PROFILE
Jerry Friedberg is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles. His practice focuses on white collar criminal defense and complex civil litigation. Mr. Friedberg represents government entities, publicly-traded corporations, health plans, pension plans, corporate officers and directors, shareholders, former public officials and high-level executives and professionals in the financial, medical, healthcare and real estate fields. His international representation has included clients hailing from Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Japan, the Netherlands and Sweden.
During his tenure as an Assistant U.S. Attorney of the Los Angeles U.S. Attorney's Office, Mr. Friedberg successfully tried cases involving both violent and white collar offenders. He directed a two-year undercover investigation of an outlaw motorcycle gang which resulted in over fifty convictions and was chronicled in a New York Times best-selling book, receiving commendations from federal and state law enforcement agencies for this work.
In private practice since 2000, he has litigated civil RICO, federal and state False Claims Act, financial institution fraud, unfair business practices, and business tort cases, as well as international commercial arbitrations. His over 30-year practice has included has included securities, antitrust, trade secrets, insurance, environmental, criminal and civil healthcare and entertainment litigation. In addition, he has successfully argued multiple appeals before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Mr. Friedberg previously served as the National co-chair of the Healthcare Fraud Subcommittee of the American Bar Association's Litigation Section's Criminal Litigation Committee.
REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS
- Part of team that obtained $14 million arbitration award for Public Agency.
- Part of team that obtained summary judgment for health plan in litigation against hospital chain for over $100 million.
- Represents plaintiffs in claims alleging violations of the US export control laws, racketeering, civil theft and other wrongs which has been the subject of front page articles in the Wall Street Journal.
- Successfully represented music producer who has multiple gold records in litigation related to production of a concert in Las Vegas.
- Represented defendants in $250 million partnership dispute.
- Represents owners in disputes involving real estate portfolios allegedly valued at $500 million or more.
- Obtained arbitration award for compensatory and punitive damages on behalf of pension plan in international commercial arbitration.
- Successfully represented medical devices company in federal criminal investigation alleging FDA violations in use of medical devices; no charges were filed.
- Obtained probation for physician CEO of Knox-Keene licensee indicted for alleged Medi-Cal fraud and related crimes.
- Obtained probation for healthcare worker who admitted participating in multi-million dollar fraud related to the provision of home health services.
- Represented health plan in arbitration against hospital in complex payment dispute; defended plan against hospital's claim that the plan had violated the California False Claims Act.
- Successfully represented Knox-Keene licensee in multi-million dollar payment dispute against two hospital chains.
- Successfully represented San Bernardino County in insurance coverage litigation related to a loss of more than $100 million.
- Obtained defense verdict after a six-week civil jury trial on claim for more than $10 million in damages by construction general contractor, and obtained multi-million verdict on cross-complaint for fraud and False Claims Act violations on behalf of client government agency.
- Obtained dismissal of antitrust action filed against well-known apparel retailer.
- Successfully represented French national in largest parallel criminal and civil proceedings in the history of the Central District of California. No criminal charges were filed against the client; the civil case against him was dismissed for a nominal settlement.
- Part of team that represented high-level manager of supermarket chain that was indicted for federal offenses arising from activities conducted during a grocery worker's strike; the manager was acquitted following a month-long jury trial.
- Obtained dismissal of civil claims stemming from the acquisition of business for more than $50 million.
- Successfully represented lead defendants in case alleging securities violations, fraud and related torts arising from sale of more than $30 million in real estate interests.
- Obtained defense verdict and prevailed on cross-complaint after three-week jury trial in case involving competing allegations of fraud with respect to a closely held corporation.
- Successfully prosecuted civil RICO action, obtaining recovery in excess of victim's total losses.
- Part of the defense team that successfully represented the owner of the Angels Major League Baseball team in litigation that arose when the team changed its name to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
EDUCATION
- J.D., University of California at Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, 1986
- Graduated Order of the Coif (top 10% of graduating class)
- B.A., University of California at Santa Barbara, 1982
LEGAL PUBLICATIONS
"U.S. v. Houser: Bellwether for Civil FCA Theories in Criminal Prosecutions?," American Bar Association Section of Litigation, Vol. 14 No. 3, pp. 8-10, 2014; (read PDF)
AWARDS & DISTINCTIONS
- Southern California “Super Lawyers” in 2008 – 2024
- Lawyers of Distinction, 2017-2021
- America’s Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys, 2020
- International Advisory Experts Award, Litigation Law Award Winner in California, 2020
- Los Angeles Business Journal, Nominee for Leaders in Law Award, 2018 – 2019
- Best of the Best, 2015 – 2020
- America's Most Honored Professionals, Top 1%, 2016 – 2020
- Top Lawyers of Southern California, Selected by Peer Recognition and Professional Achievement as Published in Los Angeles Magazine, 2013 –2020
- Selected as one of the Top Attorneys in Southern California for 2013, 2015-2020 by Los Angeles Magazine
- “AV” highest possible rating from Martindale-Hubble
- Outstanding Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Award from the Disability Rights Legal Center
- Wiley W. Manuel Award for pro bono legal services from the Board of Governors of the State Bar of California
- Extensive interview on white collar crime featured in Smart Business, 2009