Related Practices

Admitted to Practice

Oregon, 1980
District of Columbia, 1997
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. District Court District of Oregon
U.S. District Court District of Columbia
U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals D.C. Circuit

John A. DiLorenzo, Jr.

Partner

Co-chair, Government Relations Practice

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Portland

T503.778.5216

F503.276.5716

John DiLorenzo has authored and been a primary advocate for major legislation in the areas of state and local taxation, with special emphasis on property tax, tort reform, natural resources and economic development. John also assists clients in campaign finance, government ethics, initiatives and referendums, insurance recovery actions, environmental claim responses, appellate cases and a variety of government-related litigation matters.

Practice Highlights

Organized the Oregon Litigation Reform Coalition, which successfully lobbied a package of bills providing for reciprocity in attorney fee awards, prohibiting application of RICO in most business disputes unless a prior criminal conviction was obtained, changing standards for punitive damages awards, allocating 60 percent of those awards to the state, and abolishing the doctrine of joint and several liability replacing it with the doctrine of reallocation of most tort actions
Authored and lobbied for numerous sections of "Measure 50" and its implementing legislation reducing and limiting property taxes statewide
Authored and successfully lobbied "Right to Farm" legislation protecting agriculture from many nuisance and trespass suits as development moves closer to farming communities
Negotiated and successfully advocated legislation preempting local governments from imposing "conversion penalties" on HUD Section 8 landlords who convert to "free market" at completion of Section 8 programs
Authored and successfully lobbied adoption of the Oregon Ethics Reform Act and the Oregon Government Standards and Practices Commission Amendments
Successfully lobbied adoption of legislation permitting public utilities to include in rates a return on undepreciated value of closed power plants
Authored and successfully lobbied Oregon’s "Environmental Cleanup Assistance Act" requiring Oregon law to apply to insurance policies on environmental claims and expanding definition of "suit" to include voluntary responses to environmental regulatory bodies
Authored and successfully lobbied for legislation providing transition rules for owners of historic properties which experience property tax assessment "step ups" upon program renewal
Authored and successfully lobbied for legislation exempting property used in egg production from property tax
Authored and successfully lobbied for legislation providing immunity from suit for antifreeze manufacturers who add "bittering agents" to antifreeze products for safety
Authored and successfully lobbied for legislation permitting both in-state and out-of-state residents "like-kind exchange" tax treatment for Oregon income tax purposes
Authored and successfully lobbied for 2003 Transition Amendments to the Environmental Cleanup Assistance Act permitting "all sums" recovery against non-settling insurers remaining as defendants in pending environmental insurance recovery cases
Authored and successfully lobbied for legislation permitting certain aerial display fireworks companies to maintain their operations in exclusive farm use zones
Authored and successfully lobbied for legislation creating Oregon's Willamette River Cleanup Authority to monitor the Portland Harbor Superfund RI/FS process and recommend whether the state should issue pollution control bonds to finance the cleanup
Authored and successfully lobbied for legislation relieving developers of certain licensing requirements and permitting "down stream" suits to recover damages from subcontractors notwithstanding license status of developer
Successfully lobbied for legislation providing some regulatory oversight relating to SAIF Corporation
Lobbied numerous amendments for a variety of business clients
Authored and successfully lobbied for legislation exempting from property tax, interests out of state cities in the Pacific N.W. AC Intertie electrical transmission system
Successfully lobbied for legislation exempting religious schools from state oversight relating to degrees offered
Successfully lobbied for a variety of appropriations
Successfully lobbied for and drafted major portions of HB 3369 (2009) which paves the way for water development projects in the Umatilla Basin.

Representative Experience

Browning v. Oregon Liquor Control Commission

Circuit Court has enjoined the Oregon Liquor Control Commission from interfering with the warehousing and distribution practices of a large grocery chain. (Ongoing)

Van Natta v. Oregon Government Ethics Commission and State of Oregon

Constitutional challenge to state lobby restrictions. (Ongoing)

Acquisition of Scheduled-Service Airline

Represented buyers in acquisition of Air Excursions, an airline based in Juneau, Alaska offering intra-state scheduled service in Alaska and charter services. (2012)

Valeant Pharmaceuticals v. Hallock, et al.

Assisted pharmaceutical company in first ever recovery from State of Oregon for work performed under unilateral order. Client recovered $1.5 million from Oregon Hazardous Substances Fund. 06C11571 (2008)

Perrin, et al. v. Kitzhaber, et al.

Represented plaintiffs in Congressional redistricting litigation. 191 Or. App. 439, 83 P.3d 368 (2005)

Oregonians for Sound Economic Policy, Inc. v. State Accident Insurance Fund

A series of claims opening public access to records of the State Accident Insurance Fund (SAIF), holding SAIF in contempt of court and addressing exposure of SAIF to attorney fee award. (2003)

Van Natta v. Keisling

9th Circuit and District Court litigation invalidating Oregon constitutional requirement that legislators raise campaign contributions from within their districts. 131 F.3d 1215 (9th Cir. 1998)

Van Natta v. Keisling

Oregon Supreme Court case invalidating Oregon's campaign contribution limits. 324 Or. 514, 931 P.2d 770 (Or. 1997)

Oregon Waste Systems, et al. v. Department of Environmental Quality

A suite of cases, on behalf of Tidewater Barge Lines and Finley Buttes Landfill Co., holding Oregon's out-of-state waste fees are in violation of the Federal Commerce Clause. 511 U.S. 93, 114 S. Ct. 1345, 128 L. Ed. 2d 13 (1995)

Gilliam County v. Environmental Quality Commission

Suite of cases holding Oregon's out-of-state waste fees as violation of the Federal Commerce Clause. 316 Or. 99, 849 P.2d 500 (1993)

Drummond v. State of Oregon

Litigation invalidating Tri-Met's (transportation system) proposed tax on petroleum products. (1986)

Professional & Community Activities

Oregon Law Commission (appointed by Oregon Senate President)
Past Chair, Government Affairs Practice Group, Lex Mundi, 2009-2011
Board of Directors, Arlington Club, 1999-2001
Board of Directors, University Club of Portland, 1993, 1997

Professional Recognition

Selected by Best Lawyers as Portland's "Lawyer of the Year" in Government Relations, 2013
Named one of the "Best Lawyers in America" in Government Relations Law by Best Lawyers, 2011-present
"Best of the Bar" Award Recipient, Government Law, Portland Business Journal, 2005
Selected to "Oregon Super Lawyers," Thomson Reuters, 2006-2007