Wayne R. Gross

Partner

One of the nation’s top trial lawyers, Wayne Gross has been selected to serve as lead trial counsel by companies, executives, and celebrities in their highest-stakes litigation matters.  He has been repeatedly selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, including most recently being named “Lawyer of the Year – Litigation – Regulatory Enforcement” in Los Angeles by The Best Lawyers in America 2021 [Lawyer of the Year].  He has been named as one of the Top 100 lawyers in California by the Daily Journal [Top 100], and a “Winning Litigator” by the National Law Journal [Winning Litigator].

Wayne Gross is one of the very best trial lawyers in the entire country.
– Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean, UC Berkeley School of Law 

Mr. Gross is equally adept at representing plaintiffs and defendants.  Three of his trial verdicts have been listed as among the Top Plaintiff and Defense Verdicts of the Year in California.  In a Top Plaintiff Verdict of 2011, Mr. Gross and his team obtained a jury verdict of more than $50 million, including $34 million in punitive damages, in a case involving real estate development ventures in Hollywood, California [Law360 – How They Won It]. In a Top Defense Verdict of 2018, Mr. Gross and his team obtained a complete defense verdict on behalf of an AmLaw 200 law firm in a jury trial in which the plaintiffs sought approximately $600 million for alleged violations of civil RICO, fraud, and other torts [Top Defense Verdict].

Mr. Gross, a former federal prosecutor, devotes a part of his practice to internal investigations, corporate crisis management, and white collar defense.  Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Gross served as a supervisory federal prosecutor in Los Angeles and Orange County and prosecuted cases of national and international significance [Profile of Prosecutorial Career].  These included the UCI Fertility case, the Katarina Witt stalker case, and one of the first criminal trademark infringement cases brought to trial in Southern California.  His primary area of emphasis was financial fraud and health care fraud, for which he was presented with awards by two U.S. Attorneys General and the Director of the FBI.

Mr. Gross has appeared as a legal commentator on CNN, PBS, and Inside OC [Compilation of News Appearances].  He serves on the Board of Advisors for UC Irvine School of Law and has served as a law school adjunct professor at Loyola Law School.  He served as a law clerk to the Honorable Laughlin E. Waters of the United States District Court, Central District of California.

Mr. Gross served in 2013 as president of the Orange County Bar Association, the second largest bar association in the State of California.

Representative Matters

Civil Litigation

• Obtained defense jury verdict for defendant AmLaw 200 law firm in case seeking $600 million in damages for alleged violations of civil RICO, fraud, and other torts.
• Obtained defense jury verdict for defendant global engineering firm, and $8 million judgment on counterclaim, including $2 million in punitive damages.
• Obtained jury verdict of $50 million for real estate developer on counterclaim arising from repudiation of joint venture development project in Hollywood, California.
• Obtained defense verdict for television station and CEO against a former CEO alleging fraud and breach of contract.
• Obtained defense jury verdict for manufacturing company against former partner alleging fraud and breach of contract.
• Obtained dismissal of wage and hour class action in preliminary phase of litigation.
• Obtained dismissal of consumer class action in preliminary phase of litigation.
• Obtained consent decree against City and County of San Francisco to end dangerous and illegal conditions in the Tenderloin neighborhood and provide safe shelter to the unhoused.

Corporate Crisis and White Collar Defense

• Defense of former president of public company charged by the Federal Trade Commission with violating the FTC Act.
• Defense of principal of debt-settlement advertising company in investigation by the Federal Trade Commission.
• Defense of former CEO of failed bank in a lawsuit alleging gross negligence, filed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
• Defense of former CFO of a public company in a lawsuit alleging securities fraud filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
• Defense of Fortune 500 company in unfair business practices and false advertising matter.

Criminal Prosecution at U.S. Attorney’s Office

• Criminal trademark infringement trial against a defendant who manufactured and sold thousands of cans of counterfeit Similac infant formula to consumers throughout California.
• Criminal fraud trial against a defendant doctor who, along with his partners, practiced medicine at UCI and engaged in various schemes, including billing fraud, tax evasion, and misappropriation of human eggs and embryos.
• Criminal obscenity trial against a defendant who stalked an international figure skating star.
• Criminal fraud trial against two defendants who operated an insurance brokerage firm that fraudulently created and sold more than $15 million in counterfeit construction surety bonds.
• Criminal fraud trial against a defendant who engaged in a multimillion-dollar bank fraud scheme.

Awards & Recognition

• Lawyer of the Year – Litigation – Regulatory Enforcement in Los Angeles, The Best Lawyers in America 2021
• Top 100 Lawyers in California, Daily Journal
• Winning Litigators, National Law Journal
• Elite Boutique Trailblazer, National Law Journal
• Top Defense Verdicts of 2018, Daily Journal
• Top Plaintiff Verdicts of 2018, Daily Journal
• Top Ten California Verdicts for 2011, Daily Journal
• Listed, The Best Lawyers in America
• Listed, Super Lawyers

Professional & Community Activities

• President, OCBA Charitable Fund (2014)
• President, Orange County Bar Association (2013)
• Board of Directors, Goodwill of Orange County
• Board of Directors (Former), Association of Business Trial Lawyers
• Board of Directors (Former), Constitutional Rights Foundation
• Board of Directors (Former), Federal Bar Association, Orange County Chapter
• Adjunct Law Professor, Loyola Law School and Chapman Law School