Sep. 12, 2013
Marvin S. Putnam
See more on Marvin S. PutnamO'Melveny & Myers LLP | Century City | Practice type: Litigation
When a community coalition sought to block sports and entertainment presenter Anschutz Entertainment Group Inc.'s proposed $1.5 billion Farmers Field football and sports stadium in downtown Los Angeles in August 2012, AEG called the entertainment and media litigator.
"In that type of matter, you tend to have real estate and land development folks involved, and not trial lawyers," Putnam said. "But they thought it was important to have a person who really understood what could happen both in the courtroom and in the appellate process."
The suit, brought by the Play Fair at Farmers Field Coalition, sought to invalidate a recent state law that amended California's environmental review process allegedly to favor the stadium project. The case pitted AEG, a central player in the redevelopment of downtown, against anti-poverty groups who have long argued that the higher rents associated with such development have displaced poor residents. Play Fair at Farmers Field Coalition v. California, BC491200 (L.A. County Super. Ct., filed Aug. 30, 2012).
Two months later, Putnam struck a deal that pledged $17 million to bolster low-income housing in the surrounding neighborhood, along with a variety of other community measures, in exchange for Play Fair dropping its legal challenge.
"The reason we were able to solve this as quickly as we did and as well for all the parties involved had to do with the idea that AEG saw the entire picture and how it would play out and brought all the necessary parties together at the table at the very beginning," he said.
Putnam also is currently involved in the ongoing defense of AEG in the widely watched wrongful death suit brought by members of Michael Jackson's family. The plaintiffs seek $40.2 billion and allege that AEG negligently hired and supervised the physician who gave Jackson a lethal dose of medication. Jackson v. AEG Live LLC, BC445597 (L.A. County Super. Ct., filed Sept. 15, 2010).
"It's an amazing lawsuit on a lot of fronts because it brings to fore some of the worst things that are going on in our culture today," Putnam said. "I think that everything from the cult of celebrity to the increasing desire to not take responsibility on oneself but rather to point fingers and try to blame someone else is all at the fore here."
The litigation, which has gone on daily since jury selection began April 2, is expected to continue to the end of September.
- CAITLIN JOHNSON
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