Mr. Turovsky is the Codirector of Manatt’s National Commercial Litigation practice.  He is a highly experienced and effective commercial litigator.  He also is highly experienced and effective in litigation arising out of and involving government, politics, campaigns, and elections.

In commercial litigation Mr. Turovsky has handled a wide array of complex matters.  He has handled major complex litigation regarding  trade secret, unfair competition, entertainment, real estate and land use, ERISA, unfair competition, and other business contract and tort claims, in state court, federal court, and in arbitration.  He has also handled numerous appellate matters in the California Court of Appeal and the California Supreme Court.  His clients have included one of the largest food companies in the world, developers, motion picture production companies, prominent recording artists, large pension funds, real estate developers, professional partnerships, and other entities and individuals.  A sampling of the cases includes:

• Successfully defended a major international construction, engineering, and development firm against various contractual and tort claims in a multimillion-dollar, multiyear arbitration.  Obtained a binding arbitration defense award.
• Co-tried a tax dispute on behalf of various prominent recording artists against a state agency and successfully recovered a seven-figure judgment on their behalf.
• Prosecuted a trade secret case on behalf of a major global food company against another major global food company.  Matter settled on a confidential basis.
• Successfully defended a large pension trust against claims of breach of fiduciary duty, etc., under ERISA.  Case disposed of by summary judgment motions.
• Successfully defended a large pension trust in litigation arising from one of its real estate investments.  Case was dismissed on summary judgment motions, and all attorneys fees were recovered as prevailing party.
• Defended large pension trust in declaratory relief action brought against it by insurer seeking a declaration that there was no insurance coverage, and prosecuted on client’s behalf a cross-claim for bad faith denial of coverage.  Declaratory relief action and cross-claim resolved by substantial settlement payment to his client.
• Successfully defended employer in action by former employee seeking invalidation of contractual provisions.  Case dismissed on summary judgment.
• Successfully defended a motion picture production company against idea submission allegations.
• Successfully prosecuted a case on behalf of a motion picture production company for breach of contract against production company and producer.

In the government, politics, campaign, and election context, Mr. Turovsky again has handled a wide array of complex and often high-profile matters.  He has handled numerous litigation matters brought for and against political entities, such as the State of California, the City of Los Angeles, and commissions, agencies, and boards, in which the validity of governmental actions and legislation has been challenged.  He has represented individuals and entities in civil and administrative matters brought by the Federal Election Commission, the California Fair Political Practices Commission, and the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission.  He has filed numerous complaints with the California Fair Political Practices Commission and the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission.  He has filed and defended writ petitions in the trial court, Court of Appeal, and California Supreme Court challenging the validity of statewide and local ballot measures.  Mr. Turovsky also advises candidates and elected officials, as well as other participants in the electoral process, on federal, state, and local political, campaign, and election law issues.  He has helped form political action committees.  He has overseen reviews of ballots and has handled election contests.  A sampling of the cases and matters includes:

• Successfully defended constitutionality of statewide ballot initiative involving gaming from multiple preelection legal challenges filed by Indian tribes in the California Supreme Court and California Court of Appeal.
• Successfully defended constitutionality of statewide ballot initiative involving taxation from preelection legal challenge in the California Court of Appeal.
• Successfully defended entity charged with campaign law violations, where the issue was the amount of penalty to be imposed for the violations.  After trial before an Administrative Law Judge, successfully limited penalty to approximately 8% of amount sought by agency.
• Successfully defended elected official charged with campaign law violations, where the issue was the amount of penalty to be imposed for the violations.  Again, after trial before an Administrative Law Judge, successfully limited penalty to approximately 15% of amount sought by agency.
• Obtained writ of mandate compelling registrar of voters to credit disputed signatures gathered in support of local ballot measure.
• Successfully defended Water District in action alleging illegal expenditure of public funds.
• Has served as legal counsel for the Democratic National Committee and various individuals affiliated with the DNC in various litigation matters and investigations.
• Has served as campaign legal counsel for candidates for and individuals holding city, state, and federal elective office, including presidential candidates, a United states senator, a mayor of Los Angeles, a candidate for California governor, and a member of the Los Angeles City Council.  Served as California legal counsel for Clinton 1996 and Gore 2000.  Participated in postelection recount activities in Florida on behalf of Gore 2000.

University of California, Boalt Hall School of Law, J.D., 1983.
Associate Editor of the California Law Review.

Columbia University, Graduate School of Journalism, M.S., 1980.

University of California at Berkeley, A.B., 1979 (with Great Distinction in General Scholarship).

Elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for the Central, Northern, Southern and Eastern Districts of California, and the United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit.  Admitted to practice in California.

Past President, California Political Attorneys Association.

Past President, California Lexington Group, a political club.

Past Commissioner, Los Angeles City Redistricting Commission, 2002.

Member, Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo’s Transition Team, 2001.

Mr. Turovsky has been involved in management of Manatt throughout his more than 20 years at the firm.  He has served on the firm’s management committee, compensation committee, and intake and risk management committee, and was head of recruiting for many years.

Mr. Turovsky has written numerous opinion columns for the Los Angeles Times.  His other writings have appeared in the Los Angeles Daily Journal, the California Law Review, the Columbia Journalism Review, and the Los Angeles Reader.