Court dismisses all state claims and clears the way for Los Angeles County to recover attorneys’ fees Miller Barondess secured a significant victory on November 19, 2025, when Judge Gary D. Roberts granted the firm’s anti-SLAPP motion in former Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s state court case against the County of Los Angeles, dismissing all of Villanueva’s...Read More
Court dismisses all claims brought by Mayor’s former assistant following findings of misconduct and evidence spoliation Miller Barondess has successfully defended the City of Inglewood and Mayor James T. Butts, Jr. in a high-profile lawsuit brought by the Mayor’s former assistant, Melanie McDade-Dickens, who alleged harassment, retaliation, and wrongful termination following her 2019 dismissal. Defendants...Read More
Judge rules that ex-probation chief’s wrongful termination and retaliation lawsuit was time-barred under state filing statutes Miller Barondess successfully defended the County of Los Angeles in a high-profile wrongful termination and retaliation lawsuit filed by former Chief Probation Officer Adolfo Gonzales. On October 29, 2025, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael J. Schultz granted...Read More
On August 19, 2025, a federal district court in Washington, D.C., dismissed a lawsuit filed by Soohyung Kim and his company, Standard General, arising from Standard General’s failed bid to acquire TEGNA, Inc., and its over 60 television stations. Miller Barondess partners Skip Miller and David Schecter secured a complete dismissal on First Amendment grounds...Read More
In a significant victory with broad implications for public entities across California, the Miller Barondess team—Mira Hashmall, Nadia Sarkis, Colin Rolfs, and Ellie Ruth—successfully defended the City of Inglewood in a high-profile case addressing whether elected public officials qualify as “employees” under California’s Labor Code whistleblower protection laws. On July 7, 2025, the California Supreme...Read More
An Orange County Superior Court jury has awarded $3.68 million to plaintiff Lindsay Knott (“Knott”), a former executive at Birdwell California! LLC (“Birdwell”), an iconic surfwear brand founded in 1961. Represented by the Miller Barondess team of Mira Hashmall, Wenfeng (Kevin) Su, and paralegal Ricky Reis, Knott won a unanimous verdict after a six-day jury trial before...Read More
Judge again dismisses former Sheriff Villanueva’s lawsuit over county’s ‘do not hire’ label Judge cites insufficient evidence, as former sheriff loses in court for the second time. (The case is Alex Villanueva v. County of Los Angeles, et al., CD Cal. 2:24-cv-04979-SVW-JC. The Miller Barondess team includes partner Jason H. Tokoro, Counsel Ellie S. Ruth,...Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 1, 2025 Contact: Mark Barondess +1 310-552-7574 mbarondess@millerbarondess.com Washington, D.C. – (BUSINESS WIRE) – Former European Union Ambassador Gordon Sondland and the U.S. government have settled a dispute over attorneys’ fees incurred during Sondland’s testimony before the U.S. Congress in the 2019 impeachment proceedings against President Trump. The parties previously notified the...Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 27, 2025 Contact: Amnon Siegel +1 310-552-7557 asiegel@millerbarondess.com Los Angeles, CA – (BUSINESS WIRE) – A Los Angeles County Superior Court jury has awarded a $10.1 million verdict to a former executive employee against defendants Santa Barbara Asset Management, LLC (“SBAM”) and one of the world’s largest institutional investors, Nuveen Investment,...Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEAugust 16, 2023 Contact:Sasha Frid310-552-5228sfrid@millerbarondess.com Los Angeles, CA—(BUSINESS WIRE) Sasha Frid and David Schecter, partners with Miller Barondess, LLP, scored a major federal jury trial win for the legendary Smokey Robinson. Following a three-day federal trial, the jury ruled in favor of Smokey, rejecting his former manager’s bid for almost $2 million (with...Read More
