Jesse Contreras

Counsel
Los Angeles
+1 310-299-5500
[email protected]
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Jesse Contreras

Counsel
“When the gloves come off, I’m at my best—calm under fire, clear on the law, and ready to fight for the win.”

Jesse Contreras represents clients in complex commercial disputes at every stage, from pre-trial maneuvering through appeals. He advises businesses across industries—including health care, insurance, manufacturing, and construction—in matters ranging from trade secrets and professional liability to business torts, contract claims, and government investigations.

Having successfully litigated several “bet-the-company” cases, including a $100 million dispute for an engineering consortium, Jesse has also contributed to precedent-setting appeals involving constitutional and regulatory questions. His work spans state and federal courts and includes matters before the U.S. Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Clients turn to Jesse for his strategic approach, appellate insight, and ability to navigate complex litigation involving public entities, intellectual property, and high-value commercial interests. He is also called upon by retail and apparel clients for matters involving design ownership and brand rights.

Beyond his commercial practice, Jesse devotes time to the Innocence Project, contributing to pro bono cases and policy efforts on behalf of wrongfully convicted individuals.

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Associated Industries

Insurance

Technology

Associated Practice Areas

Class Action & Complex Litigation

Representative Matters

  • Copyright/Trademark/Trade Secret Litigation: Defended a New Orleans theme park against copyright and trademark claims. Representation included taking and defending key depositions and preparing case for trial, where a complete defense verdict was obtained.
  • Copyright/Trademark/Trade Secret Litigation: Represented prominent cruise line in an ownership dispute over marketing data maintained by its outside database consultant. The case was tried successfully in federal court with the cruise line winning on all causes of action and all counterclaims defeated.
  • Insurance Litigation: Represented the owners of a luxury home in Beverly Hills in a breach of contract claim against their insurance carrier and an inverse condemnation claim against the City of Beverly Hills arising from flood damage to their home. Insurance claim involved the resolution of novel Bus & Prof. Code 17200 claims in the client’s favor. Inverse condemnation claim involved the selection and preparation of numerous experts for trial, including geotechnical engineers, contractors, and appraisers. The matter was settled in the client’s favor before trial.
  • Insurance Regulation: Represented the California Insurance Commissioner on various matters involving California’s efforts to assist Holocaust survivors and their families in obtaining information relating to Holocaust-era insurance policies held by the European affiliates of California-licensed insurers. Representation involved extensive appellate work, resulting in reported decisions in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. Gerling Global Reins. Corp. of Am. v. Low, 240 F.3d 739 (9th Cir. 2001); Gerling Global Reins. Corp. of Am. v. Low, 296 F.3d 832 (9th Cir. 2002); American Ins. Ass’n v. Garamendi, 539 U.S. 396 (2003).
  • Retail Litigation: Represented one of the founders of a leading, high-end denim manufacturer in a highly contentious corporate divorce. Representation included voluminous and difficult document discovery, selection and oversight of accounting experts, deposition practice, and extensive motion practice concerning discovery and receivership. Also responsible for preparing jury instructions, witnesses, and trial briefs. Obtained a favorable jury verdict following a three-week trial.
  • Software Litigation: Successfully represented the nation’s largest manufacturer of video graphics processors in a contract dispute with Microsoft. Representation involved analyzing an enormous amount of data in a very short time frame and preparing expert witnesses to testify on complicated, highly technical subjects at arbitration.

Credentials

Bar & Court Admissions
  • California
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern, Eastern & Central Districts of California
Professional Affiliations
  • Los Angeles County Bar Association
Community Involvement
  • The Innocence Project
Education
  • Stanford University, J.D.
  • The Colorado College, B.A.

Jesse Contreras

Counsel
Los Angeles
+1 310-299-5500
[email protected]
“When the gloves come off, I’m at my best—calm under fire, clear on the law, and ready to fight for the win.”
Overview

Jesse Contreras represents clients in complex commercial disputes at every stage, from pre-trial maneuvering through appeals. He advises businesses across industries—including health care, insurance, manufacturing, and construction—in matters ranging from trade secrets and professional liability to business torts, contract claims, and government investigations.

Having successfully litigated several “bet-the-company” cases, including a $100 million dispute for an engineering consortium, Jesse has also contributed to precedent-setting appeals involving constitutional and regulatory questions. His work spans state and federal courts and includes matters before the U.S. Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Clients turn to Jesse for his strategic approach, appellate insight, and ability to navigate complex litigation involving public entities, intellectual property, and high-value commercial interests. He is also called upon by retail and apparel clients for matters involving design ownership and brand rights.

Beyond his commercial practice, Jesse devotes time to the Innocence Project, contributing to pro bono cases and policy efforts on behalf of wrongfully convicted individuals.

Practice Area

Insurance

Technology

Class Action & Complex Litigation

Representative Matters

  • Copyright/Trademark/Trade Secret Litigation: Defended a New Orleans theme park against copyright and trademark claims. Representation included taking and defending key depositions and preparing case for trial, where a complete defense verdict was obtained.
  • Copyright/Trademark/Trade Secret Litigation: Represented prominent cruise line in an ownership dispute over marketing data maintained by its outside database consultant. The case was tried successfully in federal court with the cruise line winning on all causes of action and all counterclaims defeated.
  • Insurance Litigation: Represented the owners of a luxury home in Beverly Hills in a breach of contract claim against their insurance carrier and an inverse condemnation claim against the City of Beverly Hills arising from flood damage to their home. Insurance claim involved the resolution of novel Bus & Prof. Code 17200 claims in the client’s favor. Inverse condemnation claim involved the selection and preparation of numerous experts for trial, including geotechnical engineers, contractors, and appraisers. The matter was settled in the client’s favor before trial.
  • Insurance Regulation: Represented the California Insurance Commissioner on various matters involving California’s efforts to assist Holocaust survivors and their families in obtaining information relating to Holocaust-era insurance policies held by the European affiliates of California-licensed insurers. Representation involved extensive appellate work, resulting in reported decisions in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. Gerling Global Reins. Corp. of Am. v. Low, 240 F.3d 739 (9th Cir. 2001); Gerling Global Reins. Corp. of Am. v. Low, 296 F.3d 832 (9th Cir. 2002); American Ins. Ass’n v. Garamendi, 539 U.S. 396 (2003).
  • Retail Litigation: Represented one of the founders of a leading, high-end denim manufacturer in a highly contentious corporate divorce. Representation included voluminous and difficult document discovery, selection and oversight of accounting experts, deposition practice, and extensive motion practice concerning discovery and receivership. Also responsible for preparing jury instructions, witnesses, and trial briefs. Obtained a favorable jury verdict following a three-week trial.
  • Software Litigation: Successfully represented the nation’s largest manufacturer of video graphics processors in a contract dispute with Microsoft. Representation involved analyzing an enormous amount of data in a very short time frame and preparing expert witnesses to testify on complicated, highly technical subjects at arbitration.

Credentials

Bar & Court Admissions
  • California
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern, Eastern & Central Districts of California
Professional Affiliations
  • Los Angeles County Bar Association
Community Involvement
  • The Innocence Project
Education
  • Stanford University, J.D.
  • The Colorado College, B.A.