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GittingsLegal - Neema

Neema Sahni

Partner

Los Angeles +1 424 332 4757

  • About
  • Representative Matters
  • Credentials
  • About

    A co-chair of the firm’s Commercial Litigation and Entertainment & Media practices, Neema Sahni litigates complex disputes across the sports, media, technology, and entertainment industries, and serves as go-to counsel for some of the industry’s biggest names. Through her work at the firm, and her prior experience in-house at The Walt Disney Company, Neema has developed a sophisticated understanding of the legal and business issues impacting content creators and platforms. She has handled an array of complex commercial matters, ranging from royalty disputes to copyright and trademark infringement, defamation, consumer class actions, and licensing and distribution-related litigation. Neema also serves as a co-chair of the firm’s Music Industry Initiative and a vice-chair of the Sports Industry Group.

    Neema has been recognized in Variety's Legal Impact Report, as one of The Hollywood Reporter's Power Lawyers, and as one of Billboard's Top Music Lawyers. She has also been recognized as one of California's Top Women Lawyers by the Daily Journal, a Lawyer on the Fast Track by The Recorder, a Media & Entertainment Rising Star by Law360, and as one of the Sports Business Journal's 40 Under 40. Neema was also selected as a finalist for Chambers USA’s DEI: Outstanding Contribution award, which recognizes attorneys that have shown an outstanding commitment across multiple strands of DEI in the legal profession.

    Neema has represented clients in state and federal court, arbitration proceedings, and agency adjudications. Alongside an active litigation docket, she maintains a robust counseling and advisory practice, assisting sports teams and leagues, television networks, music and tech companies, and film studios to assess and mitigate their litigation risk in the context of high-stakes business transactions.

    Areas of Expertise

  • Practices and Industries
  • Representative Matters
    • Secured global settlement on behalf of all major record labels and music publishers in three high-stakes copyright cases against ISPs Charter Communications and Bright House Networks.
    • Represented Netflix in breach of contract and copyright litigation.
    • Represented Paramount Global in securing the dismissal of a franchise fee lawsuit brought by the City of East St. Louis.
    • Represented the National Football League and its member clubs (except the Chargers) in securing the dismissal of a relocation lawsuit challenging the Chargers’ move from San Diego to Los Angeles.
    • Represent Shari Redstone and her mass media company National Amusements, Inc. in insurance coverage lawsuits arising from the 2019 merger of Viacom and CBS.
    • Represent the Pac-12 Network in breach of contract litigation against DISH Network LLC, stemming from COVID-19-related game cancellations.
    • Represent a major technology company in significant state antitrust litigation.
    • Represented Fox News Networks in Fox News Network LLC v. Charter Communications Holding Co. LLC et al., a breach of contract action alleging that Charter applied incorrect carriage rates for all systems following its acquisition of Time Warner Cable.
    • Advised The Walt Disney Company on its $71 billion landmark acquisition of 21st Century Fox.
    • Defended major film studio against trademark infringement claims concerning action film title.

    • Represented Sony Music Entertainment in litigation brought by producer Quincy Jones over royalties due from the Estate of Michael Jackson.
    • Secured dismissal of Unfair Competition Law (UCL) claims against a major technology company in California state court.
    • Represented AEG Live in securing insurance coverage for the defense costs associated with a string of lawsuits stemming from the death of Michael Jackson.
    • Obtained summary judgment for Sony Music Entertainment and dismissal of all contract and intellectual property claims brought by former music manager regarding a 70’s rock act.
    • Represent the National Football League in litigation involving the out-of-market television package, NFL Sunday Ticket.
    • Represented a group of content companies challenging the Federal Communication Commission’s policies concerning the disclosure of confidential trade secrets to third parties.
    • Member of the Tennis Channel v. Comcast trial team, successfully representing Tennis Channel in an eight-day trial on claims that Comcast discriminates against Tennis Channel and in favor of its own sports channels in its carriage decisions (later reversed on appeal).
    • Represented BP in insurance coverage litigation arising from the Deepwater Horizon incident and resulting oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

    Areas of Expertise

  • Credentials
    Education
    • Harvard Law School, J.D., 2010
        • magna cum laude 
        • Board of Student Advisers
        • Dean’s Award for Community Leadership
    • Yale University, B.A., 2005
        • magna cum laude
    Bar Admissions
    • California
    • District of Columbia
    Languages
    • Gujarati
    • Hindi
    • Spanish
    Pro Bono
    • Led the Covington team that helped secure a landmark settlement on behalf of tenant advocacy groups with the California Department of Housing and Community Development to improve the State’s administration of its COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program.  
    • Represented the City of Los Angeles, and argued a Ninth Circuit appeal on behalf of the City, challenging the constitutionality of the Federal Government’s imposition of immigration-related conditions on local criminal justice grant funding. 
    • Obtained grant of asylum for El Salvadoran woman seeking refuge from persecution on the basis of her transgender status.  
    • Bread for the City Legal Clinic: Six-month rotation providing representation and advice to low-income DC residents in landlord tenant disputes.
    • Successfully represented defendant charged with multiple homicides in state court proceedings.
    Accolades
    Memberships and Affiliations
    • South Asian Bar Association of Southern California   
    Previous Experience
    • The Walt Disney Company, Counsel, Corporate Legal: Distribution (2014-2015)

    Areas of Expertise

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