Grant A. Davis-Denny

Profile

Grant Davis-Denny is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Munger, Tolles & Olson. Mr. Davis-Denny focuses his complex commercial litigation practice on legal malpractice defense, intellectual property litigation and antitrust litigation. He also provides compliance advice on state and local laws covering campaign finance, gifts to public officials and government procurements. In 2012, The Recorder named Mr. Davis-Denny as one of its "50 Lawyers on the Fast Track." The award recognizes California attorneys whose early accomplishments indicate they will be tomorrow’s top lawyers and leaders.

Examples of Mr. Davis-Denny’s recent matters include:

  • Successfully representing a law firm and two of its attorneys in a legal malpractice arbitration. The arbitration resulted in an award from the arbitrator and the dismissal of the plaintiff’s claims.
  • Defending an Am Law 100 law firm against multiple actions arising out of allegedly fraudulent tax advice in California, New York, Texas, Colorado and other jurisdictions around the country.
  • Successfully obtaining a favorable claim construction ruling and summary judgment of non-infringement for a software manufacturer accused of patent infringement in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. 
  • Representing technology companies in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in a patent infringement lawsuit related to web-enabled database management systems. The matter is stayed pending reexamination proceedings.
  • Representing a technology company in connection with a three-month jury trial involving multi-billion dollar antitrust claims against the world’s largest computer memory manufacturers. 
  • Representing the proponent of a California education financing measure in Sacramento County Superior Court, convincing the court to issue a temporary restraining order against the Secretary of State.
  • Successfully obtaining a favorable jury verdict in a $100 million copyright case for a movie producer and author in a Chicago federal trial.
  • Representing a pharmaceutical company against federal antitrust challenges to its drug pricing decisions, including a successful appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.

Mr. Davis-Denny maintains an active pro bono practice. Examples of his recent work include: 

  • Defending the constitutionality of Arizona’s Clean Elections Act in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court in McComish v. Bennett. 
  • Filing amicus curiae briefs on behalf of members of Congress, Common Cause and international election law scholars in the U.S. Supreme Court. 
  • Representing death-row inmates in obtaining an injunction against lethal injections in California based on the Department of Corrections’ failure to comply with the Administrative Procedures Act. The injunction was affirmed by the California Court of Appeal in Morales v. California Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation, 168 Cal.App.4th 729 (2008).

Mr. Davis-Denny has also served as a deputy city attorney for the Los Angeles city attorney’s office and tried three criminal cases to verdict. 

Mr. Davis-Denny is a member and former chair of the board of directors of California Common Cause. He is also a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Judicial Election Evaluation Committee.

Mr. Davis-Denny graduated from UCLA School of Law in 2003 where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and was a member of the UCLA Law Review. He was also a member of the Program in Public Interest Law and Policy. Prior to attending law school, Mr. Davis-Denny worked for elected officials Kathleen Sebelius (currently the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services) and Tom Torlakson (currently the California State Superintendent of Public Instruction).

Publications

  • Divergent Disclosure: The Value of Uniformity in State Campaign Finance Disclosure Laws, 4 Election Law Journal 282 (2005) (paper presented at the 2004 Midwest Political Science Association Conference)
  • The Constitutionality of Regulating Coordinated Issue Advocacy: A Reply to James Bopp, Jr. and Heidi K. Abegg’s The Developing Constitutional Standards for ‘Coordinated Expenditures’, 2 Election Law Journal 267 (2003)
  • Coercion in Campaign Finance Reform: A Closer Look at Footnote 65 of Buckley v. Valeo, 50 UCLA Law Review 205 (2002)

 

Grant Davis-Denny is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Munger, Tolles & Olson. Mr. Davis-Denny focuses his complex commercial litigation practice on legal malpractice defense, intellectual property litigation and antitrust litigation. He also provides compliance advice on state and local laws covering campaign finance, gifts to public officials and government procurements. In 2012, The Recorder named Mr. Davis-Denny as one of its "50 Lawyers on the Fast Track." The award recognizes California attorneys whose early accomplishments indicate they will be tomorrow’s top lawyers and leaders.

Examples of Mr. Davis-Denny’s recent matters include:

  • Successfully representing a law firm and two of its attorneys in a legal malpractice arbitration. The arbitration resulted in an award from the arbitrator and the dismissal of the plaintiff’s claims.
  • Defending an Am Law 100 law firm against multiple actions arising out of allegedly fraudulent tax advice in California, New York, Texas, Colorado and other jurisdictions around the country.
  • Successfully obtaining a favorable claim construction ruling and summary judgment of non-infringement for a software manufacturer accused of patent infringement in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. 
  • Representing technology companies in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in a patent infringement lawsuit related to web-enabled database management systems. The matter is stayed pending reexamination proceedings.
  • Representing a technology company in connection with a three-month jury trial involving multi-billion dollar antitrust claims against the world’s largest computer memory manufacturers. 
  • Representing the proponent of a California education financing measure in Sacramento County Superior Court, convincing the court to issue a temporary restraining order against the Secretary of State.
  • Successfully obtaining a favorable jury verdict in a $100 million copyright case for a movie producer and author in a Chicago federal trial.
  • Representing a pharmaceutical company against federal antitrust challenges to its drug pricing decisions, including a successful appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.

Mr. Davis-Denny maintains an active pro bono practice. Examples of his recent work include: 

  • Defending the constitutionality of Arizona’s Clean Elections Act in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court in McComish v. Bennett. 
  • Filing amicus curiae briefs on behalf of members of Congress, Common Cause and international election law scholars in the U.S. Supreme Court. 
  • Representing death-row inmates in obtaining an injunction against lethal injections in California based on the Department of Corrections’ failure to comply with the Administrative Procedures Act. The injunction was affirmed by the California Court of Appeal in Morales v. California Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation, 168 Cal.App.4th 729 (2008).

Mr. Davis-Denny has also served as a deputy city attorney for the Los Angeles city attorney’s office and tried three criminal cases to verdict. 

Mr. Davis-Denny is a member and former chair of the board of directors of California Common Cause. He is also a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Judicial Election Evaluation Committee.

Mr. Davis-Denny graduated from UCLA School of Law in 2003 where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and was a member of the UCLA Law Review. He was also a member of the Program in Public Interest Law and Policy. Prior to attending law school, Mr. Davis-Denny worked for elected officials Kathleen Sebelius (currently the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services) and Tom Torlakson (currently the California State Superintendent of Public Instruction).

Publications

  • Divergent Disclosure: The Value of Uniformity in State Campaign Finance Disclosure Laws, 4 Election Law Journal 282 (2005) (paper presented at the 2004 Midwest Political Science Association Conference)
  • The Constitutionality of Regulating Coordinated Issue Advocacy: A Reply to James Bopp, Jr. and Heidi K. Abegg’s The Developing Constitutional Standards for ‘Coordinated Expenditures’, 2 Election Law Journal 267 (2003)
  • Coercion in Campaign Finance Reform: A Closer Look at Footnote 65 of Buckley v. Valeo, 50 UCLA Law Review 205 (2002)