Patricia L. Glaser

Litigation

Century City

Patricia Glaser and the 50-plus lawyers she leads in her firm's litigation department are busy. "I don't think we've ever been busier," she said. "And it's almost every kind of case."

Every kind of case is "the good part of our practice," Glaser said. She and her colleagues take on a wide variety of business litigation, including entertainment, corporate, real estate, securities, intellectual property and probate. As a widely respected trial lawyer, "I get to handle cases arising from all of those arenas," she said.

For instance, Glaser currently represents Bill Nye the Science Guy in a fascinating case against the Walt Disney Company dealing with whether television streaming services qualify as "video devices" under old distribution contracts. The company's interpretation of Nye's contract "cut us out of what we believe are millions of dollars," she said. The trial judge agreed with Disney, and the appeal is set to be argued later this month. Nye v. Walt Disney Co., B326567 (Cal. App. 2nd Dist., filed Feb. 17, 2023).

Glaser is also representing The Yucaipa Companies, billionaire Ronald Burkle's private equity firm, in two matters on opposite coasts. In Los Angeles, she and colleagues are awaiting a trial date in a case against Yucaipa's former partners in their attempt to purchase The Weinstein Company in 2017. The Yucaipa Companies LLC v. Lantern Asset Management GP LLC, BC713894 (L.A. Super. Ct., filed July 16, 2018).

In Delaware, she represents the company in a legal malpractice dispute growing out of a bankruptcy. In re: ASHINC Corp., 1:12-bk-11564 (Bankr. D. Del., filed May 17, 2012).

Glaser is suing Lucasfilm for the wrongful termination of a producer it fired from a Disney+ series. "After they made the deal, they tried to back out, and we are suing them for breach of contract," she said. "These companies can't do this. They just need to stick with their promises." Full Count Inc. v. Lucasfilm Entertainment Co. Ltd. LLC, 23STCV05192 (L.A. Super. Ct., filed March 8, 2023).

Glaser settled a dispute in late 2022 over the ownership of the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team. "A lot of plaintiffs look for deep pockets, whether the deep pocket is responsible or not," Glaser said. "And this is an instance where it got resolved because truth and Justice prevailed." Wildfire Productions v. Team Lemieux LLC, 2021-1072 (Del. Chancery Ct., filed Dec. 9, 2021).

Glaser was an integral part of the team that got a big win this past April defending the Simon Wiesenthal Center against a $4.8 billion defamation suit by The Nation of Islam and its leader, Louis Farrakhan. He claimed the center and the Anti-Defamation League defamed him by describing him as antisemitic. A federal judge in Manhattan held the statements were opinions and dismissed the lawsuit. Farrakhan v. Anti-Defamation League, 1:23-cv-09110 (SDNY, filed Oct. 16, 2023).

"It's a very important and worthwhile case, and we were fortunate," she said. "I get the accolades, [but] I have a great team here."

-- Don DeBenedictis