David E. Hackett

Biography

David Hackett has a broad-based appellate practice and has served as lead counsel for numerous appeals, writ petitions, and dispositive pre-trial and post-trial motions in state and federal courts.  He frequently helps trial counsel, businesses, insurers, and individuals to navigate appellate and post-trial issues and consults with clients and trial teams regarding record preservation and critical briefing in all phases of litigation.  He has substantive experience across a wide variety of topics, including: agency and partnership, anti-SLAPP motions, arbitration, civil procedure, contracts, constitutional law, employment, family law, health care, intellectual property, probate, real estate, secured transactions, state and federal regulations, and tax, among many others.

David received his law degree from Loyola Law School, where he was the class valedictorian.  He then served as a law clerk to Judge Gary A. Feess of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, and to Judge Alfred T. Goodwin of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.  Between clerkships, he was an associate in the Los Angeles office of Latham & Watkins, where his practice included complex civil litigation, international arbitration, internal corporate investigations, and white-collar defense.

David graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from UCLA and he is still a dedicated Bruins fan.  One of his prized possessions is an autographed copy of Coach John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success.

Outside the courtroom, David is a proud husband and father of two children.

Some of David’s appellate victories include:

• AIX Specialty Insurance Company v. Timed Out, LLC (Oct. 5, 2023, B320255) 2023 WL 6475087 – Court of Appeal held that nightclub’s standard commercial insurance policy did not cover infringement of models’ rights of publicity or a variety of other intellectual property infringement claims.
• Tufeld Corp. v. Beverly Hills Gateway, L.P. (2022) 86 Cal.App.5th 12 – Court of Appeal rejected challenge to ground lease’s validity, applied Civil Code section 718’s 99-year limit on city lot leases, and ordered lease enforcement through 2102.
• Baral v. Schnitt (Jan. 28, 2022, B298050) 2022 WL 263108 – Court of Appeal reversed jury’s compensatory and punitive damages awards and trial court’s denial of JNOV, ordering entry of defense judgment on all business tort claims.
• Ray v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. (9th Cir. 2021) 2021 WL 4902357 – Ninth Circuit affirmed judgment, rejecting plaintiffs’ belated effort to change insurance bad faith theories.
• Southern California School of Theology v. Claremont Graduate University (2021) 60 Cal.App.5th 1 – Court of Appeal reversed judgment against the Claremont Colleges, ordering full enforcement of their property purchase rights worth more than $30 million.
• Kanno v. Marwit Capital Partners II, L.P. (2017) 18 Cal.App.5th 987 – Court of Appeal affirmed judgment, comprehensively analyzed the parol evidence rule’s governing principles and application, and complimented “all counsel on the excellent briefing and oral argument in this case.”