Eric P. Early

Eric P. Early, the firm’s Managing Partner, is regularly involved in complex litigation matters, primarily focusing on a range of business, entertainment, constitutional, real estate, title and escrow related litigation.  Before starting Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae LLP with several of his former colleagues, Mr. Early had been a business litigation partner for ten years at Glaser, Weil, Fink, Jacobs, Howard & Shapiro LLP, formerly the Christensen Miller firm, in Los Angeles.

Mr. Early’s wealth of litigation and trial experience includes trials and complex arbitrations and mediations in California, Illinois, New York, Nevada, Delaware, Colorado, Arizona and Florida. Mr. Early has represented prominent entertainers, producers, athletes and managers in entertainment litigation. Also, he has represented Kirk Kerkorian’s holding company, Tracinda Corporation, in a billion dollar securities fraud case; Fidelity National Financial, First American Title Insurance Company, Old Republic National Title Insurance Company and Stewart Title in bad faith actions; various title and escrow companies and individuals in a wide range of real estate, property and coverage litigation, as well as representing Fidelity in an action arising from the largest escrow defalcation in Illinois history.  

In 2012, Mr. Early was lead trial lawyer for defendants in the action titled, Central Pacific Bank v. Fidelity National Title Company and Fidelity National Title Insurance Company, Case no. RIC 525 131, in Riverside County, California.  Mr. Early obtained a complete defense verdict following a 2 month jury trial in which plaintiff, who was represented by Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, sought more than $55 million.  California’s leading legal publication, The Daily Journal, selected the verdict as one of the “Top Defense Verdicts of the Year.”  In another action, following a year of hard fought litigation, Mr. Early was lead trial lawyer in a binding arbitration before a panel of three arbitrators in Los Angeles centering on the most exclusive residential property in Maui, Hawaii. Plaintiff was represented by the national law firm of Holland & Knight and sought $26 million in compensatory and punitive damages.  After hearing the testimony of more than 20 witnesses from around the country, the arbitration panel granted Mr. Early’s client, First American Title Insurance Company, a complete defense verdict for claims of breach of contract and insurance bad faith.  Lochland Holdings, LLC v. First American Title Ins. Co., AAA Case No. 72 159 Y 00274 11. In another action, Mr. Early obtained a complete defense verdict at arbitration for his clients who own and operate nursing homes throughout California. The Firm’s clients were being sued for alleged breaches of fiduciary duty, fraud, and corporations code violations. Brull v. Meridian Health Services Holding, et al., JAMS Case No. 1100079509.

Mr. Early also regularly represents individual property owners who have been the victims of real estate fraud, acting for example, as lead counsel on a case in which the Firm’s client was being sued by a Saudi Arabian Princess for the turnover of the client’s home. The Firm obtained summary judgment victory for its client who was able to retain ownership of the family home.

During the normal course of Eric’s never-a-dull-moment practice, he oversees numerous ongoing cases. One of several that presently stand out is a case in which he and the Firm defended approximately 200 retirees in a small town in northern Nevada. The action was brought by a member of the Washoe Tribe, who threatened to take the Firm’s clients’ family homes (which are located on Indian land). Kizer v. PTP, et al., Case No. 3:15-cv-00120-RCJ-WGC (USDC Dist. Nev.). The case was resolved with all of the Firm’s clients able to keep their family homes.

Eric is also representing a group of concerned Santa Barbara residents against the Santa Barbara Unified School District and Just Communities Central Coast. The case involves various claims of constitutionally banned discrimination, based on Just Communities’ radical indoctrination agenda, which is being taught to the district’s teachers and students. Fair Education Santa Barbara, a 501(c)(3) organization v. Santa Barbara Unified School District, Case No. 2:18-cv-10253-5VA (USDC C.D. CA).

Eric represents coal industry legend Don Blankenship in federal court in West Virginia against the entire spectrum of mainstream media in a landmark defamation action.  Much to the chagrin of CNN, MSNBC, Fox, the Washington Post and others, Mr. Blankenship prevailed at the motion to dismiss stage against these large media companies, allowing discovery to proceed as the parties prepare for an upcoming trial date.

Eric also is lead counsel representing One America News Network in a defamation action in Colorado brought by the Chief of Strategy and Security for Dominion Software.

Eric ran as a Republican candidate for California Attorney General in 2018 and received over 950,000 votes in California’s June 2018 Primary. “Running for public office was one of the most gratifying and rewarding experiences of my life. Although Sacramento is currently in deep and serious trouble, the thousands of incredible Californians I met and to whom I spoke – from San Diego County in the south to Siskiyou County in the north – reinforced my hope and belief in our great state and its citizens. I continue to believe that notwithstanding what we are presently going through, California’s best days still lie ahead.” See www.ericearly.com for more details.

Following the AG race, Eric ran for United States Congress in California’s 28th Congressional District against Adam Schiff in the 2020 election cycle.  Eric prevailed against several others in California’s March 2020 Primary and went head-to-head against Schiff in the November 2020 General Election.  While Eric did not prevail against Schiff, he obtained major support from across the political spectrum, and had the distinct honor of kicking Schiff’s butt in their televised debate. 

Eric also is counsel for The California Patriot Coalition – Recall Governor Gavin Newsom (RecallGavin2020), the group leading the charge for California’s upcoming recall election.

Before attending law school, Eric spent several years in the film industry including stints directing and producing short films for The Great Space Coaster children’s television show, post-producing animated shows such as Transformers, G.I. Joe and Jem and the Holograms, as well as writing several episodes of those series, editing award winning documentaries, serving as Director of Film Operations for Atlantic Entertainment Group, and producing trailers for B-movie king, Roger Corman.

Eric received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from New York University’s School of the Arts and received his Juris Doctorate from Southwestern Law School. While in film school, Eric was a Mobil Student Film finalist award winner. He is a member of the Executive Board of Southwestern Law School’s Biederman Entertainment and Media Law Institute and is the Past-President of Southwestern Law School’s Entertainment and IP Alumni Association.

Eric has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© for Real Estate Litigation each year since 2017, and for Commercial Litigation, Entertainment Law – Motion Pictures and Television, and Entertainment Law – Music each year since 2018. He has also been included on the list of Southern California Super Lawyers every year since 2005. Eric has also been included in Super Lawyers Business Edition every year since it began publishing.

Eric is the host of “The Early Edition” which is heard every Sunday at noon live on KRLA AM 870 The Answer and also hosts “The Early Report – Reporting From the Belly of the Beast” on CRN Digital Talk Radio every Tuesday at 4 p.m.  

Eric and his wife are the proud parents of 4 children, 3 dogs and 1 cat.

Representative Matters

• Lead trial lawyer representing defendant in the $26 million action titled, Lochland Holdings, LLC v. First American Title Ins. Co., AAA Case No. 72 159 Y 00274 11.  Obtained defense verdict.
• Lead trial lawyer representing defendants in the $55 million action titled, Central Pacific Bank v. Fidelity National Title Company and Fidelity National Title Insurance Company, Case no. RIC 525 131, Riverside County, California.  Obtained complete defense verdict following 2 month jury trial.
• Represented film financier Bodo Scriba in the action titled, Twentieth Century Fox v. Scriba, USDC, C.D. Cal, CV-01109-GW.  Fox sued Scriba for breach of an international motion picture distribution agreement (for the distribution of films in the Russian territories) and fraud, and dismissed the case in its entirety on the eve of trial with no settlement entered.
• Representing Greece's Alpha Satellite Television, S.A. against Warner Brothers International Television in an action involving claims for breach of a $60 million licensing agreement.
• Representing Fidelity National Financial and First American and their subsidiaries in insurance bad faith actions
• Defending prescriptive easement, trespass, lien priority and coverage disputes for Fidelity, Chicago Title, Lawyers Title, Ticor Title and their insureds.
• Representing a prominent cosmetics packaging company in an action against a European cosmetics manufacturer.
• Representing Industry Entertainment in breach of contract actions against noted talent managers.
• Representing a prominent sports agent in a dispute over agent and management commissions against a major basketball player.
• Representing Tracinda Corporation in a securities class action.
• Representing a developer against the City of Los Angeles in a zoning and takings dispute.
• Representing MGM Studios in an action against Sylvester Stallone regarding the Rocky franchise.
• Representing Paramount Pictures in a defamation action brought by Michael Jackson.
• Representing attorney Robert Shapiro in an action brought by record producer, Phil Spector.

Sampling of Reported Cases

• In re: DaimlerChrysler AG Securities Litigation, 2003 WL 22951696 (D. Del.).
• Fidelity National Title Insurance Company of New York v. Intercounty National Title Insurance Company, 2004 WL 906120 (N.D. Ill.).
• Johnson v. Aljian, 394 F. Supp. 2d 1188 (C.D. Cal. 2004).
• Tracinda Corporation v. DaimlerChrysler AG, 2005 WL 927187 (D. Del.).
• PKG Group, LLC v. Gamma Croma, S.p.A., 446 F. Supp. 2d 249 (S.D.N.Y. 2006).
• Tracinda Corporation v. DaimlerChrysler AG, 502 F.3d 212 (3d Cir. 2007).
• Independent Trust Corporation v. Fidelity National Title Insurance Company of New York, 577 F. Supp. 2d 1023 (N.D. Ill. 2008).

Publication

• It's A Wonderful Life, Motion Picture Studios Can Regain Control of Their Wayward Classics, 1 UCLA Ent. L.Rev. 139 (1994).