Matt, a business and real estate litigator, has more than 40 years of experience representing businesses and individuals in major commercial disputes. He represents both plaintiffs and defendants in all aspects of litigation, including class actions, from pretrial through trial and appeal. Matt has won several major jury verdicts, including three in excess of $4 million. He has extensive trial and appellate experience in both state and federal courts, and several of his cases have resulted in reported decisions making appellate law. Matt has litigated in federal court throughout his entire career, including a multimillion-dollar jury verdict and successful appeals in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He is admitted to practice in all the federal courts in California.
A well-rounded litigator with a wide spectrum of experience, Matt’s areas of concentration include general civil litigation, intellectual property litigation, real estate litigation, business torts, securities fraud litigation, malicious prosecution and anti-SLAPP litigation, breach of fiduciary duty litigation, First Amendment litigation, class action defense, unfair competition defense, and Business and Professions Code Section 17200 litigation.
Matt’s most significant trial victory in recent years on the defense side involved a decision in favor of a corporate client sued in a California consumer class action based on the Unfair Competition Law. The suit sought $247 million in restitution against his client and a co-defendant for the alleged failure to test a particular brand of seat belt for a dangerous condition known as "partial engagement." Matt was hired to try the case after it had been certified by the court as a class action on behalf of 3.5 million California consumers. After a three week trial, the court rendered its decision, finding for defendants on all issues.
He also maintains a robust appellate practice, and has established appellate case law in the areas of reasonable reliance in federal securities fraud, bad faith in contract disputes, negotiable instruments, and arbitral immunity.
Most recently, Matt was just selected by the Los Angeles Business Journal as a top litigator and trial attorney for 2019. Matt has been listed in Super Lawyers magazine and Southern California Super Lawyers (2006-2007, 2009-2011), and he is rated AV® Preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5. He earned his law degree, cum laude, from the University of San Diego School of Law and his undergraduate degree in political science from the University of California at Berkeley.