Sidney Kanazawa

Sidney Kanazawa uses his extensive trial, crisis and negotiating experience to bring people together – rather than divide them. Whether it is connecting with clients, co-counsel, witnesses, opponents, judges or juries, Sid understands that persuasion begins with listening and developing trust.

Sid serves as General Counsel of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), and is a frequent lecturer on mediation and litigation issues.

EXPERIENCE :

• Negotiated and amicably resolved, in about 6 months, without formal litigation or mediator assistance, a highly contentious and complex high-end resort condominium real estate dispute involving nearly 100 parties.
• Upon stepping in to try a highly contentious wage/hour mass action, initiated settlement discussions and a class settlement after lunch with opposing counsel.
• On the eve of trial, obtained a multimillion-dollar settlement for a brand holder client in a brand damage dispute against an overseas consumer product manufacturer.
• Settled a class action lawsuit with a non-class settlement, approved by the court, that resolved a high profile food supplement case involving professional athletes without any significant publicity.
• On the eve of trial, obtained a $49 million settlement as lead class counsel for the largest class of lawyers and law students in a complex and highly contentious antitrust lawsuit.
• Obtained a unanimous and complete defense verdict in a sexual harassment jury trial on behalf of a major Hollywood studio and thereby avoided a judgment, attorney’s fees, and embarrassing publicity for the client.
• Recovered a seven-figure settlement in a major homeowners’ association’s action, without taking any depositions, and with virtually no other discovery by any party.
• Obtained a unanimous product liability design defect defense verdict for a manufacturer despite previous and subsequent punitive damage plaintiff verdicts against the same manufacturer for the same product.
• Just over a month before the initial trial date, in a very acrimonious case, Sid entered to try the case, refocused the case storyline, created new graphics, and precipitated a favorable settlement.
• In a case involving difficult facts, Sid helped key witnesses put the facts in a larger context that effectively undermined the liability and damage exposure of the case.

Education :

• University of Southern California Gould School of Law, JD, 1978
• University of Hawaii, BA, Education, 1974

Admissions : Hawaii, California

Affiliations :

• Member, American Law Institute
• Board Member, Product Liability Advisory Council, Inc.
• Member, Maritime Law Association
• Member, Inns of Court, Los Angeles County Bar Association
• Past Chair, Committee on the Administration of Justice, State Bar of California