Mark Goodman

Mark Goodman

Partner
Baker & McKenzie LLP

Biography

Mark Goodman is a partner in the Firm's San Francisco office who serves as co-Chair of the firm’s North America Commercial Litigation group and is part of the North America Trial Team. Mark has led complex multidistrict litigation, handled class actions and tried cases in state and federal courts across the US for both domestic and international clients. Mark regularly presents on product liability, risk mitigation and cross-border disputes. Listed in Who's Who in American Law and a Fellow of the American Bar Association, Mark has been regularly recognized as a Northern California Super Lawyer, a member of the Legal 500 and as a member of the International Who's Who of Professionals.

Practice Focus

Mark's commercial litigation trial practice focus includes complex commercial disputes in various industries, including product liability (medical devices, pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals), breach of contract, fraud, breach of fiduciary duties, food labeling and insurance coverage and bad faith, including specialty insurance like representations and warranty insurance and trade credit insurance. Mark has successfully tried such cases throughout the country, acting as counsel in class actions and multidistrict litigation. His federal and state court appellate and trial experience also includes cross-border litigation and landmark California cases involving trademark, trade name, patent and copyright disputes, as well as other intellectual property, antitrust, privacy, fraud, real estate and sophisticated business litigation matters. He has handled litigation in matters involving insurance, real estate and contract disputes and intellectual property cases. At trial and through dispositive motions, Mark has managed numerous product liability, labeling, insurance, unfair competition, fraud and mass tort actions. Mark also regularly consults with clients on due diligence and liability issues relating to M&A transactions and asset sales.

Representative Legal Matters

Mark has recently handled the following matters:

  • Obtained judgment by a motion to dismiss on standing and jurisdiction grounds in a consumer class action alleging manufacturing defects, breach of warranty and false advertising under various states’ consumer protection statutes.
  • Obtained a verdict on breach of contract and fraud claims relating to medical device products.
  • Obtained dismissal with prejudice of a consumer class action in the Southern District of New York alleging false labeling and unfair business practices.
  • Successfully defeated class certification and obtained a dismissal in a consumer class action involving alleged mislabeling claims on over 100 products.
  • Obtained a jury verdict in a breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty case involving an investment in a pharmaceutical company.
  • Obtained summary judgment and an award of more than USD 600,000 in sanctions in an insurance bad faith case that was affirmed in full by the Ninth Circuit on appeal.
  • Obtained USD 10 million settlement of a USD 2 million insurance claim for the US subsidiary of a Japanese technology company.
  • Obtained dismissal of claims at trial against a Hong Kong-based client for patent infringement, theft of intellectual property and conversion.
  • Obtained summary judgment in a Montana federal court in relation to a bad faith case under an E&O insurance policy.
  • Won summary judgment and recovered over USD 2 million through a subsequent settlement in a breach of contract action in federal court in Montana.
  • Won summary judgment and obtained rescission of a broker/dealer E&O insurance policy in New York State Court after proving that the insured, who defrauded hundreds of its clients, committed fraud on an insurance policy application.

Professional Honors

  • Northern California Super Lawyers, 2005-2006 and 2008-2019
  • Leading Individual in Product Liability and Mass Tort Defense - Consumer Products, Legal 500 US, 2009-2010, 2015-2017

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • American Bar Association - Fellow
  • American Bar Association - Member
  • International Association of Defense Counsel - Member
  • Litigation and Intellectual Property Sections of the Bar Association of San Francisco - Member

Admissions

  • California
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit~United States
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit~United States
  • U.S. District Court, Central District of California~United States
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California~United States
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of California~United States
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of California~United States
  • U.S. District Court, District of Colorado~United States

Education

  • Loyola Marymount University (JD) (1991)
  • Pomona College (BA) (1987)

Languages

  • English
  • French

Co-author, “Plastic and Recyclability Litigation: Best Practices to Minimize Risk,” NACD BoardTalk, July 2022

Contributing author, International Arbitration Yearbook, Baker McKenzie, 2021

Co-author, "No Force Majeure Clause? Other Potential Options to Excuse Contractual Performance Under US Law in the Face of COVID-19," Baker McKenzie Insight, 6 March 2020

Co-author, "US: When Is Force Majeure Really Force Majeure?," Baker McKenzie Insight, 5 March 2020

Co-author, "Four Considerations for Developers of Next-Generation Combination Products," MPO, 4 March 2020

Co-author, "5 Key Issues Raised in Most CBD Product Class Actions," Law360, 16 January 2020