KIBLER FOWLER & CAVE - Key Persons
Adam Pullano is a Senior Associate at Kibler Fowler & Cave LLP. Adam has extensive state and federal complex commercial litigation experience in a variety of areas, including securities, insurance coverage, false advertising, legal malpractice and healthcare litigation. He has run cases from start to finish, including through appeals, and has spent significant time in the courtroom (as a clerk and an advocate).
Prior to joining our firm, Adam worked at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Reed Smith LLP, in both New York and California. He also clerked at the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, supporting multiple district judges in Los Angeles.
Adam received his JD from Fordham Law School, where he joined the Fordham Law Review and the Brendan Moore Trial Advocacy team. He also participated in the leadership of the school's as well as the regional Latin American Law Students' Association. Before law school, Adam obtained his Bachelor of Science from Duke University in 2007 and subsequently worked at the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, contributing to several hearings and staff reports on wartime contracting oversight, tax haven banks, and Medicare fraud.
Adam is active in the Los Angeles legal community. He is on the Advisory Board of the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles and has represented Southern California veterans pro bono in seeking benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs, for which he was awarded Public Counsel's Pro Bono Award in 2015.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Member of the Southern California Associate Board for Young
Charles Cardinal is an Associate at Kibler Fowler & Cave LLP. Charles has courtroom experience in both state and federal court, including experience at the trial and appellate levels. His litigation background encompasses a wide range of practice areas, from intellectual property law to corporate governance. In addition to litigation, Charles also conducts transactional legal work, primarily in the film and music industries, on behalf of individuals and business entities alike.
Charles is a member of the Southern California Associate Board for Young Professionals of Covenant House California, a non-profit serving homeless youth throughout California.
Charles graduated magna cum laude from the University of Alabama Honors College in 2014 with a B.A. in Political Science. He received his J.D. from UCLA School of Law in 2018. While in law school, Charles was a member of the Moot Court Honors Program and served as a Board Member of the Entertainment Law Association. Charles is admitted to practice law in the State of California, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Job Titles:
- Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Job Titles:
- District Judge, District of New Jersey
Job Titles:
- District Judge, Central District of California
Job Titles:
- District Judge, District of New Jersey
- Magistrate Judge, District of New Jersey
John is a Founding Partner of Kibler Fowler & Cave LLP. He specializes in complex business, intellectual property, media, entertainment, cannabis, privacy, reputation and brand protection litigation in federal and state courts, and arbitrations. John handles a variety of litigation matters including disputes involving copyright, trademark, idea theft, anti-SLAPP, right of publicity, Talent Agencies Act, management and agent commissions, and other disputes in music, film and television. John has achieved noteworthy results for a variety of significant clients. His cases and trial victories have been featured in The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Deadline, Forbes, Gizmodo and numerous other publications. John regularly advises clients on their disputes in the cryptocurrency, NFT and DeFi realms with an expansive practice toeing the line between Hollywood, Crypto, Cannabis and Business. He has represented individuals, businesses, artists, production companies, and major corporate entities as both plaintiffs and defendants.
John's recent representative matters include:
Securing a landmark $1.9 million jury verdict on behalf of his client, Los Angeles-based film producer Kevin Shulman, in a case involving producer credit. The case was the subject of an article in The Hollywood Reporter, which noted that the verdict was significant because producer credit-related disputes often arise in Hollywood, but are typically privately resolved or never litigated. The verdict establishes a valuation model for a denied producer credit that should inform how those credits are valued in future disputes.
Successfully moving for summary judgment in a lawsuit in California Superior Court that alleged multiple causes of action, including recission, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and fraud relating to a cannabis business. After substantial discovery, including responding to 700 individual discovery requests, multiple motions to compel, and 18 depositions, John and his team won a complete victory on all causes of action against all 20 defendants, eliminating the need for a costly, month-long trial. The Firm also secured a $785,057.32 attorney fee and costs award in the case against the plaintiffs.
Prevailing at arbitration over a sports agent commission dispute resulting in an award of the full commission to John's client, and associated litigation costs.
Securing a $750,000 bench trial verdict in a Los Angeles Superior Court trial over a film financing dispute. John represented an actor, writer, and producer against his former business partner in a single cross-claim for breach of implied contractual indemnity.
Obtaining a dismissal without leave to amend on a combined 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6) motion of a copyright infringement case (which involved predecessor lawsuits and two federal cases) against John's client, the prestigious Berlin-based teaching hospital The Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin.
Defending a biotech company in a lawsuit brought in federal court in California by a major ophthalmologic surgical equipment and dry eye care company related to alleged breaches of a licensing agreement for ophthalmologic solution.
Representing a major optical displays manufacturer in a lawsuit against a customer relating to cancelled LED lighting orders.
John is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and earned his law degree from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. While at Loyola, he served as the General Managing Editor of The Los Angeles Public Interest Law Journal, and as a member of Loyola Law School's Scott Moot Court Honors Board (winning the Scott Moot Court competition, competing in the National Moot Court Competition, and serving as an Appellate Advocacy teaching assistant). Following Loyola, John practiced entertainment, media and general business litigation with Johnson & Johnson LLP and Carlsmith Ball LLP.
Kevin Kroll is a Senior Associate at Kibler Fowler & Cave LLP. Kevin has extensive commercial litigation experience in a variety of areas, including insurance coverage and regulation, contract disputes and managed care. Kevin has driven cases from the pleadings phase through final adjudication, including overseeing and managing litigation teams. He is a client-focused litigator and works tenaciously to deliver effective legal services and support. Prior to joining our firm, Kevin was a litigator at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Reed Smith LLP in Los Angeles.
After receiving undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh and before attending law school, Kevin was a middle school math teacher in Las Vegas through the Teach for America program. Kevin received his JD from USC Gould School of Law. While in law school, Kevin externed for Hon. Audrey B. Collins in the United States District Court. While practicing law, Kevin volunteered as a mock trial coach and also worked with Street Law - a global, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization developing classroom and community programs to educate young people about law and government.
Kevin J. Cammiso is a Senior Associate at Kibler Fowler & Cave LLP. Kevin specializes in intellectual property, entertainment, and business litigation in state and federal courts. Kevin earned his bachelor's degree in English from the University of California, Santa Barbara and his law degree from Loyola Law School, where he graduated with honors in the Intellectual Property Law Concentration. At Loyola, Kevin served as the Chief Production Editor of the Loyola of Los Angeles International & Comparative Law Review, the Team Captain of Loyola's Saul Lefkowitz Trademark Moot Court team, and the Vice President of the Intellectual Property Law Society. Kevin also worked as a research assistant to Professors F. Jay Dougherty and Jennifer E. Rothman researching issues related to music and right of publicity law, respectively. After law school, Kevin worked for John Fowler at JDF Law, P.C. as an associate attorney on a wide range of business and entertainment disputes.
Matt Cave is a Founding Partner of Kibler Fowler & Cave LLP. He regularly litigates and tries cases in state and federal courts throughout California. His litigation expertise is in real estate, entertainment and complex business disputes. Matt represents individuals and companies of all sizes, as plaintiffs and defendants. His high-profile representations have been featured in Law360 and The Hollywood Reporter, among other publications. Although Matt's practice is based in California, he has litigated matters in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, Colorado, and other states.
Matt handles a wide range of disputes in the music industry. He is experienced in intellectual property litigation, including copyright infringement matters. He has also successfully litigated cases involving California's Talent Agencies Act before the Labor Commissioner. Matt also routinely works with artists and managers to amicably resolve TAA disputes before they get to a Labor Commissioner hearing.
Matt has extensive experience with high-stakes real estate disputes. In addition to litigating and trying cases involving real estate, he often represents clients in behind-the-scenes negotiations in deals for properties worth many millions of dollars. Matt has negotiated advantageous pre-litigation settlements for clients in at least a dozen real estate transactions.
Matt also has significant experience representing individuals and companies (including a Big 4 firm) in connection with investigations and enforcement actions by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.
Matt's recent representative experience includes:
Representation of a large housing provider in a federal lawsuit filed by a plaintiff seeking millions of dollars in damages for claims of disability discrimination. After being retained to try the case just two weeks before jury selection and a one-week trial that resulted in a modest damages award for the plaintiff, Matt successfully moved for post-verdict relief on the grounds that no reasonable jury could have reached such verdict based on the evidence (or lack thereof) presented at trial. The Court granted the motion for judgment as a matter of law and vacated the entire damages award.
Representation of a digital bank in a class action lawsuit alleging that it failed to comply with portions of the federal Electronic Fund Transfer Act, which regulate a financial institution's response to unauthorized transactions reported by consumers. After prevailing on a motion to dismiss-and before the class certification stage-Matt helped resolve the matter with a favorable settlement.
Successfully represented Banc of California in an appeal before the California Court of Appeal, which handed down a unanimous decision granting a petition for a writ of mandate directing the trial court to vacate its order compelling a dispute to arbitration and to enter a new order denying the petition to compel arbitration. The ruling marked a critical limitation in California to a U.S. Supreme Court decision addressing whether threshold questions of arbitrability should be decided by courts or arbitrators.
Representation of a Brentwood-based hedge fund in seeking over $200 million in a fraud case against a global investment manager. After successfully defending against a motion for summary adjudication and extensive trial preparation, the matter was resolved on favorable terms during mediation.
Representation of a photographer in a copyright dispute involving his photographs of the late gorilla Harambe, who became a famous internet meme after he was shot and killed by officials because a young boy had fallen into the gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo. Matt helped his client reach an amicable resolution of the case with a favorable settlement.
Representation of a New York-based freelance illustrator and designer in a lawsuit against a famous thrash metal band seeking damages and injunctive relief for willful copyright infringement in violation of the Copyright Act and damages under the New York City Freelance Isn't Free Act. Matt helped his client reach an amicable resolution of the case with a favorable settlement.
Representation of a Spanish experimental musician and a freelance director and filmmaker against a world renowned pop star in a copyright infringement lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Matt helped his clients reach an amicable resolution of the case with a favorable settlement.
In an action involving the Talent Agencies Act, representation of an artist management company against a world renowned singer and songwriter who terminated her management agreement (after making it big) and refused to pay commissions and other monies due to the manager.
After graduating from USC Gould School of Law, Matt served as a federal law clerk in the Central District of California for two years. He spent several years working at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, Morrison & Foerster LLP, and entertainment boutique King, Holmes, Paterno & Soriano, LLP before developing his own practice and then co-founding the Firm with Mike and John.
Matt is also active in his community. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Los Angeles Center for Law & Justice, a non-profit serving survivors of domestic violence in the LA area. Matt participates in several alumni mentorship programs for USC Gould School of Law and is a Member of the Clerkship Committee for USC's Gould School of Law Board of Councilors, which helps law students secure federal clerkships.
Megan Schneider is a Paralegal at Kibler Fowler & Cave LLP. Megan earned her bachelor's degree in Philosophy from the University of Maryland, College Park. Prior to joining Kibler Fowler & Cave, she was the Head Litigation Paralegal at Timian & Fawcett, LLC in metropolitan Washington, D.C., where she also served as a notary public.
Michael C. Ledley has over two decades of experience representing clients in a wide range of complex commercial disputes, including insurance and reinsurance litigation and arbitration, securities and derivatives litigation, and bankruptcy. Michael has broad trial experience in bench and jury trials, as well as before arbitral tribunals. He has represented clients in connection with investigations by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, and FINRA.
Michael has extensive experience in high-stakes commercial litigation in federal and state courts and before arbitral tribunals, including courtroom experience in both trial and appellate settings. His litigation background encompasses a wide range of practice areas, including securities, insurance coverage, antitrust, intellectual property, contract disputes, and regulatory and internal investigations. He has also advised transactional clients on regulatory and litigation issues.
Michael received his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2013, where he was Executive Editor of the Journal of Business Law, a member of Penn Law's National Trial Competition team, and an extern at the Office of Congressional Ethics in Washington, D.C. After graduating from law school, he served as a law clerk in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Before joining Kibler Fowler & Cave, Michael was a litigator at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in New York.
Michael's representative matters include:
Representation of plaintiffs and defendants in entertainment and intellectual property disputes.
Obtaining Kentucky Supreme Court victory for investment advisor clients resulting in dismissal of purported derivative suit brought on behalf of state pension system for lack of constitutional standing.
Counsel for JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and its affiliates in numerous class and individual actions alleging securities, antitrust, and common law claims related to the setting of the London Inter-Bank Offered Rate (LIBOR) and other benchmark rates.
Counsel for Spotify USA Inc. in actions by prominent songwriters and other rights holders asserting claims under the U.S. Copyright Act.
Counsel for Best Buy in obtaining summary judgment victory in securities litigation.
Counsel for Brighthouse Life Insurance Company in nationwide class actions.
Counsel for publicly traded company in FTC investigation and resolution related to sales practices, consumer credit and privacy issues.
Representation of financial institutions, corporations and individuals in investigations and examinations by the SEC, DOJ and other federal agencies.
Representation of multiple pro bono clients, including successful advocacy on behalf of individual clients in housing, pension and immigration matters, and representation of a civil rights organization in federal appellate proceedings seeking to establish the right of same-sex couples to marry shortly prior to the recognition of that right by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2015.
Job Titles:
- Counsel
- Co - President of the Korean - American Bar Association of Washington DC
S. Nathan Park is a versatile litigator who has extensive experience with complex international business litigation, arbitration, judgment enforcement, and regulatory investigations, frequently involving challenging jurisdictions in Asia, Europe and offshore.
Nathan currently serves as the Co-President of the Korean-American Bar Association of Washington DC. He is also a member of the International Association of Korean Lawyers and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.
Job Titles:
- Senior Litigation Paralegal and Office Manager
Samantha Ahlheim is a Senior Litigation Paralegal and Office Manager at Kibler Fowler & Cave LLP. Samantha earned her bachelor's degrees in Criminology, Law and Society and Environmental Analysis and Design from the University of California, Irvine, her paralegal certificate from the University of San Diego, and her master's degree in Forensic Psychology from the University of North Dakota. She also serves as a notary public.
Sarah L. Dunn is Marketing Director at Kibler Fowler & Cave LLP. Prior to joining the Firm, she was in business development at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP. Prior to that role, Sarah was in-house legal counsel at MetLife, Inc. She began her career as a litigation associate at Simpson Thacher.
Sarah received her B.A. from University of Pennsylvania and her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law.
Job Titles:
- Counsel
- Member of the Third Circuit 's Appellate Bar
Stephen F. Raiola is an experienced and versatile trial litigator and business lawyer who has represented companies in business negotiations, assisted companies as an outside general counsel, served on several trial teams, deposed over a dozen witness, and led discovery strategy in nationwide litigation in matters ranging from intellectual property litigation to constitutional rights litigation to commercial litigation to product liability litigation, mass torts, and class actions. Those representations, in turn, have been national in scope, spanning federal and state courts throughout the country, including courts in Alabama, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, and West Virginia.
In addition, Stephen is an emerging member of the Third Circuit's Appellate Bar who has served as counsel of record on a certiorari petition before the U.S. Supreme Court and briefed over a dozen appellate matters across six federal circuits, the U.S. Supreme Court, the New York State Appellate Division, and the Pennsylvania Superior Court. He also has presented oral argument on numerous occasions before the California Court of Appeals as well as the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Third, Seventh, and Ninth Circuits, and has served as court-appointed amicus curiae for both the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Before joining Kibler Fowler & Cave LLP, Stephen practiced at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in New York, Covington & Burling LLP in Washington, D.C., and Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP in Pittsburgh.
Stephen's representative matters prior to joining Kibler Fowler & Cave include:
Successfully representing clients as lead counsel in the United States Courts of Appeals for the Third and the Ninth Circuits.
Prevailing in the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on a significant jurisdictional question that was the subject of a circuit split.
Serving as counsel of record on a cert petition that was supported by two amici in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Serving as court-appointed amicus curiae to advise the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on the constitutionality of a New Jersey law that allows courts to mandate that parents pay for the college tuition of their adult children.
Representing a leading technology company as well as several Fortune 500 companies facing privacy litigation brought under Pennsylvania's Wiretap Act.
Defending a major pharmaceutical distributor in the nationwide opioid litigation.
Representing Takeda and Lundbeck in Hatch-Waxman litigation involving the antidepressant Trintillex, adverse to sixteen generic manufacturers.
Advising companies in business negotiations and as an outside general counsel.
Prevailing in the Pennsylvania Superior Court on an issue of first impression regarding the type of injury that is required for a Plaintiff to have standing to bring a lawsuit in Pennsylvania under FACTA.
Active in community service, Stephen has performed thousands of hours of pro bono legal services for indigent litigants in Courts of Appeals throughout the country and has served in several leadership roles in the Federalist Society. At present, Stephen is the Vice President of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Federalist Society. Prior to that, Stephen served on the Board of the D.C. Young Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society.
Stephen graduated magna cum laude from both Georgetown University Law Center and the College of the Holy Cross, where he was a Rowing National Champion. Following his graduation from Georgetown Law, Stephen served as a clerk for Judge D. Michael Fisher of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Tracy B. Rane is a litigator with two decades of experience representing clients in complex entertainment, intellectual property, and business disputes. Her practice focuses on matters involving copyright infringement, trademark infringement, defamation, right of publicity, right of privacy, breach of contract, insurance coverage, and general civil litigation. Tracy has successfully represented clients from the pre-litigation stage through trial and arbitration in various forums in California and other states. She also has substantial appellate experience and has appeared on behalf of her clients before the California Courts of Appeal and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Prior to joining Kibler Fowler & Cave LLP, Tracy practiced at several national and international law firms, including Ballard Spahr LLP, Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP.
Tracy's representative matters prior to joining Kibler Fowler & Cave include:
Represented multi-platinum recording artist in an arbitration involving breach of contract claims. Successfully defended respondent against petitioner's claims and obtained a substantial award of attorneys' fees as the prevailing party pursuant to Section 998 of the California Code of Civil Procedure.
Obtained writ relief from California Court of Appeal after trial court improperly found defendants were in contempt for violating the terms of a preliminary injunction.
Obtained partial summary judgment on behalf of a major record label and a prominent R&B artist in a copyright infringement action, pursuant to which the court dismissed the plaintiff's claims for statutory damages and attorneys' fees.
Represented a multi-platinum artist in a declaratory relief action concerning ownership of the copyrights to various songs. Tracy helped her client reach an amicable resolution of the case with a favorable settlement.
Represented successful punk band in an action for copyright infringement, breach of partnership agreement, and violation of California Business and Professions Code Section 17200. Tracy helped her clients reach an amicable resolution of the case with a favorable settlement.
Represented defendant in a lawsuit involving copyright infringement of music composition textbooks. Tracy helped her client reach an amicable resolution of the case with a favorable settlement.
Represented plaintiff corporation that owns and manages the rights to the legacy of a legendary rock-and-roll artist and cross-defendant in an action to recover possession of a guitar used by the artist. Obtained dismissal of cross-complainant's claims by filing an anti-SLAPP motion, and regained possession of the guitar for plaintiff.
Represented defendant in a copyright infringement and breach of partnership action involving artwork that was used by the defendant on merchandise, album covers, and during live shows. Tracy helped her client reach an amicable resolution of the case with a favorable settlement.
Represented defendant and counterclaimant in an insurance litigation dispute. Obtained a favorable decision from the California Court of Appeal regarding the insurer's duty to defend client and thereafter negotiated a favorable settlement.
Represented plaintiff corporation that owns and manages the rights to the legacy of a legendary rock-and-roll artist in a trademark infringement action. Obtained default judgment and permanent injunction against defendants.
Represented defendant in a copyright infringement action involving a musical composition. Obtained summary judgment in favor of defendant.
Represented defendant in a copyright case in which the plaintiff alleged that defendant sampled a portion of plaintiff's song. Tracy helped her client reach an amicable resolution of the case with a favorable settlement.
Tracy is active in her legal community. She is a member of the Los Angeles Copyright Society and is the co-chair of the Trademark and Copyright Committee for the Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association (LAIPLA). She is currently the chair of the Women Who Lead Advisory Board for the Association of Media and Entertainment Counsel (AMEC). Tracy has also worked as an adjunct professor of legal writing at the University of Southern California School of Law.
Zien Halwani is an Associate at Kibler Fowler & Cave LLP. A tenacious and client-oriented litigator, Zien gained a formidable skill set while litigating an assortment of civil cases in state, federal and arbitral forums. Zien represents businesses and individuals (plaintiffs and defendants) at all stages of litigation. He is admitted to practice law in the State of California, and the U.S. District Courts for the Central, Eastern, Northern, and Southern Districts of California.
Zien earned his law degree from St. John's University School of Law on a full-tuition merit scholarship. During law school he served as a member of the Moot Court Honor Society and the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) Law Review. He also interned for the Hon. Sean H. Lane in the United States Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New York, and the New York City Law Department.
Zien graduated from California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) with departmental honors (philosophy) and served as Editor-in-Chief of its daily newspaper, the Daily 49er. Under his leadership, it was awarded best college newspaper by the Los Angeles Press Club. He also served on CSULB's Academic Senate and as a member of its student government.