The trial of Herrick Productions LLC v. Mattel, Inc. took place over 2.5 months in the summer of 2024. The plaintiff accused Mattel of stealing his idea for a toy invention reality show. Even though Mattel's show (which aired on ABC) lost millions of dollars and was a failure, the plaintiff claimed he had an implied contract with Mattel that they would not make his show, or any similar show, without his involvement, and that if Mattel had made his show with him, (a) he would have “placed" the show on basic cable and (b) it would have been a massive success lasting 8 seasons. The jury returned a complete defense verdict for Mattel, and the judge recently denied Herrick's request for a new trial.

• Date: Wed. January 29, 2025
• Time: 12:15 - 1:30PM
• Location: Law Room 1347
  

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Chad Fitzgerald
Partner, Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir LLP

Practice Areas

1. Entertainment Litigation
2. Business Litigation
3. Entertainment IP Litigation
4. Intellectual Property Litigation
   

Chad Fitzgerald specializes in complex entertainment industry disputes as well as business and intellectual property litigation. He represents actors, directors, producers, writers, showrunners, musicians, professional athletes, production and distribution companies, clients in the fitness, apparel, toy, and gaming industries, the entertainment guilds, talent and business managers, and the major talent agencies. Chad specializes in entertainment industry disputes regarding profit participation, “vertical integration,” and distribution (including streaming), and handles litigation involving copyright, trademark and trade secrets, fraud, rights of privacy, and defamation. Chad has written numerous articles on legal issues in the entertainment industry, regularly appears on panels and seminars discussing entertainment litigation, is frequently quoted in media outlets such as The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Deadline, The Wrap, E! Online, and the Daily Journal, and has taught entertainment law classes at the UCLA School of Law.

Chad has been twice named a “Power Lawyer” by The Hollywood Reporter, a member of the “Legal Impact Report” and one of “Hollywood’s New Leaders” by Variety, a “Super Lawyer,” a “Leader of Influence” by the Los Angeles Business Journal, and one of the “Best Lawyers in America.” He sits on the Advisory Board for the UCLA School of Law’s Ziffren Institute for Media, Entertainment, Technology and Sports Law and lectures on entertainment law at UCLA Law School.

Chad graduated with honors from Yale University with a B.A. in English and from the UCLA School of Law. While in law school, he externed for the Honorable J. Spencer Letts of the United District Court, Central District of California, and volunteered with the HIV/AIDS Legal Services Alliance. Prior to joining KHIKS in 2007, he worked in the Business and Legal Affairs department of Universal Pictures and a major entertainment law firm. Chad was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, where his family has worked for generations in the gaming industry.