Matthew P. Kanny

Matt Kanny is a partner in Goodwin’s Complex Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice and chair of the firm's Santa Monica office. Matt has extensive experience in complex, commercial, and business litigation, class action defense, antitrust and trade regulation, real estate litigation, unfair competition, and false advertising matters. He represents clients in federal and state courts and in arbitration proceedings across the country. In addition to his litigation and trial practice, Matt also provides strategic advice to clients in connection with a variety of regulatory matters and has extensive experience representing clients in enforcement actions involving district attorneys, attorneys general, the Department of Justice, and others.

Matt’s practice is national in scope and extremely diverse. His clients include leading companies in the healthcare, retail, real estate, entertainment, and technology industries. His recent representative experience includes:

• Defending Mattel and Fisher-Price in numerous consolidated putative class actions alleging false advertising in connection with its Rock ’n Play sleeper product
• Representing a health insurer in an alleged information security incident that has garnered national attention, including defending the client in a series of putative class and individual actions in federal and state courts across the country and in regulatory proceedings in numerous states
• Representing an online retailer of pet supplies in litigation against third parties involving claims of deceptive trade practices and tortious interference with contract/prospective economic advantage
• Representing an online retailer of pet supplies in litigation involving claims of defamation and violations of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act
• Representing one of the nation’s premiere real estate investment groups in litigation against third parties involving breach of fiduciary duty claims in connection with a joint venture to acquire a regional mall
• Representing brick-and-mortar pet retailer against consumer protection claims
• Defending a cannabis company in breach of contract action*
• Represented a waste hauling company in a breach of contract action involving rights under an exclusive franchise agreement*
• Represented a service provider organization in a challenge to certain requirements imposed by the city of Los Angeles and Los Angeles World Airports on service providers at LAX relating to labor peace agreements*
• Obtained an injunction on behalf of a major retailer against union groups following an eight-day evidentiary hearing in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The injunction enjoined defendants from entering the retailer’s stores to engage in specific labor-related activities*
• Represented a global security firm in a partnership dispute relating to the development and operation of a private terminal at LAX. The case was settled after successfully opposing a motion for preliminary injunction*
• Represented an international insurer and reinsurance company in an action involving claims for breach of contract and fraud against a law firm*
• Defended an international dating website company against claims of false advertising and violations of various consumer protection laws brought by several district attorneys’ offices in California*
• Represented a manufacturer of digital televisions in a complex patent infringement and antitrust case in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida. Plaintiffs asserted infringement of their “standard essential patents” for the ATSC digital television broadcast standard; our client counterclaimed for antitrust violations under Section 1 and Section 2 of the Sherman Act based on the plaintiffs’ failure to license the patents on fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory (“FRAND”) terms*
• Represented a manufacturer of sheet metal automobile parts against claims of predatory pricing in violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Act and Ohio law and false advertising in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio. The district court granted summary judgment in favor of our client on the antitrust claims and substantially limited potential damages on the false advertising claim*
• Represented a manufacturer of aftermarket auto lights in defense of an antitrust putative class action involving an alleged conspiracy to fix prices in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act brought by direct purchasers in the U.S. District Court, Central District of California*
• Represented a manufacturer of aftermarket auto lights in defense of predatory and below-cost pricing and antitrust claims filed in the U.S. District Court, Central District of California*
• Represented a record distributor in a copyright infringement action in the U.S. District Court, District of Oregon. Obtained a defense verdict on behalf of the record distributor on copyright infringement and unfair competition claims*
• Represented a major retailer in a putative class action filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleging that the retailer violated California’s recycling act in connection with the retailer’s advertising and refund policies. The trial court granted the retailer’s summary judgment motion; affirmed on appeal*
• Represented a major retailer in a putative class action alleging that the plaintiff had the constitutional right to engage in expressive activities on the retailer’s private property. The trial court granted the retailer’s summary judgment motion; affirmed on appeal*
• Represented a record distributor in a putative class action filed under California’s unfair competition law alleging false advertising relating to the manufacture and sale of CDs in California. The case was dismissed after the distributor filed summary judgment and sanctions motions*
• Represented a major biotech company against the state of California. The case was settled on favorable terms following a bench trial*
• Represented a petroleum refiner in defense of claims of price discrimination and unfair competition in Chancery Court in Arkansas. The case was settled on favorable terms following a bench trial*
• Represented a major retailer in a representative action filed under California’s unfair competition law in connection with the retailer’s vision centers. The case was dismissed after the retailer filed a summary judgment motion*
• Obtained a peremptory writ of mandate from the California Court of Appeal compelling the Superior Court of California to dismiss a breach of contract action filed by record producers against a British record label*
• Represented a sprinkler manufacturer in a trade secret misappropriation action brought by a former supplier. The case was settled after the manufacturer’s dispositive motion was filed*
• Represented a talent agency in an action filed by certain concert promoters in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York alleging civil rights and antitrust violations*
• Represented a ticketing company in an action that involved novel questions regarding how copyright and common law rights function in cyberspace*

*Denotes experience prior to joining Goodwin.

In addition to serving as chair of Goodwin’s Santa Monica office, Matt formerly served as Goodwin's litigation co-leader for Southern California. Prior to joining Goodwin, Matt was a partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP where he served as a member of the firm’s Executive and Compensation Committees, chair of the firm’s national litigation and trial practice, and chair of the firm’s Strategic Growth Committee.

Matt is a member of the American Bar Association and its Litigation, Antitrust, and Intellectual Property Sections, as well as the Los Angeles County and Santa Monica Bar Associations.

Matt has been recognized as a Southern California Super Lawyer for his work in Business Litigation by Los Angeles Magazine.