Judge Gandhi’s settlement portfolio spans federal and state matters, from class actions and high-value commercial litigation to entertainment and health care, and beyond. Judge Gandhi brings clarity, creativity, and calm to cases with significant legal, financial, and human impact across a spectrum of legal matters.
Representative settlements are below.
Antitrust & Competition
Antitrust action between competitors in the produce labeling machine market, including claims of monopolization, price discrimination, and below-cost sales
Antitrust action by a record company against a leading music company in connection with the sale of a Bob Marley remix album
Unfair competition action by an accounting and consulting firm against a former partner in connection with an electronic discovery solutions practice
Misappropriation of trade secrets, and related claims and counterclaims, by a luxury apparel company agianst its former president
Wrongful conversion and unfair business practices action, and counterclaims, by a cosmetic company against a competing health and beauty company, including allegations involving concurrent employment, financial embezzlement, theft of intellectual property, supplier/distributor disruptions, and false advertising
Business Commercial
Breach of contract and fraud claims against one of the world’s largest information technology and consulting companies in connection with the development of a property tax management system
Breach of contract action in connection with an engineering agreement (including foreign law application), alleged defects in railroad cars, and a deadly derailment
“Founders” action, including claims against company principals, venture fund and legal counsel in connection with a data security company
Breach of contract and fraud claims, along with counterclaims, against a virtual reality and augmented reality company in connection with a business development and marketing contract
Breach of contract, trade secret and business tortious action against a U.K.-based apparel company in connection with a manufacturing agreement
Civil Rights
Wrongful shooting and death of an unarmed individual against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
Wrongful shooting and death of an unarmed teenager against the Pasadena Police Department
Wrongful shooting and death of an unarmed individual against the Santa Ana Police Department
Use of excessive force on and wrongful arrest of an off-duty South Gate police officer against the Long Beach Police Department
American Civil Liberties Union injunctive action against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in connection with public photography
Class Action & Mass Tort
A $1 billion settlement between Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and 14 public entities (including the Town of Paradise) in connection with the 2017 Northern California wildfires and the 2018 Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire in California history
A class action against a chain of fast casual restaurants in connection with their non-GMO marketing campaign
A class action against a global leader in consumer and business credit reporting in connection with a data breach affecting millions of consumers
A class action against the largest American automobile manufacturer in connection with thousands of SUV vehicles and an oil consumption defect
A class action against a leading provider of residential real estate services with an alleged scheme in violation of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act
Employment Law
Sexual harassment allegations against celebrities and entertainment professionals
Sexual harassment and whistleblower action by an in-house labor and employment lawyer against semiconductor company
Race discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuits by sales associates against the largest online real estate database company in connection with a salacious, "adult frat house" culture
An Iranian-American U.S. immigration judge’s action against the U.S. Attorney General and the U.S. Department of Justice based on an order that she recuse herself from hearing any cases involving Iranian nationals
Entertainment & Sports
Writers and producers of a hit television series against a major studio in connection with profit participation, along with other alleged breaches (e.g., auditing rights, good faith consultation, etc.)
Breach of contract claim against a well-known actress and singer in connection with the sale of her $1 billion brand
A reality television family’s action against their late father’s spouse in connection with sensitive personal possessions, including photographs and diaries
A photographer’s copyright action against an actress/musician, her clothing company and a leading music publishing company
A screenwriter’s two actions against a famous novelist and a New York publishing house in connection with allegedly derivative works
Environmental Law
CERCLA action against current owners and operators of an industrial site
CERCLA action against an arranger of approximately 100-plus tons of waste at an industrial site
A private CERCLA action, and cross-claims, between owners and neighboring owners of an industrial site
A Clean Water Act action against the operator of a concrete, sand and gravel storage and delivery facility in connection with storm water discharge
A trespass to property, nuisance, specific performance and declaratory relief action, with numerous counterclaims, between a miner and a landowner in connection with diatomaceous earth, mercury contamination and Kern County conditional use permits
Health Care
A False Claims Act suit against one of the nation’s leading healthcare service providers, alleging inappropriate Medicare charges in connection with unnecessary inpatient admissions and “upcoding” patient diagnoses
Breach of contract and bad faith claims against insurers in connection with denial of various medical services, including Applied Behavioral Analysis
Breach of contract and fraud claims in connection with the ownership and operation of a world-class medical center
Breach of contract and fraud claims, including similar counterclaims, by a pharmaceutical provider against global health service companies in connection with out-of-network charges and deductible and coinsurance obligations
An action for attorneys' fees against one of the largest hospital trade associations in the nation, and its chief members, in connection with Medi-Cal payment reductions imposed under Assembly Bills 5 and 1183
Insurance
Breach of contract and bad faith action by officers and directors and excess carrier against leading investment and insurance company (and primary carrier) in connection with losses arising from a leveraged buyout
Breach of contract, declaratory relief and unfair competition by a yoga “guru” against multiple insurance companies in connection with several lawsuits filed against him for abusive conduct, including discrimination, harassment and rape
Declaratory relief action by an insurance and risk management company against the leading manufacturer of football equipment in connection with a wave of helmet lawsuits
Breach of contract and bad faith action by an apparel company against one of the largest personal and commercial property insurers in connection with water leakage and earth movement
Breach of contract and bad faith action by the CEO and general counsel of a bank against one of the world’s largest property and casualty insurers in connection with a lawsuit alleging violations of federal and state banking laws
Intellectual Property
Patent infringement action, including post-Alice Section 101 eligibility issues, against the world’s largest software maker in connection with self-referential databases
Patent infringement action, along with foreign proceedings, by a company specializing in secure and certified e-delivery against an agency of the Swiss government in connection with authenticated, digital mail service
Patent and trademark infringement between fitness equipment companies in connection with nearly an entire line of stationary exercise bikes and the “Spinning” trademark
Copyright action by a photography company against a travel metasearch engine in connection with nearly 3,000 automobile images
Trademark infringement action by a luxury fashion company against the owner and operator of the largest chain of “swap meets” in California in connection with counterfeiting activities
Product Liability
Negligent product design action (including window, roof and seatbelt claims) against second-largest U.S.-based automaker in connection with an SUV rollover, resulting in the death of one occupant and the permanent brain injury of another
Manufacturing defect action against an implantable hearing aid company in connection with an aggressive electrical shock in the head and the surgical removal of the device
Design and manufacturing defect action against both a ventilation product company (exhaust fan) and an automated control company (timer switch) in connection with a fire
Manufacturing defect, breach of warranty and negligence action by an energy company against an alternator manufacturer in connection with wind turbines across the world
Breach of express warranty and implied warranty, along with multiple other claims, by a food manufacturer against a Wisconsin cheese producer in connection with contaminated products
Professional Liability
Malpractice complaint and fee dispute against a widely recognized international law firm in connection with the representation of a high-profile individual
Breach of trust and fraudulent conveyance claim against an intellectual property boutique law firm in connection with the settlement of litigation
Malpractice complaint against a plaintiffs’ law firm in connection with the resolution of both a certified class action and an individual employment action
Breach of contract action against commercial real estate brokers with the second-largest U.S.-based bank in connection with the negotiation of a derivative contract
Negligence actions against two environmental consulting companies in connection with their reports regarding subsurface contamination
Real Property
Breach of contract and fraud action against a national builder of modular homes in connection with a 105,000-square-foot, 100-plus-unit building project
Inverse condemnation claim by outdoor advertising company in connection with the building of billboards
Eminent domain action by the State of California against the owner of a business in connection with the Interstate 5 Freeway widening project
Breach of contract and fraud action by investors against real estate developer, financial backers and legal counsel in connection with an apartment-to-condominium conversion project
Multiple adverse proceedings by a Chapter 7 trustee against owners of high-end properties in New York City in connection with allegedly fraudulent transfers
Securities
Securities actions alleging a broad array of claims (e.g. misrepresentations in financial documents, restatements and GAAP violations, insider trading, etc.)
Derivative lawsuits alleging various breaches of fiduciary duties (e.g., corporate mergers, executive compensation, extraordinary transactions, etc.)
Mutual fund and hedge fund litigation, including unique asset classes (e.g., cryptocurrency, life insurance policies, etc.)
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and receiver's fraud and negligence actions against numerous parties (e.g., officers/directors, heirs, bankers, lawyers) accused of facilitating a high-profile Ponzi scheme (along with a parallel U.S. Department of Justice prosecution and conviction)
Fraud action by investor against a technology-focused company and its placement agent in connection with a domestic securities offering and a Regulation S capital raise (capital from foreign investors)