The list honors “the most influential leaders and impactful executives” in Los Angeles. This marks Mr. Hueston’s eighth consecutive year on the list and Mr. Kaba’s first. Their profiles can be found here and here.
Author: Jason Armstrong
National Trial Lawyer Hagan Scotten Joins Hueston Hennigan in New York
A decorated veteran who graduated first in his class at Harvard Law School, he is a former law clerk to Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. of the U.S. Supreme Court and then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh, formerly of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Mr. Scotten’s practice will focus primarily on complex civil litigation, trials, and white-collar criminal investigations.
During his 10-year tenure with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Mr. Scotten handled some of the nation’s most important cases, including United States v. Eric Adams, the appeal in United States v. Samuel Bankman-Fried, United States v. Charles McGonigal, and United States v. Lev Parnas. As a prosecutor, Mr. Scotten tried 13 cases and argued 14 appeals. Most recently serving as the office’s chief of appeals, Mr. Scotten twice received the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service.
“Hagan is a lawyer of extraordinary integrity and talent, and has earned his reputation as one of the nation’s leading trial lawyers,” said Moez Kaba, managing partner of Hueston Hennigan. “He is the unique combination of fearless trial lawyer and strategic appellate advocate, and we could not be happier to welcome him to the firm.”
Mr. Scotten’s practice will include all aspects of complex cases, from pretrial litigation, to resolution by trial or negotiation, to handling appeals. He also plans to leverage his extensive experience as a white-collar prosecutor to lead internal investigations, counsel corporations, and represent witnesses and subjects in investigations.
“Hagan is an incredibly experienced trial lawyer who also just happens to be a former Green Beret, first in his class at Harvard Law, and a former clerk for two current Supreme Court justices,” said Hueston Hennigan founding partner John Hueston. “He will be a natural and dynamic leader of our rapidly growing New York office.”
Mr. Scotten has prosecuted and supervised criminal cases that affect the banking and financial services industries, technology firms, education firms, state and federal agencies, and non-profits and charities. These include matters related to sanctions, export controls, international law, money laundering, bank bribery, the Truth in Lending Act, and securities fraud.
As chief of appeals, Mr. Scotten supervised a unit that handled several hundred appeals per year. These appeals covered the full range of criminal matters in the Southern District of New York, including securities and sanctions violations, all types of fraud, treaty and customary international law interpretation, money laundering, violent crime, and narcotics.
Prior to attending law school, Mr. Scotten served as a captain in the U.S. Army, leading infantry, Ranger and Special Forces units. As part of his service, he commanded combined units of U.S. and Iraqi conventional and special operations soldiers in three combat tours to Iraq. Mr. Scotten led over 40 raids, capturing 124 insurgents, including senior leaders. He was twice awarded the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service in combat and was rated as top captain among seven peers in his Special Forces company.
“I’m thrilled to be joining the preeminent trial law firm in the country,” said Mr. Scotten. “Hueston Hennigan offers the perfect platform for me to both try cases and handle white-collar investigations. I’m eager to contribute to the firm’s success and excited to see what we can build together.”
Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Scotten was an associate at Hogan Lovells in Washington, D.C. and New York City.
Mr. Scotten earned his J.D., summa cum laude, from Harvard Law School, where he was first in his class and served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review. He earned his B.A., magna cum laude, in History and Classics from Georgetown University.
Mr. Scotten’s addition to Hueston Hennigan drew widespread press, including in the New York Law Journal, Bloomberg Law, Reuters Legal, Law360 and the Daily Journal.
Chou, Jackson and Libeu Named Daily Journal ‘Top Women Lawyers’
Libeu, Plessman Honored Among LABJ’s ‘Women of Influence: Attorneys’
The list honors the Los Angeles region’s “most influential women legal professionals” who have demonstrated “exceptional legal skill and achievement” and “exemplary leadership as evidenced by the highest professional and ethical standards.” Their profiles can be found here.
Tri Star Sports & Entertainment Group Prevails in Copyright Suit
Richard’s complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleged that Tri Star infringed her copyright in the song “Deliver Me,” on which Richard was a featured artist. On May 8, 2025, Hueston Hennigan filed a letter with the court explaining that Richard’s claims were “replete with factual inaccuracies” and “clearly foreclosed by controlling law.” Less than a week later, Richard voluntarily dismissed her claims against Tri Star.
“Tri Star simply did not belong in this lawsuit,” said Hueston Hennigan founding partner John Hueston. “We persuaded the plaintiff that any attempt to pursue claims against Tri Star was a losing proposition that could come with a heavy price.”
The team also included Michael Todisco and Cassidy O’Sullivan.
Camp Named to LABJ’s ‘Top 100 Lawyers’ List
This honor recognizes Los Angeles-area attorneys’ “exceptional legal skill and achievements” as well as leadership and community involvement.
Jackson, Trehan Recognized Among LA Times Studios’ ‘Law Firm Visionaries’
Ninth Circuit Affirms Monster’s $311M Award Against VPX and Former CEO
In 2022, the firm obtained a $293 million jury verdict for Monster in a high-profile lawsuit involving claims of false advertising, tortious interference and trade secrets theft against VPX—the third-largest energy drink manufacturer in the U.S.—and Owoc. It is believed to be the largest Lanham Act award in history.
The jury found VPX and Owoc falsely advertised the alleged “Super Creatine” ingredient in VPX’s billion-dollar Bang energy drink. The jury awarded $272 million against both Owoc and VPX for false advertising and another $21 million against VPX itself for tortious interference and trade secrets theft. In its post-trial judgment, the court added over $43 million in attorneys’ fees, expenses and prejudgment interest to the jury’s award, with over $39 million of that tacked onto the false advertising claim against Owoc and VPX.
In addition to Ms. Libeu, the appellate team included John Hueston, Moez Kaba, Sourabh Mishra, Justin Greer and Christopher Galeano.
The circuit’s ruling garnered press including in Bloomberg Law and Reuters Legal.
Rayburn, Woodin Selected to Daily Journal’s Top IP List
Justices Cement McDonald’s Win Against $100M Fraud Suit
Allen sued McDonald’s in California state court in 2023, after McDonald’s announced its goal to increase spending with diverse-owned media companies, production houses and content creators. Allen’s suit claimed McDonald’s goal was an enforceable promise and that McDonald’s engaged in fraud by failing to spend at least $50 million per year with his companies. Hueston Hennigan persuaded the trial court to grant McDonald’s special anti-SLAPP motion to strike, dismissing Allen’s lawsuit in full after determining McDonald’s conduct was protected and Allen failed to make a prima facie showing that he could prevail. The court ruled that McDonald’s was entitled to attorneys’ fees and costs for defending against the lawsuit.
In addition to Mr. Kaba, the Hueston Hennigan team included John Hueston, Michael Todisco, Karen Ding, Justin Greer and Arianna Demas.
The appellate ruling garnered press including in Law360, The Recorder, Bloomberg Law and the Daily Journal.