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

State Bar Wins Dunn Trial

Dunn, who was represented by Mark Geragos of Geragos & Geragos, had sought over $4 million in damages.

In his decision, JAMS Arbitrator Edward A. Infante found that Dunn deserved neither.

During a five-day arbitration in February, Hueston Hennigan, which represented the Bar, argued that far from retaliation against him, the agency fired Dunn based on misconduct and false representations he made to the Bar board. The Bar decided to terminate him after it had hired an independent law firm to conduct an investigation into allegations of wrongdoing made against Dunn by former Bar Chief Trial Counsel Jayne Kim.

Judge Infante ruled: “Claimant’s actions caused the Board to question Claimant’s motivations and damaged Claimant’s relationships with both internal staff and key stakeholders. The State Bar introduced evidence indicating that the Trustees considered each of Claimant’s breaches to be significant and substantial.”

Moreover, although Dunn referred to himself as a “whistleblower,” the arbitrator found that he never established a legal basis for doing so:

“Claimant failed to demonstrate that he engaged in protected “Whistleblower” activity….Claimant also failed to demonstrate that his comments…had any causal connection to the Board’s decision to terminate his employment. Furthermore, the State Bar’s evidence demonstrates that the Board had a legitimate, non-retaliatory explanation for its decision to terminate Claimant’s employment.”

In addition to the Dunn matter, Hueston Hennigan represents the Bar in a series of other lawsuits brought by former Bar employees.

Representing the Bar were: John HuestonMoez KabaMarshall CampJoseph ReiterVarun BehlMike BehrensStan Chen, and Lana Birbrair.

Media Coverage

The Daily Journal

The Recorder

Law360

Judge Dismisses Claims in State Bar Litigation

“We appreciate the court’s thoughtful analysis of these issues and are gratified that the judge accepted our arguments,” said Hueston Hennigan partner, Moez Kaba. The Bar has consistently maintained that it acted properly when it eliminated Layton’s position.

Judge Doyle dismissed, without leave to amend, Layton’s claim alleging the defendants had violated his right to privacy and freedom of association. The judge also granted the Bar’s request to dismiss without leave to amend his breach of good faith and fair dealing claim.

Hueston Hennigan represents the State Bar in several high-profile lawsuits brought against the agency by former employees, including the Bar’s former Executive Director. The team handling these cases includes John HuestonMoez KabaJoe ReiterVarun Behl, Stan Chen, and Lana Birbrair.

Sumner Redstone’s Ex Loses Bid to Force Deposition

Redstone’s October suit against his former companions is just one piece of the protracted legal saga surrounding the Redstone estate, in which Herzer filed suit alleging Sumner Redstone is mentally incompetent and being controlled by his daughter to keep the long-time lover and caretaker from claiming her fair share of the mogul’s assets.

A California judge in May 2016 put an end to Herzer’s petition, saying Sumner Redstone’s testimony in a 15-minute video-recorded deposition “ultimately defeated her case.”

Redstone filed the elder abuse suit in October against Herzer and Holland, alleging they executed a years-long plot to drain him of everything he had, manipulating and sometimes drugging him to get him to sign over control of his funds.