Joseph W. Cotchett

Practice Details

• Firm Information
  Position

  Managing Partner

  Firm Name

  Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP
• Representative Cases & Transactions
  Cases

  In the 1980s, Cotchett won mammoth judgments
  settlements for investors in white-collar fraud cases, with jury verdicts of more than $200 million arising out of the collapse of the Technical Equities Corp. in San Jose. He is known nationally as the lead trial lawyer for 23,000 plaintiffs in the Lincoln Savings & Loan Association/American Continental Corp. case in 1990 involving Charles Keating, his lawyers
  accountants in Tucson, Arizona. He won one of the then largest jury verdicts in US history, $3.3 billion. He obtained
  returned to senior citizens nearly $400 million in settlements from lawyers, accountants
  professionals caught in the sc
  al of the fraud.Cotchett has represented both the National Football League
  teams since the early 1980s in various legal actions. As trial counsel for E. & J. Gallo Winery, he won a celebrated defense jury verdict in a trade dress infringement case involving wine labels
  bottles produced by Gallo. The firm regularly represents Gallo in numerous matters.In the 1990s, Cotchett's cases included major fraud, mass torts
  environmental cases. He obtained a settlement for $25 million in relation to a qui tam suit involving the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine,
  a $96 million settlement from three defendants in a major antitrust action against the world’s largest producers of citric acid. He served as lead counsel representing writers, actors
  directors in the class-action suit challenging the use of net-profits contracts in the movie industry
  was named co-lead counsel for the bondholders in the bankruptcy of Orange County, California.In the 2000s, Cotchett served as chief trial counsel for Consumers Union, successfully defending the watchdog consumer group in a product disparagement
  defamation suit in Federal Court in Los Angeles. Isuzu Motors of Japan had sued Consumers Union for disparagement to the 1995-96 Trooper, claiming millions in damages. Following an eight-week trial, a jury ruled in favor of Consumers Union. Trial Lawyers for Public Justice honored Cotchett as Trial Lawyer of the Year in 2000 in honor of his “outst
  ing contribution to the public interest” through his work for Consumers Union. Also, in 2000, Consumer Attorneys of California gave Cotchett its “Presidential Award of Merit.” In 2004, he was the lead trial counsel in a product defamation case against Consumers Union. The jury ruled for Consumer Union in what was considered a major victory for a free press
  the First Amendment.Cotchett successfully represented the Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court
  the individual Justices along with the Judicial Council, in litigation brought against them by the New York Stock Exchange
  the National Association of Securities Dealers. The two Wall Street forces had filed suit against the Judicial Council challenging the State of California on establishing guidelines for arbitrators who hear complaints from investors in the state.In recent years, Cotchett has taken on major corporate entities
  Wall Street for financial fraud. He
  the firm are involved in litigation resulting from nearly every major corporate sc
  al including Enron, Worldcom, Global Crossing, Homestore.com, Qwest, Montana Power Company, Lehman, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs
  numerous others on behalf of private investors
  public pensions. The firm has represented the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, California State Teachers’ Retirement System,
  the University of California Board of Regents, along with numerous political subdivisions of the state, such as counties, cities,
  districts.
• Pro Bono Services
  Time Spent on Pro Bono Work: 25%
• Additional Links
  https://www.cpmlegal.com/