Mr. Rovens is a trial lawyer and focuses his practice on complex commercial, intellectual property, antitrust, franchise, and environmental litigation, representing, among other clients, public and private companies, brokerage firms, individual business owners, and corporate officers and directors. For example, he has represented one of the world’s largest energy companies in environmental and commercial litigation involving federal and state law issues. Mr. Rovens has represented property owners, lenders, construction companies, and developers in all aspects of commercial and residential landlord-tenant disputes and disputes involving real estate development projects. He represented the Country’s largest casual dining franchise owner in litigation against the franchisor’s parent for failing to roll up franchise operations in connection with a merger transaction. He represented a state chartered bank in litigation with a number of automobile dealerships that claimed the bank interfered with its business operations and opportunities. Mr. Rovens recently represented the Chief Science Officer of a Diet Supplement Company in connection with a nonpublic Federal Trade Commission investigation. Mr. Rovens represented public company that manufactures drones for military and civilian use in a theft of trade secrets case against a competitor.
Mr. Rovens has extensive experience trying cases in state and federal courts and representing clients before arbitration panels and administrative agencies.
Representative Experience
- Obtained a $78 million federal court unanimous jury verdict, including $30 million in punitive damages, following a three and a half month trial on behalf of a startup biotechnology company against a competitor in a case involving interference with venture capital investment, unfair competition, and misappropriation of trade secrets – “Alpha Males” article
- Obtained a settlement valued at more than $250 million during trial for the California franchisee of a major steakhouse restaurant chain – T-Bird Nevada v. Outback Steakhouse Opinion; Outback SEC Form 8-K
- Obtained evidence preclusion orders for one of the world’s biggest energy companies resulting in the dismissal of a Proposition 65 lawsuit involving coke emissions at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach
- Obtained an unlawful detainer judgment and damages in favor of a large Southern California property owner against a commercial tenant for causing soil and groundwater contamination of an industrial property on which imported automobiles were stored, accessorized, and prepared for delivery to dealerships
- Acted as trial counsel in a class action antitrust jury trial against the world’s largest computer software manufacturer resulting in a nine-figure settlement during trial
- Obtained permanent mandatory injunctive relief in connection with easement disputes over multimillion-dollar residential properties in Pacific Palisades, CA
- Obtained a $1 million settlement on behalf of a real estate investor against a title insurance company for bad faith withholding of benefits following summary adjudication of the duty to defend
- Obtained a $4.5 million settlement on behalf of a construction company during an AAA arbitration
- Obtained a $850,000 AAA international arbitration award for a lingerie franchisee, which was affirmed by the California Supreme Court in a published opinion in Gueyffier v. Ann Summers, Ltd., 43 Cal. 4th 1132 (2008) – Gueyffier v. Ann Summers Supreme Court Opinion
- Obtained a defense verdict for a bank vice president in a white collar criminal tax and securities fraud prosecution with respect to a $240 million tax shelter case over coal mining and condominium operations
- Obtained a $2 million state court jury verdict on behalf of a manufacturing concern against its insurance company for failing to pay benefits due under its airplane lien holder insurance policy
- Obtained numerous defense awards in NASD/FINRA arbitration matters for banks and brokerages
- Represented a technology company against a major international law firm asserting fraud and professional negligence claims. Defendants filed a successful anti SLAPP motion to strike and had the case dismissed at the trial court level. The Court of Appeals reversed in a seminal opinion detailing the limits of an anti-SLAPP suit. After the case was remanded to the trial court the case settled on very favorable terms – Prediwave v. Simpson, Thacher & Bartlet Appellate Opinion
- Obtained a $4.5 million judgement plus attorneys’ fees for willful trade secret misappropriation in favor of a public company relating to electric vehicle charging and technology
In 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012, Mr. Rovens was named a Southern California Super Lawyer by a survey of his peers distributed by Law & Politics.
Since 1985 he has served on the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) (formerly NASD) Arbitration Panel. He is a member of the American Trial Lawyers Association, the American and Los Angeles County Bar Associations, and the State Bar of California.
Mr. Rovens earned his B.A. in Law & Society from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1979, and his J.D., magna cum laude, from Southwestern University in 1982, where he graduated first in his class and was Executive Editor of the Southwestern University Law Review. He is admitted to practice in California, in the Federal District Court for the Northern, Central, and Southern Districts of California, in the Ninth, Tenth, and Federal Circuit Courts of Appeal, and in the United States Tax Court.