Priya Sopori

/My focus

I have over 20 years of business litigation and trial experience involving business and real estate disputes, intellectual property, copyright and trade-secret protection, licensing agreements for music and internet/television rights, international film financing and distribution, employer discrimination and sexual harassment, securities litigation, entertainment litigation, wrongful death, and white-collar crime.

I have won numerous defense verdicts, including a multimillion-dollar employment discrimination suit against a major insurer and suits against a successful developer, a noted Hollywood studio, and other high-profile clients. I have successfully litigated the seizure of hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash by the government and successfully negotiated settlements in favor of my clients. I also successfully negotiated favorable settlements in several trademark, employment, and financial litigation matters, thereby protecting my clients from lengthy, expensive lawsuits.  I also won countless motions for summary judgment against the government and corporate and individual plaintiffs and defendants.

In addition to my trial expertise, I regularly work with clients who represent investment funds, REITs, hospitality, hedge funds, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers. I often act as outside general counsel to clients by providing guidance on employment, responses to subpoenas, contractual, real estate, and intellectual property matters, as well as assisting with SEC compliance concerns, including agency and/or government investigations.

I also regularly represent cannabis investment funds, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, and my practice touches nearly every link in the industry chain. I often act as outside general counsel to cannabis clients by providing guidance on employment, contractual, real estate, and intellectual property matters, as well as assisting with regulatory compliance concerns, including agency and/or government investigations.

Prior to joining Nixon Peabody, I served in other private firms and as a former assistant US attorney in the Central District of California. I indicted some 45 cases, tried numerous multi-week jury trials, and successfully prosecuted federal sex crimes against women and children, white-collar fraud, and cybercrimes, obtaining convictions.

/Representative experience

Priya uses her experience to represent a diverse client base, including entities, individuals, and executives, in all types of litigation. The below experience includes representations from her previous law firm:

Complex Litigation

• Multi-week jury trial involving 900+ victims in a nationwide Ponzi scheme with multiple defendants. Convictions obtained.
• Multi-week jury in federal court involving alleged trademark and copyright infringement and misappropriation of trade secrets.
• Multi-week jury trial in superior court, on behalf of a major retailer, involving breach of contract for multiple properties.
• Multi-week jury trial in superior court, on behalf of individual defendants, involving breach of contract in a real estate case. Obtained directed verdict on all international torts.
• Representation of private medical clinics and hedge funds in connection with United States government investigations.
• Representation of a financial investment company in connection with business litigation.

Employment Litigation

• Multi-week arbitration involving employment agreement and related claims. No liability and full attorney fees ordered.
• Multi-week jury trial, in downtown Los Angeles, involving employment discrimination and other claims against a major insurance company. Defense verdict obtained.
• Favorable settlement after first day of trial in employment matter involving claims of wrongful termination, harassment, and related claims.
• Obtained favorable settlement on first day of trial in federal wage and hour class action matter.
• Obtained favorable settlement one week before trial on federal employment claims resulting from successful motions in limine.
• Obtained favorable settlement on first day of trial on wrongful termination and related employment claims.
• Representation of a luxury development company in employment-related litigation.
• Representation of financial services companies in employment-related litigation.

High-Profile Talent & Entertainment Litigation 

• Obtained summary judgment on contract claims brought against a major studio. Appellate court affirmed grant of summary judgment.
• Demurred and obtained dismissal with prejudice of plaintiff's tort claims brought against a major production company.
• Representation of anonymous Seeking Alpha blogger “Aurelius” in multiple federal court disputes to determine Aurelius’ true identity.
• Representation of high-profile talent in connection with family matters, media relations, and government investigations.
• Representation of celebrity-owned television network in multiple employment litigation matters, including recently obtained summary judgment on employment claims involving sexual harassment, disability discrimination and related claims.

Real Estate Litigation

• Obtained summary judgment against the government on civil claims related to real estate deal.
• Obtained summary judgment in favor of major development company on trade dress and breach of contract claims in which plaintiffs claimed defendant stole their design.

Cannabis Litigation

• Settled favorably with a dismissal with prejudice in favor of a celebrity-owned cannabis brand (one of the highest-grossing stores in Los Angeles) in a contentious business dispute with another shareholder.
• Represented the manufacturer/distributor of the extremely popular cannabis brand in a dispute in Federal Court in the Southern District of New York by the purported owner of the “New York Cannabis” mark for claims of trademark infringement (Lanham Act and common law) and unfair competition resulting from the unauthorized use of the client’s logo on the website by an unrelated party that purported to offer cannabis “snack boxes.”
• Prevailed on a motion for summary judgment on behalf of a commercial real estate brokerage. The city attorney filed a civil suit against the client alleging that the client “leased” space, or otherwise aided and abetted in leasing space, to an unlicensed cannabis operator.
• Represented cannabis distributor in potential dispute with insurance company regarding policy coverage and loss as a result of a burglary at its cannabis manufacturing facility.

/Looking ahead

The new administration is likely to influence white-collar matters. In the past, the Trump administration’s Department of Justice investigated/prosecuted more Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and fraud matters than other administrations.