Cary J.C. Agajanian
Managing Partner, General Liability Group
Cary J.C. Agajanian advises sanctioning bodies, promoters, venues, teams, and sponsors across motorsports, sports, recreation, and leisure, combining litigation defense with the risk documents and event structures those organizations rely on.
A famed motorsports attorney, promoter and racecar owner, Cary has personally represented and advised over 20 sports and leisure sanctioning bodies in liability suits during the past 50 years, including Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART), United States Auto Club (USAC), Formula One (FISA), and National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), among others. Cary is the Managing Partner of AMWT&H and head of the General Liability Group. An important part of Cary's practice is motorsports litigation and general liability law.
Cary has argued numerous motorsports-related cases, many resulting in published California Court of Appeals opinions enforcing waiver and release and assumption of risk agreements, such as in Hoffman v. Sports Car Club of America (1986) 180 Cal.App.3d 119 and National and International Brotherhood of Street Racers, Inc. v. Superior Court (1989) 215 Cal.App.3d 934.
Cary was instrumental in authoring the CART Annual Waiver and Release and the Event Waiver and Release, among others, documents which are widely recognized as the industry standard used throughout the United States.
Prior to founding AMWT&H, he served as Deputy City Attorney for the City of Los Angeles for nine years, prosecuting hundreds of criminal actions, representing the City in major civil liability cases, and managing hundreds of attorneys and employees for a major division of the city attorney's office. A much sought after lecturer on risk management in motorsports, Cary conducts lectures to groups across the United States.
Reported cases
- Hoffman v. Sports Car Club of America (1986) 180 Cal.App.3d 119
Motorsports Litigation
Release enforced; judgment for the defense affirmed on appeal.
- National and International Brotherhood of Street Racers, Inc. v. Superior Court (1989) 215 Cal.App.3d 934
Motorsports Litigation
Writ granted; release held enforceable against the participant's claim.
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every matter depends on its own facts and applicable law.
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