Attorneys

NICHOLAS A. CARLIN, Partner, specializes in complex litigation including consumer class actions, intellectual property, entertainment, employment, health care, personal injury and product liability cases in both the state and federal courts. He also consults and handles transactional matters in the areas of technology law, intellectual property and renewable energy.

Nick’s current cases of national significance include the nationwide federal multidistrict litigation on behalf of consumers against Bank of America, Wells Fargo and most of the other major US banks for manipulating the processing of customer debit card purchases to maximize overdraft fees. Instead of posting each transaction chronologically, the banks deducted the largest charges first, drawing down balances more rapidly and triggering overdraft fees. Nick serves as co-team leader for the case against Bank of America.

Nick is also leading the effort in California to stop the illegal practice of “balance billing". Illegal balance billing occurs when a hospital or other health care provider bills the patient for more than the patient’s health insurance company deems reasonable.

Nick's entertainment/intellectual property practice includes such nationally prominent cases as the song infringement case brought by the legendary power pop band The Rubinoos against pop superstar Avril Lavigne alleging that her megahit song “Girlfriend” was copied from The Rubinoos hit song “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend,” and the authorship dispute over the six-time platinum hit song “Come What May” from the hit film Moulin Rouge. Nick also recently obtained the largest settlement to date in a right of publicity case for non-celebrities.

Nick further manages an active personal injury/product liability practice which includes catastrophic injury cases resulting from defective tires sold by tire manufacturers such as Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.

Nick also specializes in employment disputes including wage and hour cases and leaving employee trade secrets cases (i.e., cases where an employee quits or is fired from a job and is then accused of misappropriating the former employer’s trade secrets), successfully obtaining justice for both wronged employers and wrongfully accused employees.

Nick's business/transactional practice includes representation of technology companies, internet marketing and advertising companies and renewable energy companies. Nick's experience as an entrepreneur and CEO of a technology company gives him unique insight into the issues such clients deal with on a daily basis.

Nick graduated from Harvard University in physics and received his law degree from the University of California Hastings College of the Law. He is also a registered US Patent Agent. Nick has taught at Hastings College of the Law, the University of California at Berkeley Law School (Boalt Hall), and the University of San Francisco School of Law.

Nick is a ranked US National Chess Master and an avid cellist, playing with Symphony Parnassus, Berkeley Symphony and many other Bay Area groups. He has served as vice chair of the San Francisco PUC Citizens Advisory Committee, and chair of the Power Subcommittee, focusing on renewable power issues.

Representative cases:

Checking Account Overdraft Litigation MDL: See discussion above.

Thompson v. San Bernardino County: (balance billing case- lead counsel).

Combrisson v. City and County of San Francisco (balance billing class action – lead counsel).

Personal Injury

Richens v. Kennelly (product liability case against Cooper Tire for manufacturing defective tires).

Davis v. McClaney (Personal Injury) Obtained $700,000 jury verdict for actor/director injured in balcony fall.

Garfield v. Luxor (Personal Injury) Obtained $200,000 jury verdict for plaintiff rear ended by a taxi cab. The case is the first to establish that a person can suffer OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) as a result of a traumatic physical injury.

Employment

Draper v. American Diagnostic Medicine (Federal wage and hour case on behalf of nuclear medicine technologists and paramedics – settled for a confidential amount)

Underwood v. Hughson Ambulance Service (Wage and hour case on behalf of paramedic against Ambulance company – obtained a $300,000 judgment)

Vinyl v. EducationDynamics: Leaving employee/trade secrets case on behalf of employer. Obtained Preliminary Injunction against defendants. Case settled shortly thereafter.

Potrero Media Corporation v. Jones: Leaving employee/trade secrets case on behalf of employer. Obtained TRO and Preliminary Injunction against defendants. Case currently in discovery.

Gonzales v. Countrywide Home Loans (right of publicity case – achieved largest recovery for non-celebrity plaintiffs in a right of publicity case in state history: $600,000).

Think Computer v. Facebook (Trademark cancellation proceeding on behalf of former Harvard classmate of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to cancel the Facebook trademark).

Dunbar v. Gottwald (Song infringement case). Represented members of legendary power pop band The Rubinoos in Federal copyright infringement action against pop superstar Avril Lavigne alleging that her megahit song “Girlfriend” was copied from The Rubinoos hit song “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend”.

GPP v. Baerwald: (Song authorship dispute). Represented estate of co-author of six time platinum hit song “Come What May” from hit film Moulin Rouge against co-author who falsely claimed sole authorship.

Business

Potrero Media Corporation v. Adteractive (Breach of contract action). Obtained pre-judgment right to attach order for over $1 million. Case settled shortly thereafter.