Practice Expertise

  • Products Liability Law
  • Litigation
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Areas of Practice

  • Litigation
  • Products Liability Law
  • Class Actions
  • Mortgage Lending

WSG Practice Industries

WSG Leadership

  • Banking & Finance Group - Member

Profile

Oren Bitan has an extensive legal background that includes business, real estate, banking, receivership, consumer product, and commercial litigation.  Mr. Bitan is known for his ability to solve complex business disputes for his clients in a strong but practical manner.  He is a trusted advisor who guides his clients through their day to day legal concerns, and has particular expertise in matters involving real estate, banking and lending, creditors’ rights, wine, beer, liquor, cannabis, and intellectual property.

Representative clients include banks and financial institutions, private lenders, state and federal receivers, private investors and investment funds, private equity groups, real property developers, breweries, wineries, distilleries, cannabis businesses, consumer products companies, and corporate entities large and small.

Mr. Bitan is co-chair of Buchalter’s Cannabis Industry Law Group and advises cannabis businesses on a wide variety of issues, including regulatory advice, banking, lending, financing, intellectual property, receivership, real property development and leasing, and assembling teams of attorneys to provide corporate and employment advice.  Representative clients include vertically integrated companies, brands, retailers, distributors, cultivators, manufacturers, investment funds, secured lenders, factors, equipment lessors, and IP licensors.

His practice experience includes:

  • Receivers, Provisional Directors and other Remedies
  • Commercial Real Estate Solutions
  • Commercial, Corporate and Business Solutions
  • Litigation
  • Alternatives to Bankruptcy including Assignments for the Benefit of Creditors
  • Intellectual Property and Technology Related Issues

Mr. Bitan is also an experienced appellate lawyer and has successfully argued numerous times before the California Court of Appeal and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.  Representative matters include:

  • Crossroads Investors, L.P. v. Federal National Mortgage Assn. (2017) 13 Cal.App.5th 757, in which Mr. Bitan successfully petitioned the California Supreme Court to reverse an order denying an anti-SLAPP motion, which resulted in an order striking claims for wrongful foreclosure and fraud. This resulted in a published decision creating new law regarding “mixed” causes of action under California’s anti-SLAPP statute.
  • Integrated Dynamic Solutions, Inc. v. VitaVet Labs, Inc. (2017) 6 Cal. App. 5th 1178, in which Mr. Bitan successfully upheld a mandatory preliminary injunction requiring the turn-over of source code, among other things, and which resulted in a unanimous published opinion.
  • Randles Films, LLC v. Echo Bridge Entertainment, LLC, et. al, 2014 U.S. App. LEXIS 30 (9th Cir. Jan. 2, 2014), in which Mr. Bitan successfully defended a judgment he obtained in a copyright infringement dispute involving a motion picture.
  • Solomon v. US Bank Nat’l Ass’n, 2011 Cal. App. Unpub. LEXIS 9917 (Dec. 28, 2011, No. E052462), in which Mr. Bitan successfully defended an order granting an anti-SLAPP motion he filed in the Superior Court striking claims made against his client.
  • Giorgio v. Synergy Management Group, LLC, 231 Cal.App.4th 241 (2014), which resulted in a published opinion. Mr. Bitan successfully defended a judgment against his client’s former employee.

Prior to law school, Mr. Bitan launched H.I.Q.I. (Hit It ‘n Quit It) Media, a film distribution company specializing in documentaries. Notable films he distributed were the Radiohead documentary Meeting People Is Easy, the Academy Award winning documentary The Long Way Home, and the Oscar nominated film The Farm. Mr. Bitan has repeatedly spoken at film festivals and conferences around the world and has been featured in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, Daily Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and on CNN.

Mr. Bitan has been recognized as a Southern California Rising Star by Super Lawyers from 2013-2017. Prior to joining Buchalter, Mr. Bitan was an associate with a global law firm.

Bar Admissions

  • California

Education

  • Loyola Law School
  • University of Southern California

Areas of Practice

  • Litigation
  • Products Liability Law
  • Class Actions
  • Mortgage Lending

Professional Career

Significant Accomplishments
  • Secured the first ever receiver sale of a cannabis license. At auction, a licensed California cannabis business, The Guild San Jose’s, assets were sold to San Diego based retail chain Urbn Leaf for $8.25M
  • Crossroads Investors, L.P. v. Federal National Mortgage Assn. (2017) 13 Cal.App.5th 757, in which Mr. Bitan successfully petitioned the California Supreme Court to reverse an order denying an anti-SLAPP motion, which resulted in an order striking claims for wrongful foreclosure and fraud. This resulted in a published decision creating new law regarding “mixed” causes of action under California’s anti-SLAPP statute.
  • Integrated Dynamic Solutions, Inc. v. VitaVet Labs, Inc. (2017) 6 Cal. App. 5th 1178, in which Mr. Bitan successfully upheld a mandatory preliminary injunction requiring the turn-over of source code, among other things, and which resulted in a unanimous published opinion.
  • Randles Films, LLC v. Echo Bridge Entertainment, LLC, et. al, 2014 U.S. App. LEXIS 30 (9th Cir. Cal. Jan. 2, 2014), served as appellate counsel in which the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court judgment obtained, defeating appeal by defendants.
  • Randles Films, LLC v. Echo Bridge Entertainment, LLC, et. al, Case 2:10-cv-03909-SJO -SS: Lead trial counsel in a seven day copyright infringement trial on behalf of an independent film producer against unauthorized distributors of the motion picture Torture Room.
  • Successfully argued an Anti-SLAPP motion at the trial court and appellate court level with an award of attorneys’ fees in a matter involving a real estate dispute.
  • Lead counsel in an unfair competition and false advertising suit involving consumer products that resulted in victory following the filing of a successful summary judgment motion
  • Successfully litigated profit participation dispute involving royalties derived from the distribution of television programs.
  • Represented creator of graphic novels in copyright infringement dispute.
  • Represented major brewer in acquisition of beverage company.
  • Represented whiskey distiller in licensing celebrity spokesmen and launching new brand.
  • Advised wineries, distilleries, and breweries in the area of beverage law and regulation.




Articles

Additional Articles
  • Ninth Circuit bars cannabis companies from pursuing RICO claims
  • Cannabis Receiverships: A Viable Alternative to Bankruptcy
  • Buchalter COVID-19 Client Alert: Supreme Court Holds That in Applying COVID-Related Stays of Eviction Proceedings, Landlords Must Be Given the Opportunity to Challenge a Tenant’s Claim of COVID-Related Hardship
  • Testing Mandate Is Straining California Cannabis Cos.
  • Legal View of Labels: What’s the best way to deal with the new wave of class-action lawsuits?
  • The Best Defense Requires Litigating On The Merits
  • Cyber Security/Data Breach: President Calls for New AntiHacking Legislation
  • How to Aggressively Defend Against Lender Liability Lawsuits
  • New Weapons to Battle Cybersquatters
  • Protect It or Lose It: A Guide for Fashion Companies to Protect Their Trademark Rights and Preserve Their Brands
  • The Perils of Film Distribution
  • Five Tips for Film Distributors and Other Licensees
  • The Ray Charles Foundation “Messes Around” and Gets SLAPP’d
  • How Safe Is Your Security Interest in Intellectual Property? Five Tips That Protect You

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