Keker & Van Nest LLP litigator John W. Keker acted as a rainmaker despite California’s historic drought when he brought in nearly $235 million for client San Diego County Water Authority.

The sum, representing the largest plaintiff’s award in 2015, included $188.3 million in damages plus $44.6 million in prejudgment interest against defendant Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. The big win was a key installment in California’s ongoing water wars, made increasingly urgent by four dry years. A San Diego water manager, Dennis Cushman, termed Metropolitan the 800-pound gorilla of the state’s water supply and said it would no longer be able to treat San Diego like a “cash cow.”