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Lucia E. Coyoca

Partner, through her Professional Corporation - los angeles

Experience

Legal Expertise

Extensive jury and bench trial, arbitration, appellate, and mediation experience.

Broad entertainment industry experience, including film investment disputes, accounting disputes as to sales of films and syndicated television programming, "back-end" contingent compensation claims, copyright, idea submission and other intellectual property claims.

Insurance industry expertise focused on the representation of insured clients in disputes over coverage for employment, media & film production claims, securities, and business interruption claims. Also represented California Insurance Commissioner in matters involving conservation of insolvent insurers.

Represent employers in a wide range of employment disputes, including wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and trade secret/unfair competition cases.

Representative Matters

  • Ongoing representation of studio in connection with disputes regarding contingent participation claims.
  • Ongoing representation of studio in connection with production insurance coverage claim against insurer regarding relocation of production costs.
  • Won $50 million jury trial verdict for client in breach of fiduciary lawsuit tried in Los Angeles Superior Court.
  • Represented prevailing party in AAA arbitration in contingent compensation dispute as to participation in particular lines of revenue.
  • Successfully represented motion picture producer in connection with cast coverage claim against insurer.
  • Successfully represented motion picture financiers and investors in connection with a number of film financing disputes.
  • Successfully represented numerous clients compelling insurance coverage for employment, media production, director & officer, fidelity claims.
  • Successfully defended large national clothing manufacturer in several high-profile employment-related lawsuits
  • Successfully resolved claims asserted by motion picture celebrities for alleged misappropriation of name, likeness & image.
  • Represented prevailing parties in numerous Independent Film and Television Alliance (IFTA) arbitrations for film production and distribution companies concerning film and television distribution agreements.
     

Honors & Awards

  • "Most Influential Women Attorneys," Los Angeles Business Journal (2018)
  • California, "Attorneys of the Year," The Recorder (2012)
  • "500 Leading Lawyers in America," Lawdragon (2012)
  • "Top 5% of lawyers in Southern California," Southern California Super Lawyers (2005-2010, 2012-2022)
  • AV® Preeminent™ Rating, Martindale-Hubbell

Professional, Business and civic Affiliations

  • Member, Leadership Council on Legal Diversity 
  • Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America
  • Southern California Regional Co-Chair, ABA Judicial Intern Opportunity Program
  • ABA Section of Litigation Leadership – Professional Development Committee 
  • Co-Chair, Woman Advocate Committee of the American Bar Association’s Section of Litigation
  • Board of Directors, Legal Momentum (formerly known as NOW Legal Defense & Education Fund)
  • Diversity Committee, Managing Partners Roundtable
  • California State Bar Committee on Status of Diversity in the Profession
  • Former member, Board of Directors, Public Counsel
  • Constitutional Rights Foundation, Mock Trial Coach, 2011, 2012, 2013

Headlines

Headlines

Publications

  • Unringing the Waiver Bell: What To Do When Privileged Information Is Inadvertently Disclosed
    February 2013
  • How To Be a Good Lawyer and a Good Boss (They're Not Mutually Exclusive)
    ABA's The Woman Advocate, 2nd Edition, May 2010
  • New Limits on Expert Discovery, Evaluating Early District Court attempts to Interpret the New Rule
    February 2010
  • Published numerous articles on diversity, insurance coverage, and entertainment related issues

Client Alerts

  • The Diversity Dilemma: Another Victim of the Bad Economy?
    February 2010

Events & Speaking Engagements

  • True Grit
    May 2015
  • Developing Law Regarding 2010 Amendments to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26
    May 2015
  • Inadvertent Disclosure of Privileged Information: Avoiding Waiver
    February 2015
  • Inadvertent Disclosure of Privileged Information: Avoiding Waiver
    May 2014
  • Inadvertent Disclosure of Privileged Information: Avoiding Waiver
    May 2013
  • Ethics of Cloud Computing
    April 2013
  • Punitive Damages
    February 2012
  • Closing Arguments that Rock: How to Move Judges and Juries
    February 15, 2012
  • Intro to Legal Hollywood
    February 10, 2012
  • Ethical Challenges in Preparing Witnesses and Working with Experts: Best Practices to Avoid Unethical Coaching of Lay and Expert Witnesses
    January 2012
  • Staying the Course: Overcoming Challenges over the Decades of a Legal Career
    February 2011
  • The Diversity Dilemma
    February 2010
  • Entertainment Law in Review
    January 2010

Admissions

  • California
  • U.S. District Court
  •     Central District of California
  • U.S. Court of Appeals
  •     Ninth Circuit

Education

University of California Davis School of Law, J.D., 1986

University of California, Los Angeles, B.A., 1983

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