LevatoLaw

Named 2018 Litigation Lawyer of the Year by the Century City Bar Association, Steve is an experienced litigator and trial attorney who for the last 25 years has successfully managed class actions and other complex business litigation in federal and state courts throughout the country.  He has been named either a California Super Lawyer or California Super Lawyer Rising Star every year for the last 15 years.  
 

His expertise includes such matters as class actions, partnership disputes, labor and employment, business torts, contract actions, real estate, intellectual property, judgment collection, and construction defects.  His experience spans numerous industries including consumer products and services, real estate, esports, food and beverage, entertainment, auto racing, video games, SaaS, payment processing, healthcare and construction.
 

Steve has been practicing law since 1998 and spent many of those years working for Jones Day, where he consistently worked on high profile, complex litigation.  Steve also worked at two other mid-sized law firms where he handled a wide variety of business litigation matters.  To bolster his trial experience, Steve participated in an intensive trial training program called TAP where he spent 6 weeks as a prosecutor for the City Attorney’s office.  He first chaired five criminal trials in those six weeks, obtaining a guilty verdict in each case.
 

In 2014, Steve formed Weisskopf Law so that he could provide more efficient and cost-effective legal services to his clients.  In 2017, Steve teamed up with Sheila and Terry to form LevatoLaw, a dynamic law firm committed to client advocacy and achieving success in litigation and business for its clients.  Steve draws on his almost 20 years of experience to devise creative solutions designed to achieve his client’s legal and business objectives.
 

Steve enjoys spending his free time with his wife and two children, much of which is spent attending their sporting events. He is also an avid poker and tennis player.

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Representative Business Litigation Matters

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• Representing co-founding member of S-Corp in dispute with other co-founding member over ownership interest in SaaS company.

• Defending member of LLC in dissociation and breach of fiduciary duty lawsuit involving commercial real estate project.

• Representing restaurants in labor and employment matters.

• Representing industry leading esports company in contract and other disputes.

• Representing entertainment company in premise liability litigations involving their events and/or venues.

• Represented auto parts suppliers in a bet-the-company trademark cases brought by an automobile manufacturers involving allegations of counterfeit and gray market auto parts.

• Represented limited partner in lawsuit against general partner involving claims of dissociation and breach of fiduciary duty over management of multi-unit apartment building.  Succeeded at trial resulting in judgment for dissociation and money damages of approximately $6 million dollars.

• Representing SaaS company in multiple contract actions against clients attempting to improperly terminate their agreements and avoid paying monthly fees for duration of the term of the contract.

• Representing commercial tenants in lease disputes with landlord.

• Represented international fitness company in landlord/tenant disputes arising from COVID shutdowns.

• Represented client in cannabis businesses who was defrauded by partners and shut out of the businesses.

• Represented founder of start-up tech company in shareholder dispute that resulted in a large buyout of my client’s stock at a premium price.

• Representing mortgage bank in dispute with insurance company over workers' compensation premiums.  

• Representing auto racing promoter in discrimination claim brought by a photographer claiming her credentials were improperly revoked during an event.

• Representing investor in dispute involving the purchase of truck stop that involves allegations of fraud and breach of contract.

• Represented manufacturer of kombucha beverage in a series of Lanham Act cases alleging that competitors engaged in deceptive marketing and advertising by not properly disclosing the sugar and alcohol levels in their products causing harm to client.

• Represented medical practice group in multiple litigations arising from purchase of other practice groups.

• Represented financial institution in collection action seeking to collect on a multi-million dollar judgment that involves attempting to amend the judgment to include a third party company alleged to be the successor-in-interest to the judgment debtor. To date, have collected 100% of judgment plus interest (over $3 million dollars) and working on collecting attorneys’ fees.

• Member of trial team in complex construction defect litigation involving the contractor of a public school that resulted in an extremely favorable verdict for the client.

• Representing company defending numerous premise liability and negligence actions from injuries sustained at their concert venues.

• Defended national retail company in several breach of contract actions involving disputes with vendors.

• Successfully negotiated a business resolution of a dispute between client, an online video game developer, and the company that contracted for the worldwide publishing rights that allowed client to maintain valuable intellectual property rights in the game and take back most of the worldwide publishing rights.

• Represented a beverage company in a federal Lanham Act case against a competitor where client claimed that the competitor deceptively advertised its product to consumers causing client to lose sales.  After a two-week trial, the jury returned a verdict that the client’s competitor intentionally deceived consumers through the packaging and labelling of its product.

• Represented County and Flood Control District in $100+ million dollar indemnity action arising from the construction of a storm drain and taking of private property for the drain and flood control facilities.

• Represented production company in dispute over producer’s fees for a major motion picture, Rock of Ages.

• Defended Chinese manufacturing company and its U.S. affiliate in RICO litigation involving allegations of bribery and mail and wire fraud.

• Defended national and local drug store in trademark litigation alleging that clients sold either counterfeit or gray market high-end hair care products.

• Advised two public transportation agencies with respect to potential litigation concerning complex financial transactions and their contractual rights and obligations with respect to replacing certain collateral backing up the transactions.

• Represented the City of Los Angeles in a high-profile race discrimination and retaliation action involving firefighter who ate a few bites of dog food as a result of a prank.

• Represented international auto racing series in potential antitrust and business tort litigation against rival racing series.
   

Representative Class Action Matters

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• Representing real estate company in Telephone Consumer Protection Act class action involving allegations of improper use of an autodialer to solicit potential clients. 

• Advised online travel company regarding Telephone Consumer Protection Act class action that resulted in early settlement for client on favorable terms. 

• Represented manufacturer of tea tree oil in class action involving allegations of deceptive advertising that resulted in early and favorable settlement for client.  

• Represented payment processing company in class action litigation involving allegations of deceptive advertising practices and successor liability. 

• Represented a hearing aid company in a class action under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act resulting in favorable settlement for client involving a nominal monetary payment.

• Successfully negotiated an early and favorable settlement in a Telephone Consumer Protection Act class action on behalf of client who provides marketing and customer loyalty programs to restaurants.

• Represented City of Los Angeles in class action litigation brought by residents alleging that for a 28-month period the City improperly collected hundreds of millions of dollars in telephone utilities taxes.

• Class action counsel for City of Los Angeles in litigation brought by a law firm involving issue of whether reimbursed expenses can be treated as gross receipts for City tax purposes.

• Represented oil and gas company in class action litigation involving dispute over royalties.

• Represented company that runs the website freecreditreport.com in five class actions involving allegations that the company’s internet advertisements (and negative option marketing) violated state consumer protection statutes. In three of the cases, class certification was briefed and successfully defeated.  In each of those cases, prevailed on summary judgment or settled the case for a nominal amount.  The other two cases were dismissed either on demurrer or summary judgment, prior to class certification briefing.

• Member of trial team in class action litigation defending Orange County Register against labor code claims based on allegations that its home delivery newspaper carriers were improperly classified as independent contractors, instead of employees, and entitled to over $100 million in damages. After 6 weeks of trial, the case settled on terms favorable to the client.

• Represented national cellular phone company in class action alleging that its advertisements for cellular phone insurance violated California’s consumer protection statutes, and successfully got action dismissed at the pleadings stage before having to engage in costly discovery.

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