Ariel A. Neuman

Neuman defends clients in what he describes as high-stakes, high-profile litigation, and he likes it that way.

“I enjoy the cases that have the bigger challenges,” he said, especially ones under what he called the media microscope. “It adds a whole different layer of challenges.”

Current clients in the media glare include the Angels baseball team, a businessman charged with paying a bribe to former Los Angeles City Councilman José Huizar, the CFO of the company that owned controversial classified ad site Backpage.com and two Bel Air couples suing to have an outlandish neighboring mansion torn down.

He also represented some people who avoided charges in the Varsity Blues college-admissions scandal and two members of Congress that grand juries declined to indict. “One from each party. I try to stay out of politics in my professional life,” he said.

A new client is one of the 18 NBA players that federal prosecutors in New York recently accused of participating in a $4 million fraudulent health-care reimbursement scheme. U.S. v. Williams, 1:21-cr-00603 (S.D. N.Y., filed Sept. 23, 2021).

The Angels matter is his most active currently. Neuman conducted an internal investigation for the team after pitcher Tyler Skaggs died of an overdose in 2019 with drugs allegedly supplied by an Angels executive. Now, he represents the team in civil litigation filed by Skaggs’ parents in Texas and his widow in Los Angeles. Skaggs v. Angels Baseball LP, 21STCV24121 (L.A. Super. Ct., filed June 29, 2021).

He expects to begin a four-month trial in February in Texas defending the Backpage executive against federal money laundering and Travel Act charges. “It’s a really interesting case full of incredibly complex constitutional legal issues,” Neuman said. Three judges have recused themselves from the case, including one who presided over an aborted first trial in September. U.S. v. Brunst, 2:18-cr-00422 (D. Ariz., filed March 28, 2018).

Then in May, he is set to defend prominent Los Angeles real estate developer Dae Yong Lee in the Huizar corruption case. “That’s going to be an interesting trial,” he said, thanks to intriguing legal issues and participants. U.S. v. Huizar, 2:20-cr-00326 (C.D. Cal., filed July 30, 2020)

“All of these are challenging cases that present unique issues,” Neuman said about his caseload.

Handling them successfully requires “a constant effort to strategize with the client and the team to try to… anticipate what’s coming down the pike next and how what you do today is going to impact the case months from now.”

- Don DeBenedictis