Frank Gooch focuses his practice on business, real estate, and insurance litigation in California trial and appellate courts, as well as before the Judicial Panel on Multi-District Litigation.
His real estate litigation practice encompasses a full range of disputes, including partnership, title and boundary disputes, easement disputes, unlawful detainer actions, and actions involving the acquisition and/or sale of real estate.
He also handles claims of contractor and architect negligence with respect to residential properties, real estate broker negligence, and the enforceability of mechanics’ liens. He represents clients before governmental agencies regarding homeowner issues.
Frank represents clients in breach of contract actions involving private parties and governmental entities; partnership dissolution matters; partnership and shareholder disputes; unfair competition matters; rescission actions involving acquisitions of businesses; wrongful termination; and other business tort issues, including misappropriation of trade secrets, trade dress claims, intentional interference with economic advantage, and collection actions.
Frank’s insurance litigation experience includes anti-trust matters, defense of bad faith and punitive damages actions, the prosecution of actions against brokers and agents for negligence, and matters involving the rescission of life insurance policies based upon material misrepresentation and/or concealment of material facts.
Additionally, Frank has significant experience handling cases involving defamation, right of privacy and First Amendment rights. Frank received his bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, the from University of Southern California, Los Angeles and his law degree from University of Southern California Gould School of Law, Los Angeles where he was Chairman of the Moot Court Honors Program.
EXPERIENCE :
- Represented a major Los Angeles daily newspaper in defense of its First Amendment rights in a number of defamation and invasion of privacy cases brought by public officials and public figures, as well as by a professional sports team.
- Advised a private school regarding litigation arising out of compliance with the Child Abuse Reporting Act.
- Testified as an expert witness on an issue regarding the reasonableness of attorneys’ fees in Los Angeles County Superior Court Case No. BC 237 396, Washington Mutual v. Cen Fed Ltd.
- Represented building owner in a suit for breach of contract filed against the State of California which resulted in a substantial jury trial verdict and, as a result thereof, represented the judge and several other judges in a real estate dispute with their own homeowner’s association.
- Represented advertising company in municipal proceedings regarding government efforts to restrict ability to advertise in municipality.
- Represented dozens of newspapers through the United States in action for copyright infringement brought by a photographer over photographs depicting spoliation of California coastline.
- Represented owner of shopping center buyer (with co-counsel, Don Nanney) in action involving seller misrepresentation over environmental condition of the property purchased by client.
- Represented major developers of Bunker Hill area of Los Angeles for decades in disputes with tenants over lease disputes and in unlawful detainer actions.
- Represented developer clients in action against municipality for inverse condemnation arising out the illegal development restrictions over development of commercial buildings.
EDUCATION :
- University of Southern California Law Center, J.D., 1976
- University of Southern California, B.A., summa cum laude, 1973
BAR ADMISSIONS : California
COURT ADMISSIONS :
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. District Court — Southern District of California
- U.S. District Court — Eastern District of California
- U.S. District Court — Northern District of California
AFFILIATIONS :
- Member, American Bar Association
- Member, California State Bar Association
- Member, Los Angeles County Bar Association
Cost
Rate : $$$