Experience

Trust and Estate Litigation

Regularly represents trustees and beneficiaries in a range of trust and estate litigation matters, including in disputes regarding trust administration, the proper income owed to income beneficiaries, identifying remainder beneficiaries, claims of undue influence and breach of fiduciary duties, and the nomination of successor trustees.

Unfair Competition Law Litigation

Elizabeth Dorsi Headshot at Farella Braun + Martel

Successfully represented a developer in an Unfair Competition Law action brought by a District Attorney’s office alleging numerous “malicious” unlawful acts and omissions arising from a large pre-historic Native American cemetery that was discovered and damaged during construction of a residential development project. After a 4+ week bench trial, the court found no unlawful acts and awarded a complete defense victory.

False Advertising and Labeling

Representing companies in the cosmetic and personal care industries in pre-litigation dispute resolution and litigation on false advertising, unfair competition, and CLRA claims. Successfully won dismissal of unfair competition claims against a cosmetic company on the basis that the plaintiff’s labeling claims were preempted by the FDCA.

Elder Abuse Litigation

Represented a developer against claims of fraud and elder abuse arising out of a real estate transaction.  The matter resolved with an early settlement favorable to our client.

Payment Processing Litigation

Won summary judgment on behalf of a financial services provider in a business tort action. The lawsuit accused our client of unlawfully terminating payment processing services for the plaintiffs after their accounts were flagged for illegal transactions.

CFTC Enforcement Action

Representing a precious metals retailer in both the district court and the Ninth Circuit in a federal government enforcement action brought by the CFTC alleging off-exchange transactions and fraud. The lawsuit raises novel issues regarding the CFTC’s jurisdiction, including whether depository delivery of financed metals results in “actual delivery” under the Commodity Exchange Act and the scope of the CFTC’s anti-fraud jurisdiction. Also representing the company in a parallel class action.

Mass Tort Litigation

Represented a nuclear fuel processing company in a mass tort action brought by over one hundred plaintiffs alleging personal injury and property damage. Won a complete victory at summary judgment.

Firm Highlights

Publication

Employment Law Update for Nonprofits With Holly Sutton

Welcome to  EO Radio Show - Your Nonprofit Legal Resource . Charities, foundations, and their founders often request help addressing employment practices and compliance questions. In this episode, host Cynthia Rowland is joined by Holly...

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News

Scraping Battles: Meta Loses Legal Effort to Halt Harvesting of Personal Profiles

Alex Reese spoke to Matt Fleischer-Black of  Cybersecurity Law Report about the Meta v. Bright Data decision and its impact on U.S. scraping case law. Read the article here (paywall or trial).

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News

North Coast Industry Insiders Weigh In on Why California Cannabis Tax Revenue Slipped in 2023

Jeff Hamilton spoke to Susan Wood with the North Bay Business Journal for the article "North Coast Industry Insiders Weigh In on Why California Cannabis Tax Revenue Slipped in 2023." Read the article with Jeff's...

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Publication

Nonprofit Quick Tip: State Filings in North Carolina and South Carolina

Welcome to  EO Radio Show - Your Nonprofit Legal Resource . Episode 75 is the tenth in a series of Quick Tip episodes focusing on the details of state registration of nonprofit corporations. With...

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Publication

Corporate Transparency Act: A Guide on Beneficial Ownership for Nonprofit Executives

The Corporate Transparency Act, enacted as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, represents a significant shift in regulatory requirements for entities across the United States. This act, set to...

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Publication

Corporate Transparency Act: State of the Law and Beneficial Ownership Reporting Requirements

Key Points: Despite ongoing legal challenges, the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) generally remains in effect and enforceable. Clients should continue to abide by its regulations. Initial reports for entities formed in 2024 are due within...

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News

Farella Announces 2024 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Pathfinders: Taylor Rottjakob and John Ugai

Farella Braun + Martel is proud to announce that senior associates  Taylor E. Rottjakob and John M. Ugai have been named 2024 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Pathfinders. Pathfinders have been identified as...

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News

JPMorgan Chase Accuses TransUnion of Stealing 'Trade Secrets'

Intellectual property practice chair Eugene Mar provided expert commentary to American Banker for the article "JPMorgan Chase Accuses TransUnion of Stealing 'Trade Secrets'." In the article, he said: "By filing this as a trade...

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News

Farella Braun + Martel Earns San Francisco Green Business Recertification

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Publication

Insurance Market Crushes Wineries and Wine Country Homeowners

We keep hearing about how difficult it is for winery and vineyard owners to get property insurance these days, both for their homes and their wine businesses in California’s wildfire-prone areas. Those who have...

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