Maryann R. Marzano is a Martindale-Hubbell rated AV® Preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5 attorney, with over 41 years of litigation experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants in complex and high-risk cases. She is known for her tenacious representation of clients, the high quality of her written work and advocacy skills as noted by clients and jurists alike, and her willingness always to give a 150% effort.
Ms. Marzano has been consistently named a Super Lawyer and received the prestigious California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year award (“CLAY” award) in 2017 from The Daily Journal for her work with co-lead counsel in representing Flo & Eddie (founding members of the legendary band, The Turtles), along with a class of owners of pre-1972 sound recordings for copyright infringement by Sirius XM. She also been selected as one of the Top 50 Women Lawyers in Southern California and ranked as one of the Top Women Lawyers in Intellectual Property Litigation and Top Attorneys in Southern California.
Ms. Marzano handles all aspects of complex business, commercial, entertainment and real estate disputes, with an emphasis in copyright, antitrust, unfair competition, securities, shareholder, breach of fiduciary duty, professional liability, breach of contract, corporate dissolution, fraud and embezzlement claims.
She has litigated numerous complex matters in federal, state and foreign jurisdictions, as well as class action lawsuits involving copyright, securities and other business-related claims. She has represented clients in many significant complex business and entertainment matters, which have involved breach of contract, unfair competition, copyright infringement, intellectual property, and music royalty claims. Her experience in the entertainment and media sector is considerable and includes matters on both the plaintiffs and defense side, spanning the music, film and television industries.
Her experience in class action litigation has been both on the plaintiffs and defense side as well, involving a wide variety of industries and claims. On the plaintiffs’ side, in cases involving musical artists, she was appointed as class counsel to represent Flo & Eddie/The Turtles and other class members against Sirius XM in a multi-district federal class action case in California, New York and Florida seeking damages for the misappropriation and unlawful exploitation of pre-1972 sound recordings. She achieved a $25 million settlement for those recording artists.
She was also appointed class counsel and successfully negotiated a settlement with a $43.5 million cash value and more than $112.55 million in total financial value for class member recording artists in a federal class action copyright infringement case against Spotify in the Second Circuit, involving claims that Spotify made music available online without securing mechanical rights from the tracks’ composers.
On the plaintiffs’ side as class counsel, she achieved a multi-million settlement for retired NFL players in a federal class action legal malpractice case against the NFLPA involving the commercial exploitation of players in electronic sports games.
She successfully represented international victims of Pan Am Flight 73 Libyan terrorist attack in litigation and arbitration, involving contractual claims, claims for breach of fiduciary duty and legal malpractice, and for declaratory relief and contractual interpretation involving complex issues of international law and espousal; the case was settled confidentially. The case was filed as a class action, and proceeded to classwide arbitration, with an ultimate mediation and resolution.
Over her lengthy career, she represented clients at all phases of litigation, through trial and appeal. Ms. Marzano has successfully handled administrative actions, arbitrations and mediations on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants in State and Federal courts, including appellate, bankruptcy and probate courts, and before a wide variety of governmental tribunals. She has also supervised international litigation and investigations, and managed complex litigation matters in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Caribbean and South Pacific.
She has served as class counsel in a number of cases, and been appointed as a Special Prosecutor by the Chief District Judge for the District of Nevada to prosecute contempt proceedings in an international banking and securities fraud case, and as special counsel for SEC and California Department of Corporations Receivers.
Ms. Marzano has handled numerous complex business litigation matters on a global basis, as well as foreign and domestic aviation litigation and licensing matters.
Ms. Marzano has prosecuted and defended a wide range of professional liability claims (including attorneys, accountants, stockbrokers, real estate brokers, officers and directors), as well as catastrophic wrongful death and tort claims; product and premises liability; and construction defect claims. Her broad insurance practice includes coverage evaluation and bad faith litigation. She has also served as coordinating counsel and conducted internal audits for insurance companies, law firms and corporate clients. Her representation in defense matters draws from both direct retention and insurers in U.S. and London markets.
Ms. Marzano represents clients at all phases of litigation, through trial and appeal. She has also successfully handled administrative actions, arbitrations and mediations on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants in all State and Federal courts, including bankruptcy and probate courts, and before a wide variety of governmental tribunals. She has also successfully represented clients in matters before the SEC, IRS, FTC, USDA, FAA and NASD/FINRA in both civil and criminal matters. She has supervised international litigation and investigations, and managed complex litigation matters in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Caribbean and South Pacific.
Representative clients have ranged from Fortune 500 companies and executives to small businesses, charitable organizations, banks and high net‑worth individuals. She has counseled them in a wide variety of litigation and administrative proceedings as well as in general business contexts.