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Jeanette Barzelay

Jeanette Barzelay

Partner
About

Jeanette Barzelay is an experienced commercial litigator focusing on complex business disputes involving a broad range of sectors and legal issues.

Jeanette has extensive experience representing and advising clients in commercial pre-litigation and litigation matters in state and federal court. Jeanette also has significant experience defending consumer class actions, including the successful defeat of three federal putative class actions brought by employer-purchasers of an innovative workers' compensation insurance product. Jeanette represents clients in commercial matters involving contractual disputes, employment disputes, insurance coverage and defense, securities and shareholder disputes, fraud, unfair competition, and related business torts, as well as product liability claims.

Jeanette is a member of DLA Piper’s Policy Committee.

Bar admissionsCalifornia
CourtsUnited States District Court for the Central District of CaliforniaUnited States District Court for the Northern District of CaliforniaUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of CaliforniaUnited States District Court for the Southern District of CaliforniaUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

EXPERIENCE

Jeanette's experience includes:

 

  • Defeated three federal putative class actions at the class certification stage, obtained successful summary judgment and defense verdicts, and settled numerous actions on favorable terms for a group of insurance and financial services affiliates in a large portfolio of state and federal litigations and regulatory proceedings in California and nationally. The matters involved claims for unfair competition, fraud, insurance bad faith, breach of contract, and similar claims challenging cutting-edge, loss-sensitive workers’ compensation insurance products
  • Obtained dismissal on preemption and pleading grounds for a Fortune 100 pharmaceutical manufacturer in a federal lawsuit involving product liability claims for negligence, off-label marketing, and violation of California consumer protection statutes
  • Obtained dismissal for lack of personal jurisdiction of product liability claims brought by hundreds of non-California plaintiffs against a Fortune 100 pharmaceutical manufacturer in coordinated California proceedings. Dismissal was affirmed on appeal by the California Court of Appeal
  • Obtained reversal of a damaging preliminary injunction and dismissal on the merits for a California-based enterprise security technology company in an ex parte action filed in Brazil by its former Brazilian distributors, while strategically preserving jurisdictional and contractual forum selection defenses. Brought a parallel action in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against the distributors for breach of contract, tortious interference, misappropriation of trade secrets and proprietary data, and related business torts, and successfully defeated their motion to dismiss on jurisdictional and forum non conveniens grounds, gaining significant leverage for settlement
  • Successfully defended Chinese gaming company against potential breach of contract and right of publicity claims by celebrity product endorser. Provided extensive legal analysis of U.S. and British law exposing weakness of potential claims and obtained settlement for client on favorable terms, allowing client to take full advantage of beneficial endorsement contract
  • Represented an Arizona-based insurance intermediary and independent marketing organization in multiple California litigations alleging the improper sale and marketing of insurance products and related retirement investments, in coordination with national litigation involving similar legal claims and issues, and involving significant trial court and appellate motion practice on personal jurisdiction defenses
  • Represented a group of minority shareholders in a pre-litigation dispute with the majority shareholder and parent company involving allegations of breach of fiduciary duties and mismanagement. The representation included advice and counseling related to internal company audits and investigations and positioning the company for potential sale
  • Obtained favorable settlement for insurance syndicates in a commercial property coverage dispute and bad faith litigation involving complex factual issues and an alleged $11 million in compensatory and punitive damages. The matter was successfully resolved through mediation for a small fraction of the claimed damages
  • Provided pre-litigation counseling and analysis of key legal and procedural issues to insurance syndicates related to commercial property coverage disputes arising from the global COVID-19 pandemic
  • Successfully defeated a cross-motion for summary judgment on behalf of a large insurance brokerage firm in multiple California state litigations involving contract, trade secret, and employment-related disputes
  • Represented a large global technology company in litigation with a competitor involving claims for trade secret misappropriation and related business torts and alleged damages of over $100 million. The matter was settled favorably in the lead-up to trial
  • Represented California purchasers of an indexed universal life insurance product in a federal class action culminating in a three-week federal jury trial
Languages
  • English
  • Spanish
Education
  • J.D., Georgetown University Law Center 2008
    magna cum laude
  • B.A., University of Georgia 2005
    summa cum laude

Awards

  • The Legal 500 United States
    • Recommended, Trade Secrets (Litigation and Non-Contentious Matters) (2023)

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