Practice Areas:
Civil litigation
Jurisdictions:
Biography
Recognized as “one of the most promising young trial lawyers in California,” Michael H. Todisco is a creative and forceful litigator. Mr. Todisco has counseled clients to watershed trial wins, precedent-setting appellate victories, and everything in between.
Mr. Todisco’s accolades include selection to Benchmark Litigation’s 40 & Under Hot List and to the Southern California Rising Stars and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America lists. He was also named the 2021 “Rising Star of the Year” by the Los Angeles Business Journal (LABJ), where he was recognized as “the rare effective trial lawyer who is also a gifted writer.”
Mr. Todisco’s accolades include selection to Benchmark Litigation’s 40 & Under Hot List and to the Southern California Rising Stars and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America lists. He was also named the 2021 “Rising Star of the Year” by the Los Angeles Business Journal (LABJ), where he was recognized as “the rare effective trial lawyer who is also a gifted writer.”
Recent matter/case highlights
- Won a “record-setting” $293 million verdict for Monster Energy Company against rival beverage company Vital Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in a false advertising, tortious interference, and trade secret case after a monthlong trial. The jury found Vital Pharmaceuticals Inc. and its CEO falsely advertised the “super creatine” ingredient of its billion-dollar Bang energy drink. The verdict is believed to be one of the largest, if not the largest, Lanham Act awards ever. The judgment was affirmed on appeal.
- Secured a complete defense arbitration award after a two-week trial for the country’s largest integrated healthcare system against claims that it improperly withheld tens of millions of dollars in payments from a hospital system. The arbitrator rejected the hospitals’ breach of contract, breach of implied covenant, declaratory judgment, and California unfair competition claims by adopting our arguments that the healthcare system’s line-item denials were within the scope of its broad contractual rights to review and audit the hospitals’ billed claims before payment.
- Secured a complete victory for McDonald’s USA against Byron Allen in a $100 million fraud suit over ad spend on black-owned media, through a motion brought under California’s “anti-SLAPP” statute. A California appellate court affirmed the dismissal.
- On behalf of Amazon and Twitch, secured a first-of-its-kind decision in New York state, with the New York appellate court dismissing lawsuits alleging our clients and other social media companies were liable for the fatal mass shooting in Buffalo, New York. The plaintiffs—victims of the shooting and their family members—contend the shooter was radicalized by extremist and racist content on social media and that his ability to livestream on Twitch motivated him to commit the crimes. The claims included wrongful death, product liability, negligence, and infliction of emotional distress.
- Obtained a complete defense verdict for a major insurer in a hard-fought, two-part arbitration against a government hospital. The government hospital sought over $50 million in damages and penalties, alleging that the insurer breached the parties’ contract and violated the False Claims Act by knowingly avoiding payment. Persuaded the arbitrator to rule for the client on all issues and claims.
Key practice areas
- Appellate
- Arbitration
- Class action
- Commercial
- Commercial and transactions
- Commercial disputes
- Dispute resolution
- Entertainment
- Intellectual property
- Plaintiff
- Product liability and recall
Sector expertise
- Accounting
- Consumer goods and services
- Financial services
- Food and beverage
- Government and public policy
- Healthcare
- Media
- Pharmaceutical and life sciences
- Technology and telecommunications
Academic qualifications
- Stanford Law School (J.D., 2016)
- University of Notre Dame (B.A., 2013) summa cum laude; Phi Beta Kappa
Bar Admissions
- California - 2017
Address:
Tel:213.788.4275
Email:Contact this practitioner
Website:https://www.hueston.com/attorney/michael-h-todisco/
523 West 6th St.
Suite 400, Los Angeles
CA 90014