"U.S. Trial Firm of the Year" – 3 Consecutive Years (Benchmark; Law360)
JohnHuestonPicture

Education

Clerkships

  • Hon. Frank M. Johnson, Jr., U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

Admissions

  • California
  • New York
  • United States Supreme Court
“He is the best lawyer of his generation. He is razor sharp in every way, whether in court, on paper or in his teams, he thinks ten steps ahead and never skips a beat.”
—Chambers USA
“Hard-driving, insightful and aggressive” with “an energy that is tremendous.”
—Chambers USA
“He doesn’t just win. He destroys.”
—Los Angeles Times
“Consistently recognized as one of the top trial attorneys in the country, with clients regularly turning to him for their most sophisticated commercial disputes.”
—Chambers USA
“With no key evidence, skill was at a premium... Hueston’s chilly persistence left the once-genial corporate chieftain, who had been expected to flash his charm like a get-out-of-jail card, stammering and angry, drawn for the jury in a few quick strokes as a micromanager who thought he could talk his way out of trouble...”
—Washington Post
“Clients regularly turn to John Hueston to handle their most challenging litigation cases, calling upon his ‘absolutely incredible’ trial skills to defend environmental disputes, in business tort issues and in defending class actions.”
—Chambers USA
A “high-profile, tough-as-nails lawyer.”
—The Daily Journal
“To a judge, he is a master of the facts; to a jury, he is a storyteller; to the opposing side, he is a formidable, relentless foe.”
—Attorney at Law Magazine
“Hueston has a knack for taking complicated information and presenting it to jurors so they’ll understand it in a personal way.”
—Houston Chronicle
“[A] commanding reputation for his trial advocacy.”
—Chambers USA
“Widely lauded . . . simply an ass-kicking trial lawyer with an appetite for taking matters all the way.”
—Benchmark Litigation
“A devastating cross examination...”
—Los Angeles Times
“He illustrates the perfect mix of incredible intelligence, extreme skillfulness and unwavering humbleness.”
—Chambers USA
“John Hueston is quick on the uptake and his feet, cuts to the chase, never misses the bullseye.”
—Legal 500
“Brilliant lawyer and tactician . . . exceptional advocate in all settings, pre-trial, trial, and appeal, which is extraordinarily rare.”
—Legal 500
“When it comes to trial lawyers, he is as good as it gets.”
—Chambers USA
“He is out to win every single thing, and as a client, you love that.”
—Chambers USA
“His high-profile, bet-the-company trials and representations of iconic business titans attract worldwide focus and are often historic.”
—Los Angeles Business Journal

John Hueston has been described by Chambers as “the best lawyer of his generation” with a “commanding reputation for his trial advocacy.” “One of the top trial attorneys in the country” (Chambers), Mr. Hueston has been recognized as a national “Trials MVP,” a “Lawyer of the Decade” and twice as a “California Lawyer of the Year,” including for his recovery of $5.15 billion after trial.

A Fellow of both the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, Mr. Hueston represents Fortune 500 companies and governments as lead counsel in their most challenging and high-profile cases and investigations. His work ranges from winning and defeating multibillion-dollar actions to terminating some of the nation’s most significant regulatory and criminal investigations and cases.

A former lead prosecutor for the Enron trial of Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling, Mr. Hueston is also noted for “his deftness with sensitive, white collar matters and investigations” (Benchmark Litigation). In these matters, his unrelenting focus is not just on winning, but also on avoiding reputational damage. As noted by Benchmark Litigation, “as great as he is with high-profile work, he is equally great with deliberately ‘low profile’ stuff-the matters his clients don’t want you hearing about.”

Experience

Business Trials and Litigation

Won a record $293 million verdict for Monster Energy after four-week federal jury trial involving claims of false advertising, tortious interference, and theft of trade secrets. The verdict — the largest Lanham Act award ever — reflected a complete victory for Monster Energy over rival VPX, Inc., with findings in Monster’s favor on every claim asserted. (See “How Hueston Hennigan Won Monster $336M False Ad Suit,” Law360; “Monster Wins $293M Verdict Against VPX In False Ad Trial,” Law360; “Monster Energy Wins $293 Million False Ad Award Over Bang,” Bloomberg Law).

Won “the largest-ever U.S. trademark award” (Reuters) for Monster  Energy Company against rival VPX, Inc. Following a two- week trial, the arbitrator held that Bang Energy infringed on the “Bang” trademark, and awarded $175 million in damages, attorney’s fees and costs, and a 5% royalty. (See “Monster asks court to enforce $175M award against Bang Energy maker,” Reuters; “Monster, Orange Bang Win $175M Against Rival In Arbitration,” Law360).

Won a “landmark” opioid trial for Endo Pharmaceuticals in a $50 billion action. Three of the most populous counties in California and the City of Oakland brought suit against opioid manufacturers alleging false advertising, unfair competition and public nuisance. The jurisdictions claimed that manufacturers’ alleged false and misleading marketing caused a $50 billion public nuisance. The win was hailed as “giv[ing] drug companies their first major victory in the litigation brought by cities and counties across the country over the opioid crisis,” American Lawyer. (See “How Hueston Hennigan Notched A Landmark Opioid Trial Win,” Law360; “Opioid Makers Win Major Victory in California Trial,” New York Times; “Drug Makers Handed First Win Out of Thousands of National Opioid Crisis Lawsuits,” Newsweek).

Secured over $300 million for Match; Co-counsel in Epic trial leading to “landmark” antitrust win over Google. Won preliminary injunctive relief and defeated Google’s motion for summary judgment. Successfully demonstrated that Google had spoliated documents and obtained an adverse inference jury instruction. On the heels of those wins and on the eve of trial, secured a settlement exceeding $300 million for Match Group. Epic – the last remaining plaintiff – then invited Hueston Hennigan to join its trial team. Our trial exams garnered high praise from the press: “Epic has again struck gold by pointing out what wasn’t there” (The Verge); “Google tried to pay off Epic with $147 million to eliminate Epic’s influence on other developers” (Law360); “She’s in a corner, that’s for sure – the one Epic just painted her into” (The Verge); “Then he dropped the mic – pointing out that Google Play’s ‘existential question’ had nothing to do with competing with Apple and everything to do with maintaining Android” (The Verge). The verdict, returned after just four hours of deliberation, has been widely described as a “landmark” antitrust trial victory (The Wall Street JournalThe New York TimesPBS, The Washington Post, and others).

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Secured a $5.15 billion settlement after trial for the Tronox Trust against Anadarko Petroleum Company and Kerr McGee Corporation for environmental liabilities and subsequent fraudulent transfer of those and other liabilities. The $5.15 billion recovery was the largest environmental bankruptcy case award in U.S. history. (See “Tronox Trust Wins Up To $14B In Kerr-McGee Spinoff Row,” Law360; “Anadarko, Kerr-McGee liable for Tronox cleanup costs,” Reuters; “Judge Approves Anadarko’s $5.15 Billion Settlement,” Wall Street Journal).

Won a complete defense verdict for PwC after a three-week San Francisco federal trial. Former auditor and SEC whistleblower brought a high-profile lawsuit as part of a worldwide public relations campaign. (See “When Auditors Are Too Close To The Client,” Financial Times; “PwC Rightly Fired Former Auditor, Judge Rules,” Bloomberg Law).

Won a $25 million jury verdict against Samsung in a patent infringement trial in Texas federal court on behalf of Acorn Technologies, an incubator company. (See “Samsung Hit With $25M Semiconductor IP Verdict In EDTX,” Law360; “Samsung Loses Texas Trial Over Patents for Chip-Making Process,” Bloomberg Law; “Samsung loses $25 million jury verdict over semiconductor patents,” Reuters).

In eBay v. Amazon.com, obtained complete defense judgment after 2-week trial in case promoted by eBay as an international RICO and fraud conspiracy to unlawfully recruit eBay sellers to Amazon. (See “EBay Accuses Amazon Managers of Conspiring to Poach Its Sellers,” The New York Times; “eBay files lawsuit against Amazon over ‘seller recruitment’” BBC).

Won a complete defense verdict for the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) after a four-week jury trial in a $65 million whistleblower case. Obtained a unanimous jury verdict in a wrongful termination suit filed by a research scientist claiming retaliation in academia and in business ventures after allegedly exposing misuse of government funds. (See “Jury gives Caltech complete win over former researcher’s claims,” Daily Journal; “Hueston Hennigan Beats Back Whistleblower Claim Against Caltech,” The American Lawyer).

Secured over $40 million for Navajo Nation in a CERCLA and tort action against the United States Environmental Protection Agency and other responsible parties with regard to exposure of the Navajo Nation’s people, water and lands to contaminants from the August 2015 Gold King Mine spill.

Obtained a unanimous 9-0 opinion at the Supreme Court of the United States in favor of Nutraceutical Corporation in a case that has significant implications for class actions practice. (See “Missed Appeal Deadline Can’t Be Extended, Justices Rule,” Law360).

Defeated SEC’s contempt action against Elon Musk for alleged improper tweeting. (See “How Hueston Hennigan Steered Tesla’s Musk to Safety,” American Lawyer, “a clear win for Musk’s lawyer, John Hueston, in a faceoff against the SEC”).

Won trial for State Bar of California after a high-profile legal battle with its former executive director/CEO, defeating claims of whistleblower retaliation and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. (See “Joe Dunn loses arbitration over his firing by State Bar,” Sacramento Bee).

Won a high-profile, three-week federal jury trial on misappropriation of trade secrets and breach of contract claims for T- Mobile. The Seattle jury awarded a multimillion-dollar verdict and found that Huawei Devices USA stole T-Mobile’s smartphone robotic testing technology and violated its contractual obligations to T-Mobile.

Won an eight-figure damages verdict, and liability findings on all counts, after a three-week jury trial in New York federal court, in a case alleging fraud, deceptive business practices and false advertising.

In a multibillion-dollar securities action against Amgen, obtained dismissal of a shareholder derivative suit and favorable resolution of related actions.

On the eve of an international arbitration hearing, obtained a nine-figure settlement on behalf of the CEO of a major social networking app.

Obtained summary judgment for Sempra Energy, a Fortune 500 energy services company, in a cross-border dispute relating to a billion-dollar liquefied natural gas terminal.

Obtained a precedent-setting victory in a challenge to the constitutionality of a land use ordinance described by The New York Times as “one of the most stringent anti-development measures ever attempted in the country.”

Prevailed on behalf of IMDb in a constitutional challenge to a California law restricting online speech.

Obtained a seven-figure settlement, representing a full trial victory, on behalf of Alec Baldwin, in a high-profile art fraud case.

Obtained dismissals and defeated TROs in high-stakes trade secrets cases, including Broadcom v. SpaceX and Teva v. Amgen.

Obtained dismissal with prejudice of consolidated federal shareholder litigation arising from a $600 million settlement with the USDOJ for alleged off-label promotional activities related to Botox.

Secured decertification of a consumer class action alleging violations of California’s false advertising and consumer protection laws.

Won a trial for UCLA and secured a permanent injunction in civil actions against organizations and individuals threatening violence against faculty members and administrators.

Successfully reached a settlement on behalf of a portfolio company in a breach of contract lawsuit against a major alcohol beverage company.

Corporate Crisis and White Collar Criminal Defense

Obtained dismissal of complaint against Activision Board of Directors and advised on strategy leading to dismissal of sexual harassment claims against Activision arising from highly publicized investigations and regulatory actions relating to workplace harassment claims.

Secured a complete victory in an extremely high-profile settlement between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over Musk’s extemporaneous tweets about his electric car company.

Defending Amazon Against High Profile FTC Lawsuit Targeting its Prime Membership. The FTC alleges that Amazon used deceptive user-interface designs known as “dark patterns” to trick consumers into enrolling in automatically renewing Prime subscriptions and that Amazon knowingly complicated the cancellation process for Prime subscribers.

On the eve of trial, and after four years of investigation and litigation, obtained dismissal of all felony federal charges against a subsidiary of Waste Management, America’s largest environmental services provider, and two of its managers.

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Secured termination of an SEC investigation of a high-level PIMCO officer relating to allegations of misleading investors about the performance of a fund and alleged failure to accurately value certain fund securities.

Secured a unique plea dismissing “side door” scheme and preserving right to appeal, for high profile founder of TPG Growth LLC and The Rise Fund, in “Varsity Blues” college admissions case.

Obtained dismissal of a criminal mortgage fraud indictment after evidentiary hearings for prosecutorial misconduct; the Dallas County district attorney was held in contempt. (See “Hill Wins, Watkins Loses,” Dallas Morning News).

Reversed an initial SEC charging decision and terminated an insider trading and tipping investigation into a Goldman Sachs banker with alleged ties to Galleon Group.

Obtained dismissal of all 306 counts of an indictment brought by the Nevada attorney general’s “Mortgage Fraud Task Force” in the first “robosigning” prosecution.

Obtained a complete dismissal of felony charges based on a successful challenge to the constitutionality of the offense statute.

Obtained declination of civil and criminal investigations for alleged immigration and visa violations by a Fortune 500 company.

Secured closure of SEC FCPA investigation for Fortune 200 company.

Terminated the criminal investigation of a Fortune 500 medical device manufacturer without payment of fine or civil settlement.

Terminated criminal and parallel civil investigations targeting the CEO of a Fortune 500 medical device manufacturer for alleged complicity in an off-label promotion scheme and false and misleading public statements and filings regarding the device development.

Resolved a tristate attorneys general investigation into alleged false advertising by a Fortune 500 health care company without fines or penalties.

Resolved a federal investigation of alleged celebrity privacy breaches at UCLA without charges or fines.

Served as independent counsel for investigations on behalf of numerous government agencies, including the County of San Bernardino, the City of Santa Monica, and the San Diego Association of Governments.

Recognitions

  • Trials MVP, Law360 (2022)
  • Band 1, USA Trial Lawyers, Chambers
  • Top Lawyers of the Decade, Daily Journal
  • Hall of Fame, Benchmark Litigation
  • California Trial Lawyer of the Year (repeated), Benchmark Litigation
  • California Lawyer of the Year (repeated), California Lawyer
  • Star Individual, Litigation: White Collar Crime & Government Investigations, Chambers USA
  • Band 1, Litigation: General Commercial, Chambers USA
  • Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America (repeated) and Top 20 Trial Lawyers in California, Benchmark Litigation
  • Top 50 Young Litigators, The American Lawyer
  • Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
  • Fellow, International Academy of Trial Lawyers
  • Top 100 Lawyers in California (repeated), Daily Journal
  • National Litigation Star (repeated), Benchmark Litigation
  • Elite Boutique Trailblazer, National Law Journal
  • Lawyer of the Year and a leading lawyer for Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, and White Collar Criminal Defense (repeated), Best Lawyers
  • Los Angeles Lawyer of the Year (repeated), Benchmark Litigation
  • Leaders of Influence: Top Litigators & Trial Lawyers (repeated) and Leaders in Law, Los Angeles Business Journal
  • LA500, Most Influential Leaders in Los Angeles, Los Angeles Business Journal
  • Leading Lawyer for Corporate Investigations and White Collar Criminal Defense (repeated), Legal 500
  • Anti-Defamation League’s Marcus Kaufman Jurisprudence Award
  • Leading National Litigators, Daily Journal

Activities

Mr. Hueston is the President of the Board of Directors for the Social Justice Legal Foundation. The Foundation creates a new model for advancing social justice by focusing on groundbreaking trial work and innovative collaboration across private, public and academic sectors.

Mr. Hueston is Chair of Sen. Alex Padilla’s Central District of California Judicial Evaluation Commission. Mr. Hueston previously served as statewide Co-Chair of Senator Kamala Harris’ Judicial Commission and as a Central District of California Merit Selection Panel member. Mr. Hueston is a former Central District of California Judicial Conference Lawyer Representative.

Mr. Hueston is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers’ Federal Criminal Procedure Committee and California-Southern State Member Selection Committee. Mr. Hueston is the former National Co-Chair of the ABA White Collar Crime Committee.

Mr. Hueston has lectured nationally at law and business schools on topics of trial advocacy and corporate governance, including Cornell, Loyola, Stanford, UCLA, U.C. Hastings, UCI, USC, and Yale.

Mr. Hueston is a member of the Dartmouth College President’s Leadership Council, a former member of the Executive Committee of Yale Law School Association, and a member of the Board of Visitors for UCI Law School. Mr. Hueston also serves as a board member for California Indian Legal Services and for The Judge Frank M. Johnson, Jr. Institute. Mr. Hueston is a past President of the Orange County Bar Association, the second largest bar association in the State of California, and a former President of the Federal Bar Association of Orange County.