Jean-Paul Jassy

Practice Areas

First Amendment, Media, Entertainment, Copyright, Trademark, Business Litigation, Fashion.

Jean-Paul (JP) Jassy litigates nationwide with an emphasis on disputes in the First Amendment, media, internet and entertainment arenas. He also routinely represents all types of businesses and individuals in multi-million dollar breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, copyright, trademark and idea submission cases.

Career

Jean-Paul (JP) Jassy is a litigator with particular experience representing online, print and television media and entertainment companies in First Amendment matters. He also routinely handles business and intellectual property disputes.

JP started his career at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, and then practiced at Loeb & Loeb LLP and Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP.

By age 27, JP was teaching First Amendment law at his alma mater, the highly-ranked University of Southern California Law School. For three years, he taught a course in defamation, privacy and publicity law at Southwestern School of Law. From 2011 to 2015, he taught First Amendment law and media law at the University of California, Irvine School of Law. In 2017, he returned to USC to teach the First Amendment Law course again.

At age 30, JP appeared before the United States Supreme Court on a free speech case. His clients won. He also has represented clients in First Amendment cases in the Supreme Courts of California and Florida, and in the Second, Fifth and Ninth Circuits.

At age 32, he co-founded a law firm recognized nationally by US News & World Report as top tier in First Amendment litigation and media law.

Starting at age 36, he has repeatedly been recognized by his peers as one of the Best Lawyers in America in the field of First Amendment law. His peers have recognized him six times as "Lawyer of the Year" in Los Angeles in his fields of practice

At 39, he co-founded the boutique law firm of Jassy Vick Carolan LLP, which is recognized as top tier in the nation for First Amendment law.

Professional Memberships

Media Law Resource Center (Secretary and former Treasurer)

ABA Forum on Communications Law (former Governing Committee member)

First Amendment Coalition (Board of Directors),

Law 360 (Media & Entertainment Editorial Advisory Board)

Los Angeles County Bar Association (former member of Appellate Judicial Evaluation Committee)

Los Angeles Copyright Society

Publications

JP is the lead co-author of the Ninth Circuit chapter in Media Libel Law: 50-State Survey, published annually by LexisNexis and the Media Law Resource Center, and he is a contributing author to The Right to Know: A Guide to Public Access and Media Law, published by the California Newspaper Publishers Association and First Amendment Coalition. He also regularly speaks and writes on First Amendment and media law issues.

Work Highlights

Tory v. Cochran, 544 U.S. 734 (2005).   JP was counsel for Ulysses Tory in the US Supreme Court, which struck down an overly broad prior restraint on Tory’s speech about noted attorney Johnnie Cochran.

Boal v. United States (C.D. Cal. 2016).   JP was lead counsel for Academy Award®-winner Mark Boal in a lawsuit that succeeded in protecting Boal's confidential sources and unpublished material from interviews with Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl concerning the popular podcast Serial.

Burnett v. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp., 491 F.Supp.2d 962 (C.D. Cal. 2007).   Secured dismissal of comedienne Carol Burnett’s copyright, trademark and right of publicity claims against Family Guy television program in one of the first cases to apply the fair use doctrine at the motion to dismiss stage.

Lieberman v. KCOP Television, Inc., 110 Cal. App. 4th 156 (2003). Represented television station in the first case to apply California’s anti-SLAPP statute to claims for newsgathering.

Sander v. State Bar of California, 58 Cal. 4th 300 (2013).   Successfully argued on behalf of Prof. Richard Sander in California Supreme Court case recognizing a sweeping common law right of access to data maintained by the California State Bar, a judicial branch entity.

Johnson v. TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc., F.4th 314 (5th Cir. 2021).   Landmark Fifth Circuit decision affirming dismissal of libel complaint against an online media company on personal jurisdiction grounds.

Elliot v. Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., 639 F.Supp.3d 1012 (C.D. Cal. 2022).  Brought successful anti-SLAPP motion against defamation claims concerning a television docuseries entitled Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult.

Arpaio v. Robillard, 459 F.Supp.3d 62 (D.D.C. 2020) & Arpaio v. Zucker, 414 F.Supp.3d 84 (D.D.C. 2019).   JP was lead counsel for Huffington Post, securing dismissal of defamation, false light and tortious interference claims in two lawsuits brought by Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

McDougal v. American Media, Inc. (Los Angeles County Superior Ct. 2018).   JP was lead counsel for American Media, bringing an anti-SLAPP motion in response to a lawsuit concerning the editorial decision not to run a story.

Domen v. Vimeo, Inc. (2d Cir. 2021).   Successful defense of video-sharing website Vimeo against claims for taking down channel for objectionable content.

Jacoby v. Bd. of Supervisors of Univ. of Louisiana System, 2023 WL 8843087 & 2024 WL 382369 (E.D. Cal. 2023, 2024). Successfully defended USA Today reporter from two subpoenas for his notes and deposition relating to groundbreaking investigative article about sexual assaults at universities in Louisiana.

Couch v. Verizon Communications, Inc., 2021 WL 4476698 (D.D.C. 2021). Successfully defended podcast and noted journalist Michael Isikoff from defamation claim, resulting in dismissal with prejudice at the pleadings stage. 

In re Moxie Films, Inc. (Los Angeles Superior Ct. 2024).  Successfully defended subpoenaed documentary film company from having to turn over any materials to New Mexico prosecutor in the case against actor Alec Baldwin concerning the shooting death on the set of the film Rust.

Ross v. Seyfarth Shaw LLP, 96 Cal. App. 5th 722 (2023).  Successfully defended law firm at trial and appellate levels, on anti-SLAPP grounds, from defamation and other claims.

Pasadena Police Officers Assn. v. Superior Ct., 240 Cal. App. 4th 268 (2015) and Pasadena Police Officers Assn. v. City of Pasadena, 22 Cal. App. 5th 147 (2018).  Successfully represented Los Angeles Times in getting access to report of officer-involved shooting and recovery of newpaper's attorney fees in reverse-public records act action.

Young America's Foundation v. Covino, et al. (C.D. Cal. 2016). Successfully defended the First Amendment rights of a diverse group of faculty and staff at Cal State L.A., including BLM Los Angeles co-founder Dr. Melina Abdullah, from claims brought by a conservative group and commentator Ben Shapiro.

Booloon, Inc. v. Google Inc. (California Court of Appeal and Los Angeles Superior Court 2010). Successfully defended Google from idea submission/trade secret lawsuits.

Thomas v. Los Angeles Times, 189 F.Supp.2d 1005 (C.D. Cal. 2002), aff’d, (9th Cir. Sep. 6, 2002).   Successfully defended newspaper from defamation claim in an anti-SLAPP context.

Clients

JP's clients include internet giants, television networks, streaming services, online and traditional news outlets, metropolitan newspapers, motion picture studios, nonprofits dedicated to free press and free expression, top-flight production companies, and award-winning reporters.

Education