Timothy J. Long

Long represents financial institutions, health care-related entities, airlines, retailers, high-tech companies and transportation and logistics companies in complex labor and employment cases.

He said law office Covid closures are expected to persist, though some have made moves to reopen. "Our office in Atlanta opened early, but then a court reporter and maybe someone else got sick so they pulled back. We think that openings may be possible by the end of the year with rotations of administrative staff to keep numbers at work as low as possible."

Long's clients include Health Net Federal Services LLC, CVS Pharmacy Inc., and Crown Media United States.

He defended Crown Media, the parent of the Hallmark Channel that presented the popular TV lifestyle show "Home & Family," after terminated co-host Mark Steines alleged he had been let go in retaliation for sticking up for women on the show who had allegedly been harassed by show creator Woody Fraser. Steines v. Crown Media United States LLC, 2:18-cv-09293 (C.D. Cal., filed Oct. 30, 2018).

"Steines was a fairly well-known personality in L.A., and he hired Lisa Bloom to represent him," Long said, referring to the #MeToo attorney who herself has had television shows. "Steines was let go because focus groups found that audiences just got tired of him."

As the litigation progressed, Long cross-complained against the plaintiff for indemnification and fought off a motion to dismiss and an anti-SLAPP motion. Then he and his team moved successfully to disqualify Bloom from representing Steines due to her having signed a legal consulting agreement with Crown.

"The case eventually resolved in a mutually satisfactory way," Long said, but not before he'd been forced to represent his client in the glare of publicity. "Big win for our client Mark Steines today..." Bloom tweeted after Crown lost a motion to dismiss. When Long filed the disqualification motion she told reporters, "I'm flattered that they are so intimidated by me that they would try to silence me and ask the judge to remove me. They will lose..."

"I don't litigate in the media, but the other side did, from my perspective, and had no qualms about doing so," Long said. "A number of companies are rightfully concerned about their brand, but it is hard to defend that in the press. It takes more than sound bites. So having to face that is difficult.

"On the other hand, I've found that judges don't appreciate a lot of media attention generated by one side or the other, even though a lot of plaintiffs' counsel try it. I don't always agree with judges, but I know they're mostly just trying to call balls and strikes."

-- John Roemer