About Nick Kurtz - Senior Attorney
Nick is originally from Pennsylvania and ventured to Washington, DC for college (American University) where he was a Presidential Scholarship recipient, a member of the School of Public Affairs Leadership Program, and a Colonial Athletic Association Scholar Athlete with the nationally ranked Division I varsity soccer team. After a couple of years in the sports and event management business, he moved to Los Angeles to attend Loyola Law School. While there, he was given a chance as a law clerk by none other than Jim Ryan, leading to Nick’s first job out of law school. Jim and Nick worked together for several years before Nick returned to the east coast and eventually moved to Chicago. In addition to his California practice, Nick has also litigated matters and represented clients in Virginia, D.C., and Illinois.
In his spare time, Nick competes in a bocce league, plays golf, and enjoys finding new spots for food and drink.
Nick specializes in intellectual property, brand and reputation protection, entertainment, and complex business litigation matters. He has handled matters for clients throughout the country and was selected for inclusion as a Rising Star in the 2009 and 2015 editions of Southern California Super Lawyers and 2012 Virginia Super Lawyers.
Education
- Loyola Law School – Los Angeles, CA – JD
- American University – Washington, D.C. – BA
Admissions
- State Bar of California
- State Bar of Illinois
- United States District Court – Central District of California
- United States District Court – Northern District of California
- United States District Court – Colorado District Court
- United States District Court – Northern District of Illinois
- United States District Court – Eastern District of Virginia
- United States District Court – Western District of Virginia
- United States District Court – Eastern District of Wisconsin
Notable Success
- In 2019-2020, he led the federal trademark litigation for Zuru brand toys and Flexfit brand hats against foreign counterfeiters, resulting in numerous permanent injunctions and collections of more than $2 million.
- In 2018, he prevailed in a Cook County Circuit Court defamation and false light case resulting in a six-figure jury verdict (Ladao v. Faits, No. 2016 L 004625).
- In 2016, he assisted the trial team in obtaining a $140 million jury verdict for Hulk Hogan against Gawker. (Bollea v. Clem, et al., Pinellas County Circuit Court Case No. 12012447-CI-011)
- In 2010-2012, he directed multiple copyright infringement cases on behalf of film rights holders, including for Academy Award winning film The Hurt Locker, resulting in published decisions and millions of dollars in collections.
- In 2006, he was awarded Rule 11 sanctions in securing the dismissal of a corporate defendant related to a promotional campaign of former Beach Boys artist Brian Wilson in a British newspaper (Mike Love v. The Mail on Sunday, et al., C.D. Cal. Case No. CV05-7798 ABC (PJWx)).
