riverside County Superior Court for a young girl who was sexually molested while in the care of EōS Fitness’ Kid’s Club in Palm Springs, California.

In July 2022, Ms. Khedry and attorney Dan Dunbar obtained a $2,514,198.46 verdict in Chatsworth for a young man who was severely injured by the negligence of a second time drunk driver.

Ms. Khedry graduated from University of California Merced with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and received her J.D. from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. While attending law school, she was a member of the nationally ranked Bryne Trial Advocacy Team and also participated in the Hobbs Trial Advocacy where she served as a Certified Law Clerk for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office in Compton. Ms. Khedry also served as the President of Loyola’s Consumer Law Society, an organization that works closely with the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA) and was created to “educate students on the importance of justice and the role that the Plaintiffs’ bar plays in securing this justice.”

Fluent in Assyrian, Ms. Khedry is a member of the State Bar of California and Nevada, an active member of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA). She also sits on the Consumer Attorney of California’s New Law Division Board and is a member of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Assyrian Aid Society which helps Assyrians in need and focuses on humanitarian concerns of the Assyrian people. In her free time, Ms. Khedry enjoys cooking, exploring new places in Los Angeles, reading motivational or trial skill books, and finding new legal shows like Goliath.