Gerald E. Hawxhurst

Jerry has engaged in commercial trial practice since 1994, when he graduated with honors from the University of Texas School of Law. Before joining Baker Marquart Crone & Hawxhurst, Jerry practiced at the Los Angeles office of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges and, before that, at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett’s New York and Los Angeles offices.

Jerry's trial practice includes complex commercial litigation, consumer class action litigation, antitrust, royalty disputes, copyright, trade secrets, entertainment litigation, employment litigation, securities litigation and general business litigation in state and federal courts, and private arbitrations. Jerry also provides pre-dispute counseling on a variety of issues. He has represented a diverse group of clients, including Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc., Colts Industries, Blockbuster Inc., Mattel, Inc., Viacom Inc., BAT Industries PLC, Intertek PLC, Paramount Pictures, Micron Technology, Inc., The Producers' Guild of America, off-shore liquidators, corporate executives, high networth individuals, a well-known boxing promoter, and the owners of NBA and MLB franchises.

Most recently, Jerry defeated efforts by Michael Jackson (the self-styled “The King of Pop”) to halt the auction of his personal property from Neverland Ranch. After defeating Jackson’s effort to obtain immediate return of property by court order, Jerry was able to extract a settlement that allowed his clients to obtain all their goals, including exhibiting the Neverland Ranch collection. Although the exact terms of the settlement are confidential, Jerry’s clients are extremely happy with the outcome of the litigation.

Jerry’s other recent victories include securing for the American Bottling Company a $48 million cash settlement in a dispute where the other side refused to pay anything in connection with the cancellation of distribution rights for a leading energy drink; obtaining for an individual plaintiff an arbitration award of stock valued at over $8 million, where the former employer argued it owed nothing; extracting a confidential settlement from ABC Cable Networks in a case concerning the hit Disney show Hannah Montana; and a “walk-away settlement” in a trade secrets and non-compete suit brought against Jerry’s client by a national sandwich chain.

Jerry has been recognized by Los Angeles Magazine as a Southern California “Super Lawyer” (2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009) and a national “New Star” by Law Dragon (2006). He is the former First Vice-Chair of the Executive Committee of the California State Bar Antitrust and Unfair Competition Section. Jerry is admitted to practice in California and federal courts, as well as the Second, Fifth and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeal. Before beginning private practice, Jerry was a briefing intern for former Texas Supreme Court Justice (and current U.S. Senator) John Cornyn.

Jerry was born and raised in South Texas. He proudly represents a number of Texas-based companies and individuals, and is often asked by Texas law firms to act as their co-counsel in California litigation.

Family and Community Service

Jerry and his wife Sue live in Palos Verdes, California. They have four children, Kris, Jen, Christen and John (and Ed, their dog). Jerry and Sue are members of the Palos Verdes PTA and the Peninsula Education Foundation. They are also Keaton Fellows of the University Of Texas School Of Law, members of the University of Texas Littlefield Society and the Chancellor’s Counsel. They recently established the Gerald E. Hawxhurst and Susan St. Denis Endowed Presidential Scholarship at the University of Texas at Austin. Their endowment provides financial aid to university students who did not graduate high school. While living in Texas, Jerry served as an appointed member of the Higher Education Authority of San Antonio, Texas.

Education

University of Texas School of Law
(J.D., cum laude, 1994)

University of the Incarnate Word
(B.B.A., magna cum laude, 1991)

Publications, Speeches and Presentations

“Trying a Section 1 Case”
State Bar of California Antitrust and Unfair Competition Section Annual Meeting,
Fall 2006

"A State-by-State Look at the Law of Indirect Purchaser
Damage Actions" Journal of Competition (2006)

"The Nuts and Bolts of California's Unfair Competition Law"
State Bar of California Antitrust and Unfair Competition Section,
Spring 2006

"California Cartwright Act: A Defendant's Perspective"
State Bar of California Annual Meeting, Fall 2005

”Proposition 64: A Comparative Analysis”
Journal of Competition (2005)

“Does Proposition 64 Apply to Pending Cases?”
State Bar of California Antitrust and Unfair Competition Section
Seminar, Fall 2004

“Competitor Collaborations”
State Bar of California Antitrust and
Unfair Competition Section
Golden State Institute, Fall 2004

"Preventing Corporate Criminal Liability"
Benders' Legal Publications (2002)

"Antitrust Developments in the Media and Entertainment Industries"
Antitrust Review of the Americas (2002)

”Collective Industry Liability”
Association of the Bar of the City of New York, Fall 2000