Contact: Mark Fefer, Marketing Communications, 206.757.8583 or markfefer@dwt.com
JANUARY 17, 2019 – For the third year in a row, Davis Wright Tremaine has been named a national "Practice Group of the Year" in Media and Entertainment by Law360.
The firm was recognized for numerous client successes this past year that include:
- Successfully defending BuzzFeed in a Florida defamation case arising from publication of the politically explosive "Steele dossier."
- Defending book authors Michael Wolff and Omarosa Manigault Newman, and their respective publishers, from efforts by Donald Trump’s legal team to shut down speech critical of the president.
- Securing a precedential decision from a California appeals court, establishing that attorney fees can be awarded in “reverse-CPRA” cases, where government agencies work with third parties to prevent the release of important public records.
- Winning dismissal of a $50 million defamation suit filed against News Corp. by Texas businessman (and former Sarah Ferguson paramour) John Bryan.
- Winning a sweeping order in Kentucky, upholding the rights of content producers in the face of a Lanham Act challenge to the appearance of a plaintiff’s trademark in a movie and trailer.
- Winning dismissal of separate copyright infringement lawsuits targeting three widely celebrated, debut novels (and their respective publishers): M.L. Stedman’s "The Light Between Oceans" (Simon & Schuster), Emma Cline’s "The Girls" (Penguin Random House) and Chad Harbach’s "The Art of Fielding"(Hachette Book Group).
- Winning an important right of publicity case at the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal on behalf of Universal Pictures and the 2017 Tom Cruise film, "American Made."
Davis Wright Tremaine’s media and entertainment team is one of the largest in the nation and the only one in the country ranked in Band 1 (the top ranking) by Chambers USA in all three of the major media/entertainment industry centers—L.A., New York, and Washington, D.C.
Other recent recognition for the team includes the following:
- For the second consecutive year, the firm was named Law Firm of the Year in "Entertainment Law – Motion Pictures and Television" by Best Law Firms and U.S. News.
- New York partner Liz McNamara was named a Law360 "MVP of the Year" in Media and Entertainment.
- New York partner Rachel Strom was named a Law360 "Rising Star" in Media and Entertainment.
The firm recently expanded its Los Angeles presence with the addition of Peter Anderson, who has been a key player in some of the entertainment industry’s most high-profile litigation matters, particularly in the area of music copyright.
Davis Wright Tremaine is the firm of choice for many of the nation’s most prominent media, news, and content companies, with clients that include: A24, A&E, Amazon Studios, Bloomberg, Blumhouse Productions, CNN, Columbia Pictures Industries, Comedy Central, Discovery, Facebook, FilmNation, Funny or Die, HBO, Hulu, The Jim Henson Company, Lucky 8, MGM, National Public Radio, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Red Bull Media House, Showtime, TNT, Viacom Media Networks, VICE Media, Vox Media, and WWE Studios.
About Davis Wright Tremaine
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is a national, full-service law firm with more than 550 lawyers. For more information, visit www.dwt.com.