Won historic $510 million jury verdict on behalf of client Saint Mary’s Health Network, one of the largest verdicts in healthcare litigation history, after a jury finding that defendants committed intentional tortious misconduct in a coordinated scheme against the client during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bird Marella’s trial win was nationally recognized in Law360 and in their Litigators of the Week feature.
Secured acquittal on all counts for the former Vice President of Finance of HP/Autonomy Corporation, Stephen Chamberlain, after a three-month jury trial in San Francisco federal court. The case is considered one of the largest fraud trials ever brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, highly publicized in articles spanning from BBC, Law360, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and more. The victory has been widely recognized in the industry and earned the Global Investigations Review’s Most Important Case of the Year award, Benchmark Litigation’s Impact Case of the Year award, and inclusion in the Daily Journal’s Top White Collar Lawyers and the prestigious award of California Lawyer of the Year.
Secured $164 million verdict for client Cresden LLC against multilevel marketing conglomerate LuLaRoe and related defendants after a two-month jury trial and six years of litigation. Cresden was also awarded its attorney’s fees as the prevailing party. The win was also recognized as a Daily Journal Top Plaintiff’s Verdict of 2024 in all of California.
Won complete defense verdict for healthcare apparel and lifestyle brand FIGS in nine-figure false advertising trial in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Industry giant Strategic Partners, Inc. filed a lawsuit alleging false advertising in violation of the Lanham Act, violations of California’s Unfair Competition Law, violations of California’s False Advertising Law, and intentional interference with prospective economic relations against FIGS and its co-founders, with claimed damages in excess of $200 million. The victory was named a Top Defense Verdict of 2022 by the Daily Journal.
Successfully defended Fortune 100 company Plains All American Pipeline, the largest pipeline company in North America, in a four-month trial arising out of an oil spill in Santa Barbara. Court orders and verdicts resulted in dismissal on the known felony counts, dismissal of the three individuals, and the defeat of 99.7% of the State’s fines and restitutions claims. Bird Marella also successfully persuaded a California state judge to reject the prosecutor’s demand for a $1.2 billion penalty.
Trial counsel for JM Eagle, the world’s largest manufacturer of plastic pipe products, in a federal False Claims Act litigation pursued by over 45 intervening states and municipalities and a parallel class action involving claimed damages of over $2 billion. In the first set of bellwether trials, successfully convinced the court to reduce claimed damages from $58 million to $2 million before the jury was ultimately unable to agree that any damages were owed, leading to a mistrial. Subsequently obtained judgment notwithstanding the verdict in favor of the client on all damages claims.
Complete defense verdict in $175 million trial for Global Fortune 500 semiconductor company. After a four week trial, Bird Marella convinced a federal court jury in Seattle to find for SK hynix against claims brought by Microsoft. Microsoft alleged that SK hynix breached a semiconductor chip supply contract and jeopardized the launch of its Xbox One gaming console. The jury sided with Bird Marella and determined that SK hynix had not committed any wrongdoing and denied all of Microsoft’s damages claims.
