Category Archives: Firm News

Spillane Trial Group Sponsors Silicon Beach Fest 2013

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In June, Spillane Trial Group was pleased to be among the sponsors of the second annual Silicon Beach Fest, the area’s largest technology startup festival that highlights the rapidly growing tech entertainment sector in Los Angeles. The festival celebrated the collaboration springing up between entertainment technology and Hollywood through panel presentations, parties, demos, startup pitches and events June 19-22 at various locations along the beach in Venice and Santa Monica.

The festival was organized by Digital LA founder Kevin Winston, who was inspired by Austin’s South by Southwest conference. Digital LA is a Los Angeles entertainment and technology organization that hosts weekly networking events. read more

Spillane Trial Group Represents Producer in Dispute to Settle Copyright Ownership of Academy Award-Winning ‘Babette’s Feast’

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In April, Spillane Trial Group PLC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on behalf of Josi W. Konski against the Danish Film Directors association and Gabriel Axel, director of Babette’s Feast, winner of the 1988 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Konski is seeking declaratory relief to determine that he is the sole copyright holder to the film and that neither the Danish Film Directors nor Axel have rights to interfere with an anticipated re-release of the film in Bluray and DVD formats in the United States and Canada.

The defendants claim Axel retains a copyright interest in the film arising from a provision of Danish copyright law that expresses certain “moral rights” for authors of creative works.  read more

Jay Spillane Speaks About His Trial Philosophy to Los Angeles Legal Newspaper

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jay_spillane_krav_mcgraw“When you’re representing a business executive who is facing financial ruin through litigation, and he tells you, literally, that you saved his life, that makes you feel like you’ve made a difference,” Spillane Trial Group’s Jay Spillane recently told the Los Angeles Daily Journal, which featured the firm on January 18, 2013.  Jay was referring to his representation of Ken Kilroy, former president of the Marvin Davis Cos., who after the death of billionaire Marvin Davis, was not only sued by one of his children for hundreds of millions of dollars but also denied his severance. Jay not only convinced his litigation opponent, represented by the David Boies firm, that they would lose their case against Kilroy and pay his legal fees, but also secured Kilroy’s severance in negotiations with the Davis family. read more

Spillane Trial Group Obtains Order Setting Aside Attachments

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This month, the Spillane Trial Group was victorious on behalf of clients the Restful Groups and Barry Seidman, convincing San Diego Superior Court Judge Lorna Alksne to grant a motion to set aside an attachment against our clients obtained by Stanley Westreich and his company, Chalant.

Without notice to our clients, Westreich/Chalant applied for and obtained a writ of attachment, which permitted Westreich/Chalant to seize assets prior to trial to secure payment on an anticipated judgment. The attachment was based upon promissory notes signed by the Restful Groups and Seidman. When The Restful Groups and Seidman were served with the attachment orders, we moved to set the attachment aside, showing the following:

  • that the signed notes were only temporary, demanded as a condition to contribution of money that Westreich/Seidman had already agreed to invest, and
  • that the money reflected in the notes would not be due until the investments of the Restful Groups – cemeteries in Mexico – produced profits with which to repay the investment.
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Introducing Cathrynne Dale

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Spillane Trial Group PLC recently welcomed Cathrynne Dale to the firm.  “Cat,” as she is known to her friends and colleagues, is a Harvard Law School graduate who began her litigation career at Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker.  Reinforced by an acting and writing background, Cat developed a talent for writing motions that quickly disposed of whole or portions of cases.

In one case, Cat wrote a motion in limine in order to prevent the opponent from arguing a misleading theory.  Though the trial was set to begin the next day, the judge agreed with her contention that opposing counsel’s argument, upon which the entire theory of its case was based, was improper.  read more