Rajan Trehan

Rajan Trehan focuses his practice on high-stakes matters oriented towards trial. He has experience litigating contract, fraud, intellectual property, and class action disputes on behalf of a diverse array of corporate and individual clients, including several in the entertainment and media space. Mr. Trehan has earned clients’ trust by achieving noteworthy results in tough cases.

Mr. Trehan counsels clients throughout the litigation process, from initial fact gathering to post-trial briefing, and he has notched victories for his clients at every stage, including pre-filing settlements, dispositive motions, and jury verdicts. He has distinguished himself for his ability to navigate challenging examinations, both on direct and cross. The diversity of Mr. Trehan’s clients—including, for example, a western utility, Match Group, the State of Hawaii, the country’s largest integrated health care system, Palantir Technologies, and Lionsgate—underscores his ability to translate his thoughtful and strategic approach to a wide variety of industries and disputes.

In addition to his Benchmark recognition, Mr. Trehan was recently honored among the “Leaders of Influence: Minority Attorneys” by the Los Angeles Business Journal, and LA Times Studios included him as one of its “Legal Visionaries.”

• Representing the major record labels in high-profile, high-stakes copyright litigation against two leading generative AI music companies, Suno and Udio. The lawsuits are the first time the record labels have sued AI companies over sound recording copyrights.

• Served as lead or co-lead trial counsel for a western utility in a series of bellwether damages trials arising from the September 2020 “Labor Day Fires,” which burned more than 500,000 acres and destroyed over 2,000 structures across Oregon and California. In several recent trials, Mr. Trehan persuaded jurors to deliver damages verdicts that were well below plaintiffs’ asks, shielding his client from much greater monetary and reputational impact.

• Obtained a favorable settlement exceeding $300 million in value for Match Group against Google over its alleged monopolization and other anticompetitive behavior in the distribution of mobile apps and processing of in-app purchases. The settlement was recognized with a U.S. Impact Case Award by Benchmark Litigation.

• Representing the State of Hawaii and advising the Governor and Attorney General, secured a historic global settlement exceeding $4 billion that resolved the claims of thousands of victims of the catastrophic Aug. 8, 2023 Maui wildfires, one of the largest natural disasters in the state’s history.

• Representing the Koi Nation tribe in high-stakes federal litigation brought by the State of California and another tribe that challenges a Department of Interior determination providing a pathway to economic self-sufficiency through a gaming project. The litigation involves complex issues pertaining to federal procedure, tribal sovereignty, and administrative law.