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MoFo Secures Landmark Settlements in Eaton Fires Lawsuit

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Morrison Foerster, in conjunction with Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County (NLSLA), reached Settlement Agreements...

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Morrison Foerster, in conjunction with Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County (NLSLA), reached Settlement Agreements with Los Angeles County and the City of Pasadena on behalf of the Pasadena Tenants’ Union and individual tenant wildfire survivors. These settlements resolve litigation filed over the City’s failure to conduct meaningful inspections and enforce habitability standards for tenants whose homes were contaminated by toxic smoke, ash, and soot from the Eaton Fire. The Pasadena lawsuit, filed in May 2025 by NLSLA and MoFo on behalf of their clients, sought to ensure that tenants living in Pasadena units impacted by post-fire contamination were not left to fend for themselves in the face of landlords refusing to conduct appropriate testing and remediation. This mirrors the companion lawsuit NLSLA and MoFo filed on behalf of Altadena tenants against the County of Los Angeles, which was resolved favorably in September 2025.“We are proud to stand with tenants and NLSLA in securing a detailed enforcement structure that recognizes the lasting dangers of wildfire contamination in rental housing,” said partner Whitney O’Byrne.The MoFo team who worked with NLSLA on this matter included partners Kira Davis, Whitney O’Byrne, Ryan Malloy, Purvi Patel, Brian Michael, Gregory Koltun and associates Robert Paris, Nicole Morgan, Rachel Feldman, Nima Kiaei, Alexandra Ward, and Zach Quinlan.Read NLSLA's press releases for the <a href="https://nlsla.org/tenants-secure-another-landmark-agreement-this-time-with-the-city-of-pasadena-to-protect-eaton-fire-survivors/" target="_blank">Pasadena settlement</a> and the <a href="https://nlsla.org/justice-for-wildfire-survivors-nlsla-sues-la-county-and-pasadena-over-lack-of-tenant-protections/" target="_blank">Los Angeles settlement</a>.

MoFo Secures Landmark Settlements in Eaton Fires Lawsuit

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Kira is an experienced courtroom lawyer who assists life sciences companies in high-stakes patent litigation.Kira is the head of Morrison Foerster’s Los Angeles Litigation Department, a partner in the IP Litigation Group, and a member of the firm-wide Life Sciences + Healthcare Leadership Team. She regularly serves as counsel in intellectual property lawsuits involving cutting-edge technology, including foundational antibody technology, antibody cancer immunotherapies, fusion proteins, small-molecule therapeutics, transcatheter heart valve repair and replacement devices, and genetic testing and genomics technology. Kira litigates on behalf of both patentees and defendants and has significant experience representing innovators in disputes arising out of proposed generic and biosimilar launches.    Kira has been recognized by a number of regional and national publications, including as a Litigator of the Week by The American Lawyer. In 2023, she was named a Top Healthcare Lawyer by the Daily Journal.   Kira’s approach is to gain a deep understanding not only of the technology at issue, but also of her clients’ business objectives and goals, and to work closely with her clients to build litigation and pre-litigation strategies that match those goals. As a trial lawyer, Kira is known for her levelheaded and trustworthy style, allowing client witnesses to shine through on direct examination and cutting through the noise on cross-examination.In addition to U.S. district court litigation, Kira regularly advises clients on proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, both in matters with co-pending litigation and in stand-alone PTAB proceedings. She also often coordinates global patent litigation strategy across multiple jurisdictions, including England, Ireland, Germany, and Switzerland.Kira also has experience representing clients in connection with other types of litigation and investigative matters, including antitrust litigation, contract disputes, white-collar criminal matters, complex commercial disputes, sports-related matters, and internal investigations.Kira began her legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable John M. Rogers in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Prior to joining the firm, Kira was a partner at Durie Tangri, a premier litigation boutique.Kira received her J.D. summa cum laude from Cornell Law School. She received her B.A. in classics from Ohio Wesleyan University.She is admitted to practice in California and New York.

Kira Davis

Partner

Whitney O’Byrne is a first-chair trial lawyer who represents technology companies, growth-stage startups, life sciences companies, and institutional clients in complex, high-stakes litigation. She handles disputes spanning intellectual property, class actions, trade secrets, product liability, and commercial litigation.Whitney recently served as lead counsel in a landmark DMCA Section 1202 jury trial in Hartford, CT, holding a multibillion-dollar statutory damages claim to less than 1% of the amount sought.Her broader trial experience includes a multidistrict antitrust case in the Southern District of New York, several patent trials in the Northern District of California and District of Delaware, criminal trials in California and New York, and multiple JAMS and AAA arbitrations. Whitney is also a NITA trial skills instructor and has taught trial advocacy at multiple levels for over 10 years.In the emerging artificial intelligence space, Whitney helped lead trial efforts in a landmark copyright class action involving a leading generative AI company that resolved in a $1.5 billion settlement. The case presented novel questions regarding fair use and large language model training, positioning her at the forefront of industry-defining AI litigation.Clients rely on Whitney not only for courtroom advocacy, but also for strategic counseling in the lead-up to trial, including risk assessment, expert development, and dispositive motion practice.Whitney serves as Hiring Partner for Morrison Foerster’s Los Angeles office, where she plays a central role in recruiting and integrating litigation talent. She also co-founded the firm’s Middle East North Africa (MENA) Affinity Network and serves on the boards of the Southern Center for Human Rights and Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County.Before joining Morrison Foerster, Whitney most recently practiced at a premier litigation boutique, where she worked on trade secrets, legal malpractice, and class action litigations for companies ranging from early-stage startups to established technology companies. Whitney also served as a law clerk in the Eastern District of New York.<h4>Representative Experience</h4><ul><li>Representing major healthcare company in trade secrets litigation concerning remote patient monitoring.</li><li>Representing leading online and mobile marketplace in class action litigation alleging employee misclassification.</li><li>Representation of victim and witness in connection with prosecution of Michael Avenatti for extorting Nike.</li><li>Representation of a Fortune 100 investment bank in connection with DOJ investigation.</li><li>Representation of large Japanese bank with respect to investigations conducted by multiple regulators.</li><li>Representation of Argentine sports marketing agency in connection with various investigations related to FIFA corruption.</li></ul>

Whitney O'Byrne

An electrical engineer by training, Ryan Malloy represents the world’s leading technology companies in their most important IP disputes.Ryan’s 18 years of IP litigation experience include several victories in cases that received national media attention.  He combines tenacious advocacy with a deep understanding of his clients’ businesses and technologies. Before earning his J.D. from Harvard Law School, Ryan pursued graduate studies in electrical engineering. He designed novel semiconductor devices and fabricated them in cleanrooms at UC Berkeley and Georgia Tech. He now draws on his engineering expertise in litigating technically complex matters.

Ryan Malloy

Purvi G. Patel is the former managing partner of the Los Angeles office.Purvi represents retail, e-commerce, and other consumer-oriented businesses in significant advertising, unfair competition, consumer fraud, and privacy matters. She has built a robust practice advising household names on various compliance issues and defending them in complex and class action litigation in federal and state courts across the country, winning motions to dismiss, defeating class certification, and securing summary disposition in several multi-million dollar lawsuits. Purvi is a strategic and practical thinker who is in tune with her clients’ priorities, which leads to successful outcomes both inside and outside the courthouse.Practice Leader. Purvi has a defined niche that cuts across the firm’s Consumer Litigation, Class Actions, and Data, Cyber + Privacy Groups. With a focus on businesses’ collection of personally identifiable information (PII), Purvi is a recognized leader in defending lawsuits involving the collection, use, and disclosure of PII. In addition, due to her vast experience handling class action litigation for clients across sectors, Purvi has notched significant victories for industry-leading companies, including securing summary judgment and defeating class certification in some of the most plaintiff-friendly jurisdictions nationwide.Purvi’s extensive litigation experience uniquely positions her to counsel clients on compliance with established and emerging laws and regulations, including the potential privacy implications of business practices relating to the collection of PII. Purvi is an expert in numerous California privacy laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act, the California Invasion of Privacy Act, and California’s Song-Beverly Credit Card Act (and analog statutes in effect in other states).Purvi is also committed to the firm’s pro bono initiatives and has worked on a number of pro bono matters during her tenure at the firm. Most recently, she represented an interfaith coalition of more than 50 religious organizations as amici in various cases challenging the 2017 “travel ban” Executive Orders. In 2014, Purvi successfully argued a Ninth Circuit appeal on behalf of a U.S. citizen who was wrongfully subjected to two years of pre-trial detention as a result of a detainer imposed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Mendia v. Garcia, 768 F.3d 1009 (9th Cir. 2014)).Firm Leader. Purvi is committed to advancing diversity at Morrison & Foerster. For more than five years, she served as the Co-Chair of the firm’s Diversity Strategy Committee. During her tenure, Purvi contributed significantly to the Committee’s success, including implementing a LGBTQ+ Gender Inclusive Policy, and launching MoFo’s innovative Allies Network. She was the firm’s Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Fellow in 2014 and remains active in the organization as an alumna. In addition, Purvi served as hiring partner for the Los Angeles office between 2015 and 2023.Community Leader. Purvi is also actively engaged in the community. In 2019, she was a founding board member of Legal Education Access Pipeline (LEAP), a fellows program dedicated to increasing access to legal education for underrepresented populations.  She has also been working with “Just the Beginning – A Pipeline Organization” (JTB) since 2015 when she joined an inaugural steering committee of judges, in-house and outside counsel, and educators to launch a Los Angeles-based Summer Legal Institute. She is a past co-president of the South Asian Bar Association of Southern California (SABA-SC), and in 2023, was honored with its Trailblazer award. She was selected for her “trailblazing efforts which have paved the way for a more inclusive and representative profession” and “her commitment to breaking barriers in the legal profession.” In 2019, Purvi was named SABA-SC’s Mentor of the Year.Representative Matters<ul><li>Privacy Class Action Litigation. Defending software development company in two putative class actions brought under state common law based on alleged violations of the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. Obtained dismissal of putative privacy class action against Southern California grocery store chain, which was affirmed on appeal. </li><li>Class Action Litigation Relating to Consumer PII. Represented national retailers in more than 30 California Song-Beverly Credit Card Act and Massachusetts’ Song-Beverly analog matters arising out of the alleged collection of PII, securing favorable settlements or walkaways for many following early negotiations with plaintiffs’ counsel. Trial attorney for national retailers in two Song-Beverly class actions. For Target Corporation, led pre-MDL team coordinating and managing responses to single-plaintiff and putative class action complaints filed in wake of data breach.</li></ul><ul><li>False Advertising and Consumer Class Action Litigation. Defeated class certification for household-name companies in numerous matters involving consumer protection claims arising out of alleged misrepresentations and omissions as well as lawsuits brought under unfair competition, false advertising, and product liability laws. Also obtained dismissals at the pleadings stage in cases alleging unfair, unlawful, and fraudulent marketing and advertising practices.</li></ul>

Purvi Patel

Brian R. Michael is a partner in Morrison Foerster’s Investigations + White Collar Defense Group, and the chair of the firm’s Global Ethics + Compliance practice.Recognized as one of the top lawyers in California, Brian draws upon more than 25 years of high-profile experience in private practice, as an in-house leader, and as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York and the Central District of California to represent entities and individuals who turn to him for the most complex, high-stakes white collar criminal cases, internal and government-facing investigations, securities and regulatory enforcement matters, and related litigation and trials. Brian routinely advises clients on a wide range of matters involving corporate and securities fraud, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and global anti-corruption laws, workplace misconduct, public corruption, cybersecurity, FinTech and blockchain technologies, trade sanctions, whistleblowing, and human rights and supply chain due diligence, among other areas.Brian’s practice also focuses on providing sensitive crisis management and compliance counseling, and he has extensive experience leading the design, enhancement, and implementation of cross-border compliance programs. He regularly leads global risk assessments and provides compliance and crisis preparedness training to companies, boards, and employees.In addition to his many years in private practice, Brian served as Deputy General Counsel and Group Chief Compliance Officer at media and entertainment company 21st Century Fox, and as an Assistant United States Attorney in both the Southern District of New York and the Central District of California. At 21st Century Fox, Brian played a critical role in the company’s response to multiple cross-border investigations, including the “UK phone hacking” crisis and the wide-ranging FIFA corruption matter, and oversaw global compliance for Fox broadcast, cable, digital, and sports media businesses, including National Geographic Partners and more than 300 channels in over 180 countries. As a federal prosecutor, Brian tried numerous cases and briefed and argued multiple appeals, as well as led criminal investigations and prosecutions involving complex financial, securities, and healthcare fraud, cybercrime, organized crime and racketeering, money laundering, violent crime, child sexual exploitation, and asset forfeiture, for which he received many commendations and awards. Brian also served as the Violence Against Women Act Coordinator and the Anti-Gang Coordinator for the Central District of California.After graduating law school, Brian clerked for former Chief Judge Gilbert S. Merritt of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.Brian is a frequent public speaker and commentator on investigations, white collar crime, securities and regulatory enforcement, and compliance topics. He serves on the Board of Advisors for Vanderbilt Law School and on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for Teach Democracy, a non-partisan nonprofit dedicated to advancing civics education and engagement among largely underserved youth. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Southern California Regional Subcommittee of the ABA’s White Collar Crime Committee and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.Brian earned his B.A. with distinction in general scholarship from the University of California at Berkeley and earned his J.D. from Vanderbilt Law School, where he was elected Order of the Coif.<h4>Representative Experience</h4><h5>Government-Facing Investigations</h5><ul><li>Representation of a national governing body for an Olympic sport in an investigation led by the California Attorney General’s Office into historical allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse by local affiliates, resulting in successful resolution with no adverse findings.</li><li>Representation of a global auto manufacturer in connection with an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California into alleged foreign bribery and the prosecution of a former employee, successfully resulting in no adverse action against the company.</li><li>Representation of a prominent nonprofit entity in an internal investigation into multiple complaints regarding conflicts of interest, self-dealing, and other significant misconduct committed by top-level executives, resulting in successful separation of the executives on favorable terms for client.</li><li>Representation of a world-leading publisher of online video content in an investigation led by the New York Attorney General’s Office into alleged violations of state law regulating the nature of online content, resulting in successful outcome with no adverse action.</li><li>Representation of prominent private high school in Los Angeles embroiled in the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal, across from the U.S. Department of Justice.</li><li>Representation of a lobbyist in connection with a high-profile and wide-ranging corruption probe of the Los Angeles City Council led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, successfully resulting in no criminal action against client.</li><li>Representation of a fund and its three managing members in connection with investigations led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California and the SEC related to a $500+ million Ponzi scheme and the prosecution of the perpetrator in the largest Hollywood Ponzi scheme ever, successfully resulting in no criminal or civil enforcement actions; featured in a lead story in The New Yorker, CNBC’s America Greed, and multiple documentaries, podcasts, and other publications including the Amazon Prime docuseries Hollywood Hustler: Glitz, Glam, Scam and Evan Osnos’s 2025 book of essays, The Haves and the Have-Yachts.</li><li>Representation of senior executives for multiple entities in connection with U.S. Department of Justice criminal and civil enforcement investigations, and related FDA proceedings, related to COVID-19 testing protocols and devices.</li><li>Representation of a high-profile individual in connection with asset forfeiture and related proceedings concerning the 1MDB criminal prosecution in the Eastern District of New York.</li><li>Representation of a former senior research scientist of a multinational life sciences company in an internal investigation and parallel FDA investigation regarding alleged research misconduct by the former CEO in relation to the then-most expensive drug therapy ever, resulting in no enforcement action.</li></ul><h5>Internal and Board Investigations</h5><ul><li>Engaged by the California Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of the Attorney General to lead and conduct an independent review of DOJ’s public release of confidential personal information associated with firearms permit holders and applicants, and to prepare and release a public report setting forth detailed factual findings regarding the data release and recommendations for remedial actions.</li><li>Representation of a public multinational media company in multiple highly sensitive internal investigations into manipulation and tampering by third parties of core business activities and information, resulting in successful disruption and cessation of the improper activities and preservation of company’s business integrity.</li><li>Representation of a global auction house in an internal investigation of misconduct by senior executive and advising company leadership and board on mitigation and remediation arising from investigative findings.</li><li>Representation of a global FinTech entity in investigating alleged financial misconduct in Asia-Pacific region that came to light during due diligence for a time-sensitive and significant transaction, resulting in the successful closing of the transaction.</li><li>Representation of CEO and founder of prominent digital media company in board investigation of allegations of misconduct from co-founder, resulting in successful determination that allegations were unfounded.</li><li>Representation of senior public university executive in an investigation arising from whistleblower allegations of misconduct directed towards university’s leadership, resulting in successful finding of no wrongdoing.</li></ul><h5>Compliance Counseling, Crisis Management, and Due Diligence</h5><ul><li>Representation of a global FinTech entity in the design and implementation of a global compliance infrastructure related to the successful roll-out of a new payment tool.</li><li>Led crisis response for prominent investment funds in response to racially charged incidents at real estate developments in the wake of the George Floyd incident, resulting in successful resolution of the conflicts.</li><li>Led due diligence for prominent hedge fund in connection with potential/successful deal activity.</li></ul><h5>Complex Litigation and Trials</h5><ul><li>Representation of high-net-worth individual in dispute over distribution of significant marital estate in litigation across from former spouse, resulting in successful resolution for client.</li><li>Representation of a high-profile professional athlete in mediation and litigation across from former spouse regarding sensitive personal matters.</li><li>Representation of prominent Hollywood executive in connection with termination due to allegations of misconduct and subsequent successful arbitration resulting in finding that termination was unlawful, along with significant financial recovery for client.</li><li>Defense of a global auto manufacturer in consumer fraud litigation across California, including extensive trial preparation for multiple cases the led to successful resolution on favorable terms for client.</li><li>Representation of healthcare executive in complex financial dispute across from multiple insurance carriers, resulting in mediated settlement and dismissal of action.</li></ul>

Brian Michael

Greg’s practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, antitrust matters, and counseling. He has litigated cases in state and federal courts and before arbitration tribunals throughout the country in a variety of industries and fields. He has substantial trial experience, taking the lead on a number of trials and arbitrations. He has successfully defended many large-scale actions on behalf of major international corporations, including nationwide class actions involving billing disputes and alleged antitrust violations. He has extensive experience enforcing arbitration clauses/class action waivers. He also frequently advises clients in the pre-dispute context on a range of business practice issues.    In the consumer class action area, Greg has led the defense of breach of contract, fraud, false advertising, and unfair trade practice cases involving financial institutions, transportation companies, and insurance companies, among others. He has litigated literally hundreds of cases in the transportation industry context. He also regularly handles cases involving financial accounting issues, including disputes over complex accounting, auditing, and taxation issues in professional liability cases. He also represents buyers and sellers in disputes arising from stock and asset purchase agreements and has extensive experience in resolving post-closing working capital adjustment and breach of representation and warranty disputes.Greg is a member of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers and a board member of the Weingart Center Association and was recently recognized by Benchmark Litigation.He received his B.A. magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Claremont McKenna College and his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School, where he was symposium editor for the University of Chicago Legal Forum.<h4>Rankings</h4><ul><li>Recommended for Antitrust Law – Civil Litigation/Class Actions: Defense, United States – Legal 500 US 2018</li></ul>

Gregory B. Koltun

Rob Paris is an associate in Morrison Foerster’s Intellectual Property Litigation Group and focuses his practice on IP litigation with an interest in privacy and technology matters. Prior to joining Morrison Foerster, Rob clerked for the Honorable Stephen A. Higginson of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Honorable James Donato of the Northern District of California. Prior to his legal career, Rob worked for Teach for America as a high school geometry teacher.Rob earned a J.D with the highest pro bono distinction from Stanford Law School. He graduated cum laude from Harvard.

Robert Paris

Associate

Nicole Morgan is an associate in the Litigation Department of Morrison Foerster’s Los Angeles office.Before joining the firm, Nicole spent both of her law school summers at Morrison Foerster as a Keith Wetmore Fellow, working on litigation matters involving intellectual property and copyright disputes, white collar investigations, and labor and employment issues.Prior to law school, Nicole spent more than 15 years working at United Cerebral Palsy, a national nonprofit serving individuals with disabilities and their families.Nicole received her J.D. from UCLA School of Law as an Achievement Fellow and full-tuition merit scholar. While at UCLA Law, she served as Student Bar Association class president, was chief managing editor of the Journal of Islamic and Near Eastern Law, and sat on the Dean’s Student Advisory Committee. She mentored students from underrepresented backgrounds applying to law school through the UCLA Law Fellows Program, served as a writing advisor to first-year students, and competed in UCLA Law’s Moot Court Program.Active in clinics during law school, Nicole maintains a pro bono practice and has represented clients in reentry, asylum, domestic violence, housing, and Eaton Fire-related matters.She earned her B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles on a full-tuition scholarship, graduating with honors, including the Judge Rand Schrader Pro Bono High Distinction Award and the UCLA Law Skye Donald Spirit of Community Award.

Nicole Morgan

Nima is an associate in the Litigation Department. His practice focuses on intellectual property litigation.Nima is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law, where he was the Co-chair of the Intellectual Property Law Association. Nima has experience participating in the development of pending patent applications and preparing application responses for various technological fields ranging from distributed cloud data storage to high-precision, wireless bioelectronic sensors. In addition, he served as a summer associate in Morrison & Foerster’s Los Angeles office in 2018 and 2019 as part of the firm’s Two Summer Patent Program.Nima received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Arizona State University. He has worked in the product testing and field applications engineering departments at a global semiconductors supplier company. In addition, he has research experience in the fields of solar energy, bioelectronics and biosensors, and integrated circuits and systems.