Steven S. Davis

Of Counsel

Los Angeles

+1 310-299-5500

[email protected]

Steven S. Davis

Of Counsel

Overview

“Too often, litigators are willing to fight to the client’s last dollar. I believe in keeping the door open to expeditious informal resolution, all the while making it clear to the adversary—through sound legal strategy—that a fight to the end will be theirs to lose.”

Steven Davis brings decades of experience to the resolution of complex commercial disputes, combining sound judgment with practical strategies. He offers his clients seasoned perspective in highconsequence matters.

Over the course of his career, Steve has successfully handled a broad range of cases in state and federal courts and in arbitration. His matters have included partnership disputes, representation of real estate developers and owners in varied disputes with individuals and government entities, trademark and profit participation claims, and employment issues involving breaches of contract and wrongful termination, among many others. Steve is also known for his work defending law firms and other professionals against negligence and malpractice claims. Steve has also counseled clients involving disputes between franchisors and franchisees and has defended individuals in complex tax controversies with federal authorities.

Clients value Steve for his foresight, steadiness, and ability to turn legal complexity into practical direction. His counsel combines a deep understanding of business with insight honed over years of legal practice.

Associated Industries

Advertising & Digital Media

Associated Practice Areas

Commercial & Business Litigation

Representative Matters

Copyright Litigation: Representing a New York-based fashion house in litigation filed against it alleging an infringement of plaintiff’s copyright; namely, plaintiff’s purported ownership in two-dimensional graphic artworks for use on textiles and garments. This litigation is ongoing and will likely proceed to trial.
Contract Dispute: Obtained a complete dismissal for the defense when plaintiffs alleged the client refused to honor a contract valued in excess of $13M for the purchase of a raw commodity.
Employment: Successfully defended many employment matters alleging wrongful termination and other labor grievances. Received a defense jury verdict for a Fortune 500 client on a claim of retaliation in violation of California public policy, in which the client's former employee alleged lost compensation in excess of $700,000. Have also defended many guild arbitrations brought before SAG and AFTRA.
Entertainment: Achieved a defense jury verdict in a $20M profit participation case, where client was also awarded in excess of $1.5M in attorneys’ fees.
Franchise: Recovered several million dollars on behalf of a franchisee of a national car rental firm.
Injunctive Relief: Obtained injunctive relief on behalf of the owners of an assisted living facility as against a management company that breached its agreement to pay the owners a monthly management fee, reimburse the owners’ lease payments on the facility (approximately $86K each month) and preserve the owners’ license issued by the Department of Social Services to operate the facility. By virtue of firm's efforts, the owners were able to regain control and possession of the facility placed in jeopardy due to the management company’s negligence.
Real Property: Represented numerous real estate developers and commercial property owners. In one matter, secured over $600,000 in damages and attorneys' fees in a binding arbitration for the owner of a commercial building against a breaching tenant.
Trademark Litigation: Defended a national credit union against a claim of trademark infringement by credit card company Visa. In the action, Visa claimed that its "PLUS" mark for its network linking automatic teller machines was infringed by the credit union's "MoneyPlus" mark for the credit union's debit cards, where those debit cards could be used in the same ATMs that are part of Visa's "PLUS" ATM network. Successfully defended the credit union in the federal trial court. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the decision of the trial court.
Trademark Litigation: Brought an action to enjoin infringement of a famous trademark belonging to the client, a manufacturer of automotive lighting products, where the defendant was altering and selling under its own brand name the product of the client. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the injunction granted by the federal trial court in favor of the client.

Credentials

Bar & Court Admissions

California
Admitted to practice in all federal trial and appellate courts in California

Community Involvement

Board of Trustees, Temple Beth Am
Chair, Education Director Search Committee, Pressman Academy
Represented the United States in 2013 Maccabiah Games, Israel, Tennis

Education

University of California at Los Angeles, School of Law, J.D.
Dartmouth College, B.A.

Steven S. Davis

Of Counsel

Los Angeles

+1 310-299-5500

[email protected]

“Too often, litigators are willing to fight to the client’s last dollar. I believe in keeping the door open to expeditious informal resolution, all the while making it clear to the adversary—through sound legal strategy—that a fight to the end will be theirs to lose.”

Overview

Practice Area

Advertising & Digital Media

Commercial & Business Litigation

Representative Matters

Copyright Litigation: Representing a New York-based fashion house in litigation filed against it alleging an infringement of plaintiff’s copyright; namely, plaintiff’s purported ownership in two-dimensional graphic artworks for use on textiles and garments. This litigation is ongoing and will likely proceed to trial.
Contract Dispute: Obtained a complete dismissal for the defense when plaintiffs alleged the client refused to honor a contract valued in excess of $13M for the purchase of a raw commodity.
Employment: Successfully defended many employment matters alleging wrongful termination and other labor grievances. Received a defense jury verdict for a Fortune 500 client on a claim of retaliation in violation of California public policy, in which the client's former employee alleged lost compensation in excess of $700,000. Have also defended many guild arbitrations brought before SAG and AFTRA.
Entertainment: Achieved a defense jury verdict in a $20M profit participation case, where client was also awarded in excess of $1.5M in attorneys’ fees.
Franchise: Recovered several million dollars on behalf of a franchisee of a national car rental firm.
Injunctive Relief: Obtained injunctive relief on behalf of the owners of an assisted living facility as against a management company that breached its agreement to pay the owners a monthly management fee, reimburse the owners’ lease payments on the facility (approximately $86K each month) and preserve the owners’ license issued by the Department of Social Services to operate the facility. By virtue of firm's efforts, the owners were able to regain control and possession of the facility placed in jeopardy due to the management company’s negligence.
Real Property: Represented numerous real estate developers and commercial property owners. In one matter, secured over $600,000 in damages and attorneys' fees in a binding arbitration for the owner of a commercial building against a breaching tenant.
Trademark Litigation: Defended a national credit union against a claim of trademark infringement by credit card company Visa. In the action, Visa claimed that its "PLUS" mark for its network linking automatic teller machines was infringed by the credit union's "MoneyPlus" mark for the credit union's debit cards, where those debit cards could be used in the same ATMs that are part of Visa's "PLUS" ATM network. Successfully defended the credit union in the federal trial court. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the decision of the trial court.
Trademark Litigation: Brought an action to enjoin infringement of a famous trademark belonging to the client, a manufacturer of automotive lighting products, where the defendant was altering and selling under its own brand name the product of the client. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the injunction granted by the federal trial court in favor of the client.

Credentials

Bar & Court Admissions

California
Admitted to practice in all federal trial and appellate courts in California

Community Involvement

Board of Trustees, Temple Beth Am
Chair, Education Director Search Committee, Pressman Academy
Represented the United States in 2013 Maccabiah Games, Israel, Tennis

Education

University of California at Los Angeles, School of Law, J.D.
Dartmouth College, B.A.