Overview
Blanca Young is a trial lawyer who handles high stakes matters for corporate clients. She has extensive experience litigating intellectual property disputes, False Claim Act matters and other complex cases.
Recognized by the National Law Journal as a “Winning Litigator,” by The Recorder as an Entertainment Lawyer of The Year Finalist and by the Daily Journal among “Top Women Lawyers,” Blanca has tried cases to juries, judges and arbitrators in a wide range of substantive areas.
Experience
Intellectual Property and Entertainment Litigation
Clients turn to Blanca for representation in significant intellectual property disputes. She has represented movie and television studios, recording companies, streaming services, video game companies and entertainment trade associations in disputes related to copyright, trademark and patent infringement, and the exercise of their First Amendment rights.
Netflix – defense verdict against one plaintiff and minimal damages against another in a jury trial on behalf of Netflix in an invasion of privacy case arising from the documentary “Our Father” (2024).
Netflix – dismissal of a putative class action lawsuit against Netflix alleging that the series “Thirteen Reasons Why” caused suicides in young people who watched the show.
Disney – judgment for Disney in a jury trial alleging copyright infringement of facial motion capture technology used in “Beauty and the Beast” (2023).
Movie studios – a $62.4 million jury verdict for movie studios in a mass piracy case against VidAngel, a movie streaming service (2019). The result was honored as a Daily Journal Top Verdict and earned Blanca a place on the National Law Journal’s list of Winning Litigators.
Television producer – a defense verdict in a bench trial for a producer of a true crime series against a now-convicted criminal who sought to block the producer’s investigative journalism into the fraud perpetrated by Amanda Riley of “Scamanda” fame
Kite Pharmaceuticals – successful defense of the company (a subsidiary of Gilead Sciences, Inc.) against accusations that Kite’s life-saving blood cancer treatment Yescarta infringed patents held by Juno Therapeutics (2019).
PNC Bank in a jury trial related to patents on mobile check deposit technology (2022).
Investigations and False Claims Act Litigation
Blanca frequently represents corporations and executives in government and internal investigations, and in litigation under the False Claims Act. She has handled such matters for clients in a range of industries including financial services, insurance, education, railroad, defense and energy. She is a frequent speaker and author on the False Claims Act.
Municipality – represented municipality in False Claims Act litigation alleging misuse of federal housing funds.
Government contractor – secured summary judgment on behalf of a government contractor responsible for evaluating the integrity of data collected by another contractor at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco.
National laboratory – secured summary judgment on behalf of a national laboratory accused of whistleblower retaliation.
University – represented a university in connection with the nationwide “Varsity Blues” controversy arising from a college consultant’s fraudulent activities to secure colleges admissions by misrepresenting applicants as student athletes.
Higher education – represented a major educational institution and its CEO in numerous government investigations and in multiple government and private lawsuits related to compliance with Higher Education Act requirements.
Insurance – represented an insurance company in a series of qui tam matters alleging fraud in connection with the adjustment of claims in the aftermath of major hurricanes.
More
- Recorder Entertainment Lawyer of The Year Finalist, 2025
- “Top Women Lawyers,” Daily Journal, 2024, 2025
- “Winning Litigator,” The National Law Journal, 2020
- Award of Merit for her efforts to secure funding for San Francisco’s courts during a time of fiscal crisis, Bar Association of San Francisco, 2011
- Advisory board member, Federal Bar Association’s Qui Tam Section
- Past co-chair, ABA Section of Litigation’s Trial Practice and Trial Evidence Committees
- Past member, San Francisco Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral and Information Service Committee
- Past member, San Francisco Bar Association’s Judiciary Committee
Publications
- Author, “A Peek into the Black Box of Jury Deliberations, ABA Newsletter, July 30, 2024
Speaking Engagements
- Speaker, Preparing for Qui Tam Cases in Federal Bar Association Panel, October 9, 2024
- Panelist, Federal Bar Association “False Claims Act Today,” May 15, 2017
- Moderator, “Government Dismissals and the Granston Memo, Federal Bar Association Qui Tam Section Roundtable
- Moderator, “Working Effectively with Experts,” ABA Section of Litigation Roundtable, May 11, 2016
