Dennis C. Crovella

Dennis leads Cooley’s resource development and knowledge management strategy for the commercial litigation practice group, where he is responsible for leveraging the firm’s resources, internal knowledge and legal technology to facilitate the efficient and consistent handling of litigation matters.

Across his career, Dennis has handled a range of litigation matters, including billion-dollar multidistrict litigation, real estate disputes, shareholder lawsuits, arbitration proceedings, and private and public nuisance actions.

Dennis’ representative experience includes:

• Securing a bench trial win for Rancho Valencia Resort Partners in a lawsuit initiated by homeowners living near the defendant’s five-star resort; the plaintiffs claimed that events hosted on the hotel property violated private nuisance and tort laws and sought to enjoin such events and recover damages, but the court issued a complete win for the defendant, denying the request for an injunction and determining the remaining claims were without merit – the judgment was affirmed on appeal in Mendez v. Rancho Valencia Resort Partners, LLC, 3 Cal. App. 5th 248 (2016)
• Obtaining a unanimous jury verdict in favor of Ernest Rady, a prominent San Diego business leader, real estate developer and philanthropist, who was sued by family members seeking $272 million in damages over a purported contract to buy out their shares in American Assets, a family-owned corporation founded by Rady 40+ years ago; the plaintiffs also sought to compel judicial dissolution of the company – the Daily Journal selected the result as a Top Verdict
• Winning a complete victory at the summary judgment stage for a managed care organization in a multidistrict Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) class action brought by physician providers seeking billions of dollars in damages 
• Attaining full dismissals at the demurrer stage in multiple lawsuits for a private equity real estate firm relating to syndicated tenant in common (TIC) arrangements
• Prevailing in an arbitration over claims brought by a real estate developer relating to the enforcement of a settlement agreement resolving prior environmental contamination litigation
• Achieving a complete victory, including an award of fees and costs, in an arbitration over buyout rights involving several local hotels
• Representing the former owner of commercial property in a breach of contract action claiming lost profits based on an allegedly delayed redevelopment project
• Defending one of the nation’s largest residential apartment developers in a $20 million breach of contract and governance suit brought by a co-founder and negotiating a “walk-away” settlement in which the company paid nothing and obtained dismissal with prejudice of all claims against it
• Providing legal representation for a diversified national commercial developer of hotels in numerous land-use disputes related to its efforts to develop a 3-million-square-foot, $1.3 billion mixed-use development on the San Diego waterfront
• Handling a case for a prominent San Diego business owner in complex trust litigation involving decades of estate planning and numerous foreign jurisdictions
• Representing a winery in litigation relating to the sale of a wine brand, including intellectual property and real estate assets