Alisa M. Morgenthaler, Of Counsel, has over 30 years of experience in all types of business and commercial litigation, including real estate, construction, insurance, contracts, entertainment, copyright/trademark, banking/financial institutions, debtor/creditor, securities and employment matters. She has extensive experience in complex litigation, including class actions, and has represented numerous clients in significant, bet-the-farm litigation.
Alisa has been awarded the Martindale Hubbell A-V Rating (Peer Rating 5.0/5.0) for approximately 20 years, is listed in the Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers and has been consistently named by Los Angeles Magazine as one of the "Top 50 Women Lawyers in Southern California." She has been named by Los Angeles Magazine as a “Super Lawyer” in Southern California every year since 2006 and is listed in Who’s Who In America, Who’s Who In the World, Who’s Who in American Law and Who’s Who Among American Women.
Areas of Practice:
- Business and Commercial Litigation
- Real Estate
- Construction
- Debtor/Creditor
- Banking and Financial Institutions
- Employment
Education:
- Arts, Political Science, Missouri State University
- Juris Doctorate, Cornell Law School
Honors and Awards:
- “AV” Rated by Martindale Hubbell (Peer Rating 5.0/5.0) since 2002
- Recognized by Los Angeles Magazine as a “Super Lawyer” since 2006
- Named by Los Angeles Magazine as one of the ‘Top 50 Women Lawyers in Southern California,” 2006-2010
- Martindale Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers since 2011
- Judge Pro Tem, Los Angeles Superior Court
- National Arbitration and Mediation (“NAM”), Employment Arbitrator
- Listed in Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law and Who’s Who Among American Women
- Albert Nelson Marquis Who’s Who Lifetime Achievement Award, 2017
Membership and Activities:
- Board of Directors (Pres.), South Brentwood Resident’s Association, 2016-present
- Board of Directors (Pres.), Mayfield Gardens Townhomes Owners Assoc., 2013-present
- Board of Directors, (VP & Secretary), LARC Foundation, 1999-present
Representative Cases:
- Secured dismissal of federal ERISA action on a motion to dismiss
- Obtained judgment in favor of MGA Entertainment, the company that manufactures the BRATZ dolls, in a copyright and trademark infringement case following a one-month federal court jury trial
- Represented the Los Angeles World Airports in an action against its insurer, IRI, for business interruption losses arising from the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, obtaining the largest settlement received by an airport from its insurer for such losses after defeating the insurer’s motion for summary judgmentSecured favorable settlement of construction defect action on behalf of G& L Realty Corp., a self-managed REIT that (until 2016) owned, acquired, developed, managed and leased a large number of healthcare properties
- Secured favorable settlement for MGM Studios in high profile bad faith action with AIG over its failure to defend MGM in a lawsuit claiming rights to the James Bond franchise after prevailing on a motion for summary judgment
- Secured favorable settlement for MGM Studios in a class action arising out of the sale of its widescreen DVDs
- Secured a favorable settlement for MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay in a class action challenging their event ticket processing fees
- Secured a favorable settlement for Crown Media Holdings, the owner and operator of the Hallmark Channel, in a copyright infringement action, including obtaining insurance coverage for such settlement and litigation costs from the production company’s insurer
- Secured dismissal of action brought against the City of Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power by its unions after filing a motion for summary judgment
- Secured favorable settlement of action brought against City of Los Angeles Harbor Dept. by Kajima Engineering and Construction, Inc, arising out of the construction of the Badger Avenue Bridge in the Port of Los Angeles, including writing the winning appellate brief in Kajima Engineering & Construction, Inc. v. City of Los Angeles (2002) 95 Cal.App.4th 921.
- Secured favorable settlement for the County of Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (the “MTA”) in over 20 cases arising out of the construction of three Metro Rail stations
Membership and Activities:
- Alisa lives in Brentwood area of Los Angeles and is very active in local community and civic organizations. She is the President of South Brentwood Residents Association, an organization representing the interests of over 18,000 residents in Brentwood.
