Gregory D. Call

Senior Counsel

Overview

Greg Call is a senior counsel in Crowell & Moring's San Francisco office and is the former head of that office. He has an active trial practice representing both plaintiffs and defendants in complex commercial cases. He has represented defendants in class actions, government investigations, unfair competition actions, environmental actions and breach of contract actions. He has represented plaintiffs (varying from large corporations to small municipalities) in business torts and breach of contract actions, helping them recover over $1 billion. He has successfully represented numerous retail clients as plaintiffs, recovering hundreds of millions of dollars for them.

Mr. Call has an active trial practice, regularly trying cases to verdict and practicing in courts in more than 20 states. In 2015, Mr. Call has represented retailers in two trials. As defendant secured defense judgment and as plaintiff secured liability determination. In 2013 in a court trial in San Francisco Superior Court, Mr. Call led a Crowell & Moring team that obtained declaratory relief for The Regents of the University of California to future payments of $32 million from a license of The Regents to Medivation, Inc. In a related jury trial in San Francisco Superior Court, he led a Crowell & Moring team that defeated fraud claims of hundreds of millions of dollars brought by Medivation against UCLA Professor Michael Jung. Also recently he obtained a favorable jury verdict in federal court in San Francisco for an export company, obtained injunctive relief for a car rental company in a trial in state court in Illinois, and recovered attorneys' fees in a jury trial in Texas.

Mr. Call has been recognized by Chambers USA since 2013 as a leading lawyer in the CA Litigation: General Commercial category, which reports that clients say that Mr. Call "is the guy who you go to if you're in a world of hurt," adding that "he boils things down so simply that it is very tough to counter; he is a top flight legal mind, not only strategically but in his presentation." He is also AV Peer Review Rated and has been selected as a California Super Lawyer.

Prior to joining Crowell & Moring, he was a partner at the San Francisco firm, Folger Levin & Kahn LLP, where he was chair of the firm's litigation department.

Career & Education

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    • Stanford University, A.B., with honors and distinction, Economics, 1980
    • University of California, Berkeley, M.A., Economics, 1984
    • University of California, Berkeley School of Law, J.D., 1985
    • Stanford University, A.B., with honors and distinction, Economics, 1980
    • University of California, Berkeley, M.A., Economics, 1984
    • University of California, Berkeley School of Law, J.D., 1985
    • California
    • California
  • Professional Activities and Memberships

    • Member, American Bar Association, Litigation Section
    • Member, Bar Association of San Francisco
    • National Retail Tenants Association 


    Community Service

    Mr. Call serves as a pro bono mediator for the San Francisco County Superior Court. He also served as a member of the Board of Redwood Day School. He currently serves on the Alumni Board of Boalt Hall Law School, University of California Berkeley.

    Professional Activities and Memberships

    • Member, American Bar Association, Litigation Section
    • Member, Bar Association of San Francisco
    • National Retail Tenants Association 


    Community Service

    Mr. Call serves as a pro bono mediator for the San Francisco County Superior Court. He also served as a member of the Board of Redwood Day School. He currently serves on the Alumni Board of Boalt Hall Law School, University of California Berkeley.

Gregory's Insights

Client Alert | 2 min read | 02.09.24

California Contract Law Update: Conditional Payment Clauses

Recent developments in California case law have strengthened the ability to enforce conditional or tiered payments in commercial contracts and leases.  ...

Representative Matters

  • Representing The Regents of the University of California in dispute with pharmaceutical company, Medivation, regarding whether profit sharing payments are sub-licensing income that The Regents are entitled to 10% of.
  • Representing Ross Dress for Less in dispute regarding obligation to separate buildings at the end of lease. Prevailed in trial regarding right to possession.
  • Representing Foot Locker in dispute regarding exclusive clause in leases at shopping center. Prevailed on liability issue at trial.
  • Representing Universities and other research institutions in connection with disputes regarding rights under license agreements. Some matters continuing, others settled on confidential basis.
  • Represented PeopleBrowsr in a dispute with Twitter charging that the social media giant is engaging in anticompetitive conduct by trying to gain exclusive control of the 'Twitter Big Data Analytics' market. Successfully obtained TRO and matter then settled.
  • Representing The Regents of the University of California and professor Dr. Michael Jung in a dispute with a pharmaceutical company, Medivation, over control of a promising prostate cancer treatment drug invented and patented by The Regents. Prevailed in court trial on behalf of Regents, entitling Regents to $32 million in possible future payments pursuant to patent license. On summary judgment defeated all claims that The Regents failed to provide Medivation all contracted for patent rights. In jury trial against Michael Jung defeated fraud claims for hundreds of millions of dollars regarding rights to patented compounds.
  • Represented Basic Your Best Buy, Inc. in an antitrust matter against DIRECTV, Inc. charging the violation of the California Cartwright Act.
  • Representing Sears, Macy's, Abercrombie & Fitch and Express in litigationstemmingfrom a devastating fire at the Roseville Galleria, an upscale shopping center operated by Westfield in Northern California. Matter settled.
  • Representing retail companies in a variety of consumer class actions and breach of contract matters.
  • Represented Cisco Systems, Inc. in its iPhone™ trademark infringement lawsuit against Apple Inc.
  • Represented City of Lodi in litigation arising out of environmental contamination. Includes cost recovery action, legal malpractice action, and claim against investment banking firm. Recoveries total over $35 million to date.
  • Represented numerous retailers including Limited Brands, Inc., Gap Inc., Foot Locker, Inc., Barnes & Noble, Inc., Toys "R" Us and others in litigation against a variety of shopping mall owners regarding overcharges under leases. Assisted in recovery of over $200 million. Matters have been resolved through negotiations, ADR and litigation.
  • Represented PeopleSoft, Inc. in litigation against Oracle Corporation regarding unfair competition in connection with Oracle's hostile tender offer for PeopleSoft.
  • Represented Enterprise Rent-A Car Company, the largest U.S. car rental company, in numerous consumer class actions nationwide.
  • Represented rental car company in court trial regarding injunction relating to placement on third-party websites. Prevailed in court trial.
  • Represented exporter in breach of supplier contract case. Obtained multi-million dollar jury verdict.
  • Represented 14 California cities which invested in Orange County Investment pools in lawsuit against Merrill Lynch. Obtained Court of Appeal ruling authorizing pursuit of Civil RICO, fraud and other causes of action. Reached settlement for $32.5 million in mediation.
  • Represented subsidiary of Ford Motor Company in four week trial for claim of $130 million against Federal Government.
  • Represented general contractor in multiple lawsuits arising out of the construction of a semiconductor fabrication facility. Engaged in a two week ADR process that resulted in client successfully recovering additional payments.
  • Represented major companies in various antitrust matters including those involving alleged price fixing actions.
  • Represented companies in government investigations before federal, state and local agencies. Matters have included investigations regarding fraud, unfair business practices, false advertising, and antitrust issues.
  • Represented construction company regarding trade secret and unfair competition claims.
  • Represented Yahoo! in claim by company seeking to sell cars on internet that Yahoo! breached contract.
  • Representing Yahoo! in dispute with well-known makers of electronic games who alleged violations of copyright rules regarding listing of allegedly "pirated" games for sale on Yahoo! Auctions property.
  • Represented Yahoo! in class action alleging Yahoo! user privacy rights were violated by Yahoo!'s practices.
  • Represented nation's largest purchaser of structured settlement payment streams in California class action. Matter settled favorably on eve of trial.

Gregory's Insights

Client Alert | 2 min read | 02.09.24

California Contract Law Update: Conditional Payment Clauses

Recent developments in California case law have strengthened the ability to enforce conditional or tiered payments in commercial contracts and leases.  ...

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