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JVC - News
Jassy Vick Carolan LLP Joins Amici Brief in Challenge to Executive Order Targeting Law Firms
April 2025 - Jassy Vick Carolan joined other firms in an amici brief supporting law firm Perkins Coie’s request for a permanent injunction against a recent executive order sanctioning Perkins Coie for its past representation of the President’s political opponents. Jassy Vick Carolan joined in the amici efforts to protect core First Amendment principles that are central to our firm’s values and to support the independence of the legal profession and the rule of law. A copy of the amici brief is available here. A copy of the list of firms joining in the amici brief is available here.
Goller selected a member of The 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Entertainment, Sports & Media Lawyers
March 2025 - Karlene Goller was selected a member of The 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Entertainment, Sports & Media Lawyers in the field of Media, First Amendment, Public Records. Lawdragon selected its members through its "process combining journalistic research, discussion with peers and other knowledgeable sources and an abundance of nominations."
Firm Attorneys Active at ABA Forum on Communications Law Conference
February 2025 - Several JVC attorneys played active leadership roles at the American Bar Association Forum on Communications Law's annual conference in Austin, Texas. Jordyn Ostroff was on the committee that ran a media advocacy workshop training new media lawyers. She also served on a panel along with Kevin Vick discussing hot issues in anti-SLAPP law nationwide. Jean-Paul Jassy moderated a panel on developments in libel and privacy law, including in the artificial intelligence (AI) space, and he served on the media advocacy workshop's faculty.
Stanford Confirms It Won't Discipline Firm Client Dilan Gohill, A Student Reporter For The Stanford Daily
January 2025 - Stanford University finally confirmed that it will not discipline Dilan Gohill, a student reporter for the University's newspaper, The Stanford Daily. Last June, Gohill was doing his job as a reporter covering a protest on campus when he was arrested along with protestors. The University threatened to discipline Gohill, but backed down completely. Jean-Paul Jassy is one of a team of lawyers representing Dilan's interests. An article about the development can be found here.
Jassy Speaks on New York State Bar Association Panel re Docudramas
January 2025 - Jean-Paul Jassy served as a panelist for the Entertainment, Arts & Sports Law Section of the New York State Bar Association's Annual Meeting. The title of the panel was "Fact or Fiction: Legal Issues in Docudramas."
Jordyn Ostroff Promoted To Of Counsel Position
December 2024 - The Firm is delighted to announce that Jordyn Ostroff is promoted to the position of Of Counsel. "Jordyn is truly an outstanding lawyer in every capacity. Whether she is writing briefs, arguing at hearings, or on calls with clients, Jordyn performs at the highest levels of advocacy, diligence, professionalism and integrity. We are so lucky she's on our team," said Jean-Paul Jassy.
Jassy Vick Carolan Secures Anti-SLAPP Victory for California State University, Los Angeles
December 2024 - Kevin Vick, Jean-Paul Jassy and Nicholas Hartmann represented The Board of Regents for the California State University in a successful anti-SLAPP motion resulting in the striking of the plaintiff’s claims for workplace harassment, defamation, and infliction of emotional distress. The claims were brought by a professor at California State University, Los Angeles against the school, another professor at the school, and the California Faculty Association. Jassy Vick Carolan subsequently obtained a significant fees award for the client under the anti-SLAPP statute.
Jean-Paul Jassy Elevated to Vice President of Defense Counsel Section of Media Law Organization
November 2024 - Jean-Paul Jassy was elevated to Vice President of the Defense Counsel Section of the Media Law Resource Center, an organization of lawyers dedicated to the defense of journalists and the media.
Jassy Vick Carolan LLP Again Gets Top Rankings in Best Law Firms
November 2024 - After a comprehensive peer review process, Jassy Vick Carolan LLP has been named again nationally as a Tier 1 (highest tier) law firm in the fields of First Amendment Litigation and Media Law by Best Law Firms, a publication of Best Lawyers. The Firm was also recognized as Tier 1 in the same fields in Los Angeles, as well as in insurance law, and Tier 1 in media law in San Francisco.
Firm Assists ABC News to Secure Access to Records In People v. Woodward Matter
October 2024 - Kevin Vick and Jean-Paul Jassy represented ABC News in seeking, and securing, access to sealed court records from the high-profile trial of Samuel Woodward, convicted of murdering his former high school classmate Blaze Bernstein.
Jassy Named By His Peers as "Lawyer of the Year" In the Field of Media Law
August 2024 - Jean-Paul Jassy was selected by his peers and Best Lawyers in America® as the Los Angeles "Lawyer of the Year" in the field of Media Law. This follows six other "Lawyer of the Year" honors in the fields of First Amendment Law and Litigation - First Amendment.
Jean-Paul Jassy Serves As a Panelist on Panel Discussing First Amendment Issues
August 2024 - Jean-Paul Jassy served on a panel discussing recent developments on First Amendment Law for the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Entertainment Law and Intellectual Property Section.
District of Columbia Court Says JVC Copyright Case Against The Daily Caller May Proceed
August 2024 - Kevin Vick, Jean-Paul Jassy, and Jordyn Ostroff defeated a motion to dismiss a complaint they filed on behalf of Real World Media LLC, alleging claims under the Copyright Act and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act against The Daily Caller in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The complaint alleges that The Daily Caller, a media company co-founded by Tucker Carlson, infringed Real World Media's copyrights when it copied large portions of videos Real World Media produced concerning newsworthy law enforcement events and posted them to The Daily Caller's YouTube and Facebook pages. The United States District Court for the District of Columbia denied The Daily Caller's motion to dismiss in full. JVC also defeated The Daily Caller's motion to refer Real World Media's copyright registrations to the Register of Copyrights for a determination of whether the registrations are valid, concluding that The Daily Caller failed to establish that Real World Media's copyright registrations contained any knowing errors. A copy of the order is located here.
Jassy Vick Carolan LLP Wins Anti-SLAPP Motion Against Major Law Firm
July 2024 - With briefing and oral argument by Jordyn Ostroff, JVC secured an anti-SLAPP victory on behalf of highly successful attorney Thomas E. Bosworth and his law firm Bosworth Law, LLC. Mr. Bosworth's former employer, Kline & Specter, PC, a large Philadelphia personal injury law firm, sued Mr. Bosworth, claiming that his viral TikTok video commentary about his ongoing legal disputes with Kline & Specter in Pennsylvania courts violated TikTok's terms of service. The court granted the anti-SLAPP motion in full, concluding that Kline & Specter was not a third-party beneficiary to Mr. Bosworth's agreement with TikTok. In addition to Ms. Ostroff, JVC's Jean-Paul Jassy and Kevin Vick handled the case. Media coverage can be found here.
JVC Wins Defamation Case for Podcast in D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals
June 2024 - The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled in favor of JVC clients Verizon, Yahoo and award-winning journalist Michael Isikoff, affirming a district court decision dismissing defamation and related claims concerning the Conspiracyland podcast. Jean-Paul Jassy briefed and argued the case, working on the team was William Um.
JVC Defeats Subpoena For Footage of Alec Baldwin From New Mexico Prosecutor
June 2024 - Jean-Paul Jassy and Jeff Payne brought a successful motion to quash a subpoena issued by a New Mexico prosecutor concerning a shooting death on the set of the film Rust. The prosecutor sought unpublished footage from JVC client Moxie Films, a production company co-founded by Primetime Emmy-award winning journalist Rory Kennedy. The court's order quashing the subpoena can be found here.
Jassy Vick Carolan LLP Secures Anti-SLAPP Victory for Paramount in False Advertising Case
June 2024 - Jordyn Ostroff, Kevin Vick and Jean-Paul Jassy prevailed on an anti-SLAPP motion filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of Paramount, Black Entertainment Television, and the production companies behind the reality television series, "College Hill: Celebrity Edition." The court granted the motion in full, concluding that the plaintiff was unable to succeed on his claims related to whether the defendants had falsely advertised that a fight between two cast members would be shown in the series. The Superior Court's order is located here.
Firm and Attorneys Ranked by Chambers and Partners
June 2024 - The Firm and its three name partners have been ranked by the prestigious Chambers and Partners. Of the nine lawyers in California ranked in the field of Media & Entertainment: First Amendment Litigation, three are Jassy, Vick and Carolan, the most from any firm in California. Jassy is also ranked nationally in the field of First Amendment Litigation, and the Firm is also ranked for Media & Entertainment Litigation in California.
Vick and Jassy Moderate a Panel on Defamation and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
April 2024 - Kevin Vick and Jean-Paul Jassy co-moderated a panel on defamation and
artificial intelligence (AI) at Media & the Law Seminar conference in Kansas City, MO.
Nicholas Hartmann Joins Firm
March 2024 - Jassy Vick Carolan LLP is excited to announce that Nick Hartmann has
joined the firm as an associate. Nick earned his JD from UC Irvine School of Law,
clerked for federal judges in the Southern District of New York and the Sixth Circuit
Court of Appeals, and worked for large prestigious firms before joining JVC. “We are
thrilled to have Nick join our practice,” said Jean-Paul Jassy. “He is a brilliant attorney, a
powerful advocate, and a genuinely good person.”
Jassy Speaks to Los Angeles Copyright Society About Trends In Ninth Circuit
Law
March 2024 - Jean-Paul Jassy spoke on a panel to the Los Angeles Copyright Society
about trends in the Ninth Circuit concerning motions to dismiss.
Jean-Paul Jassy Facilitates a Panel on the Reporter's Privilege at ABA Conference
February 2024 - Jean-Paul Jassy facilitated a panel titled "Hot Issues on Reporter's Privilege" at the annual conference of the American Bar Association Forum on Communications Law.
JVC Prevails for USA Today Reporter, Defeating Two Subpoenas From Louisiana
February 2024 - JVC attorneys Jean-Paul Jassy, Jordyn Ostroff and Meghan Fenzel, representing USA Today investigative reporter Kenny Jacoby who broke a story about alleged sexual misconduct in the University of Louisiana system, successfully stopped a subpoena for records and a deposition subpoena. The court's two decisions can be found here and here.
JVC Files Lawsuit on Behalf of High School Teacher and Student Journalists Alleging Censorship
February 2024 - Jean-Paul Jassy, Kevin Vick, Jeffrey Payne, and Jordyn Ostroff filed a lawsuit on behalf of a teacher and current and former students of Mountain View High School ("MVHS") against MVHS's principal and the Mountain View-Los Altos School District. The lawsuit alleges that Principal Kip Glazer exercised illegal and undue pressure on student journalists to censor an article in the student newspaper, The Oracle, about alleged sexual harassment at MVHS. It also alleges that Glazer then retaliated against The Oracle's advisor by removing her from her position as advisor and cutting the school's Introduction to Journalism course.
Ostroff Authors Article on Student's First Amendment Case Against U.S. Department of Agriculture
January 2024 - Jordyn Ostroff wrote an article published in The Daily Journal about a former Los Angeles student's challenge to a federal statute prohibiting national school lunch program participants from "directly or indirectly restrict[ing] the sale or marketing of fluid milk products." When the student's high school conditioned permission for the student to to distribute anti-dairy educational materials on campus on the student's simultaneous distribution of pro-dairy materials, the student sued the school district, district officials, and the USDA for violation of her First Amendment rights. Although she has since settled with the school district and officials, who now acknowledge students' lawful right to criticize dairy on campus, her lawsuit against the USDA continues in Williamson, et al. v. United States Department of Agriculture, Case No. 2:23-cv-03307-FMO-E (C.D. Cal.). The USDA has moved to dismiss, contending the former student lacks standing to challenge the statute.
Amicus Brief Helps Secure FOIA Summary Judgment Win
December 2023 - Meghan Fenzel (of JVC), Vickie Baranetsky, and Dara Gray co-authored an amicus brief on behalf of the Center for Investigative Reporting that contributed to a FOIA win at summary judgment for the Plaintiff in John Lindsay-Poland v. United States Department of Justice in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. CIR's amicus brief detailed how the DOJ and ATF had thus far denied 80 FOIA requests that should have been granted under the controlling CIR v. DOJ Ninth Circuit precedent, which raised broader rule of law issues and exemplified the growing problem of FOIA exemption creep.
Jassy Vick Carolan LLP Files Brief For Amici Curiae In NetChoice Cases Pending Before U.S. Supreme Court
December 2023 - Jean-Paul Jassy and Meghan Fenzel filed an amicus brief on behalf of Internet Works, Glassdoor, LLC, Indeed, Inc., Mozilla Corporation, Nextdoor, Inc., Pinterest, Inc., Tripadvisor, LLC, Tumblr, Inc., and Vimeo, Inc. in the Supreme Court cases Moody v. NetChoice, et al. and NetChoice et al. v. Paxton. The brief argues that not only are the Florida and Texas social media laws unconstitutional under the First Amendment, but they also pose unique harms to the First Amendment rights of smaller- and mid-sized platforms to moderate and curate interest-based communities.
Jassy Receives Jack Bates Award For Distinguished Service To The California Press
December 2023 - The California Press Foundation gave Jean-Paul Jassy its 2023 Jack Bates Award for Jassy's distinguished service to the California Press through effective leadership in addressing newspaper challenges and assisting journalism education.
Jassy Serves on Panel for Practicing Law Institute Discussing Newsgathering
November 2023 - Jean-Paul Jassy served on a panel, and co-author of written materials, on newsgathering for the Practicing Law Institute’s Communications Law in the Digital Age conference.
Jassy Vick Carolan LLP Again Gets Top Rankings in Best Law Firms
November 2023 - After a comprehensive peer review process, Jassy Vick Carolan LLP has been named again nationally as a Tier 1 (highest tier) law firm in the fields of First Amendment Litigation and Media Law by Best Law Firms, a publication of Best Lawyers. The Firm was also recognized as Tier 1 in the same fields in Los Angeles, as well as in insurance law, and Tier 1 in media law in San Francisco.
Jassy Vick Carolan LLP Appellate Victory in Anti-SLAPP Cross-Appeal
October 2023 - Jean-Paul Jassy and Jeffrey Payne successfully appealed a discounted anti-SLAPP attorneys’ fees award in connection with a law firm’s independent investigation of workplace-misconduct complaints at the California State University. Following the plaintiffs’ voluntary dismissal of their complaint after defendants filed their anti-SLAPP motion, the trial court held that defendants would only have been partially successful on motion and entered a partial fees award under the anti-SLAPP statute. In a published opinion, following argument by Jeffrey Payne in the Second District of the California Court of Appeal, the court concluded that defendants’ anti-SLAPP motion would have been entirely successful and remanded with instructions for the trial court to award all of the fees defendants had requested.
Police Internal Affairs Records Ordered Disclosed in Public Records Act Case Involving Police Use of Force
September 2023 - Duffy Carolan representing The Marin Independent Journal secures important victory in matter of first impression under the California Public Records Act and police transparency laws enacted in 2018 involving disclosure of police internal affairs records pertaining to police use of force causing great bodily injury. The Superior Court order requiring the City of San Rafael to disclose its records is here. See also Marin IJ wins lawsuit for San Rafael police arrest file.
Jassy, Carolan and Um Listed Again in The Best Lawyers in America®
August 2023 - Jean-Paul Jassy, Duffy Carolan and William Um were listed again in The Best Lawyers in America®, a peer-selected honor. Carolan has been listed since 2008, and was recognized in the fields of Litigation - First Amendment and Media Law. Jassy has been listed since 2011, and was recognized in the fields of First Amendment Law, Litigation - First Amendment and Media Law. Um has been listed since 2017, and was recognized in the field of Insurance Law.
Firm Secures Victory in Public Records Act Case over Fire Engine Detour to Pink Poodle Bikini Bar Caught on Video
July 2023 - Duffy Carolan representing The Mercury News secured an order under the Public Records Act commanding the City of San Jose to turn over investigatory and disciplinary records pertaining to an incident involving a fire engine crew traveling outside of an area of service and stopping in front of a bar known as the Pink Poodle, where a bikini clad women is captured on video exiting the engine, and then to the area of another adult entertainment establishment. A fire captain was demoted in connection with the incident. The Superior Court’s order is here, and the paper’s reporting on the matter can be seen here.
Payne Elected to Los Angeles Copyright Society Board of Trustees
June 2023 - Jeffrey Payne was elected to the Board of Trustees for the Los Angeles Copyright Society, a members-only organization of attorneys who practice in copyright, trademark, communications, and related areas. LACS’s members include outside lawyers and lawyers at motion picture studios, media companies, and other corporations and entities dealing with intellectual property.
Jassy Vick Carolan LLP Secures Victory in Defamation Suit Regarding Emmy Award Winning Docuseries Making a Murderer
March 2023 - Kevin Vick and Meghan Fenzel brought a successful motion for summary judgment on behalf of clients Laura Ricciardi, Moira Demos and Chrome Media, the filmmakers behind the Emmy Award winning Netflix docuseries Making a Murderer. In granting summary judgment and dismissing the plaintiff’s defamation and emotional distress claims, United States District Court Judge Brett H. Ludwig of the Eastern District of Wisconsin explained that, “Colborn’s turn in Making a Murderer may not have been to his liking, but that does not make it defamatory. Few aspire to enter the cultural zeitgeist on such controversial terms. That possibility, though, is a necessary byproduct of the freedom of press that the First Amendment protects. If media could portray us only at our best, we would be a country of antiseptic caricatures, and less intelligent for it. We have not sunken so low just yet.” A copy of the District Court’s opinion is available here. Press coverage of the decision is available here, here, and here.
Jassy Quoted in Front Page Article of New York Times As First Amendment Expert
January 2023 - Jean-Paul Jassy was quoted in the New York Times by reporters Jeremy W. Peters and Nicole Sperling in an article titled "'Based on a True Story' (Except the Parts That Aren't)." Jassy discussed legal issues concerning docudramas.
Jassy Vick Carolan Secures Appellate Victory in SLAPP Case for Palo Alto Weekly
January 2023 - Duffy Carolan secured an appellate court victory for client Palo Alto Weekly in SLAPP case where the Sixth District Court of Appeal upheld a trial court order dismissing a lawsuit against the paper filed by a candidate for a local school board who claim the paper’s coverage of his background and qualifications for office defamed him. The court held that the plaintiff failed to submit any admissible evidence to counter the paper’s evidence showing that the reporting was substantially true and published without the requisite degree of fault—constitutional malice. View Article. View Opinion.
Jassy and Vick Named Again to Super Lawyers - Southern California Edition
January 2023 - Kevin Vick and Jean-Paul Jassy were named again to the Southern California edition of Super Lawyers, following a peer-nominated, peer-reviewed and independently researched process to find the top 5% of attorneys in Southern California. Jassy is listed in the fields of Media & Advertising, General Litigation and Intellectual Property Litigation; and Vick is listed in the fields of Intellectual Property Litigation, Business Litigation, Media & Advertising and Entertainment & Sports.
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