Oren Bitan is a shareholder based in Buchalter’s Los Angeles office and a member of its Litigation department. He is also co-chair of the firm’s Fiduciaries, Receivers & Trustees group and co-chair of the firm’s Cannabis & Hemp industry group.  He is on the board of the California Receivers Forum, a member of the executive committee of the USC Real Estate Law & Business Forum, and is on the planning committee of the National Association of Federal Equity Receivers.  Oren has received a number of awards including 2023 LA Visionary by the LA Times B2B Publishing, 2022 Leader of Influence by the Los Angeles Business Journal, 2018 Top Litigator by the Los Angeles Business Journal, and has served on the Law 360 Editorial Advisory Board in its Cannabis section.

Throughout his years of private practice, Oren has first chaired a number of trials and arbitrations in the real estate, financial services, mortgage banking, consumer product, media, and hospitality industries, successfully defending high stakes disputes and securing multiple eight-figure verdicts and judgments on behalf of plaintiffs he has represented.

CREDITORS’ RIGHTS

Oren is a trusted strategic advisor who frequently represents lenders, financial institutions, investors, and real property owners in business and commercial litigation, creditors’ rights, real estate, restructuring, provisional remedies, collections and post-judgment enforcement.

RECEIVERSHIPS

Oren has represented state and federal court receivers in hundreds of equity, real estate, and health & safety receiverships, and has assisted in the recovery of hundreds of millions of dollars in assets for secured creditors. Oren has also worked in tandem with law enforcement to recover monies for victims of fraud in equity Ponzi scheme receiverships.

WINE, BEER, LIQUOR AND CANNABIS EXPERTISE

Oren advises alcohol and cannabis businesses on a wide variety of issues, including regulatory advice, product liability, false advertising, financing, intellectual property, and assembling teams of attorneys to provide corporate and employment advice. Representative clients include vertically integrated companies, brands, retailers, distributors, cultivators, manufacturers, investment funds, secured lenders, factors, equipment lessors, and IP licensors.

Oren has also litigated a number of matters for beer, wine and liquor companies involving distribution agreements, false advertising claims, product liability and commercial disputes.

Mr. Bitan is also an experienced appellate lawyer and has successfully argued numerous times before the California Court of Appeal and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Representative matters include:

• Crossroads Investors, L.P. v. Federal National Mortgage Assn. (2017) 13 Cal.App.5^th 757, in which Mr. Bitan successfully petitioned the California Supreme Court to reverse an order denying an anti-SLAPP motion, which resulted in an order striking claims for wrongful foreclosure and fraud. This resulted in a published decision creating new law regarding “mixed” causes of action under California’s anti-SLAPP statute.
• Integrated Dynamic Solutions, Inc. v. VitaVet Labs, Inc. (2017) 6 Cal. App. 5th 1178, in which Mr. Bitan successfully upheld a mandatory preliminary injunction requiring the turn-over of source code, among other things, and which resulted in a unanimous published opinion.
• Randles Films, LLC v. Echo Bridge Entertainment, LLC, et. al, 2014 U.S. App. LEXIS 30 (9th Cir. Jan. 2, 2014), in which Mr. Bitan successfully defended a judgment he obtained in a copyright infringement dispute involving a motion picture.
• Solomon v. US Bank Nat’l Ass’n, 2011 Cal. App. Unpub. LEXIS 9917 (Dec. 28, 2011, No. E052462), in which Mr. Bitan successfully defended an order granting an anti-SLAPP motion he filed in the Superior Court striking claims made against his client.
• Giorgio v. Synergy Management Group, LLC, 231 Cal.App.4th 241 (2014), which resulted in a published opinion. Mr. Bitan successfully defended a judgment against his client’s former employee.

Prior to law school, Mr. Bitan launched H.I.Q.I. (Hit It ‘n Quit It) Media, a film distribution company specializing in documentaries. Notable films he distributed were the Radiohead documentary Meeting People Is Easy, the Academy Award winning documentary The Long Way Home, and the Oscar nominated film The Farm. Mr. Bitan has repeatedly spoken at film festivals and conferences around the world and has been featured in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, Daily Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and on CNN.

Prior to joining Buchalter, Mr. Bitan was an associate with a global law firm.

Bar Admissions

• California

Education

• Loyola Law School
• University of Southern California

Significant Accomplishments
<ul><li>Secured the first ever receiver sale of a cannabis license. At auction, a licensed California cannabis business, The Guild San Jose’s, assets were sold to a third party.</li><li><em>Crossroads Investors, L.P. v. Federal National Mortgage Assn</em>. (2017) 13 Cal.App.5^th 757, in which Mr. Bitan successfully petitioned the California Supreme Court to reverse an order denying an anti-SLAPP motion, which resulted in an order striking claims for wrongful foreclosure and fraud. This resulted in a published decision creating new law regarding “mixed” causes of action under California’s anti-SLAPP statute.</li><li><em>Integrated Dynamic Solutions, Inc. v. VitaVet Labs, Inc</em>. (2017) 6 Cal. App. 5th 1178, in which Mr. Bitan successfully upheld a mandatory preliminary injunction requiring the turn-over of source code, among other things, and which resulted in a unanimous published opinion.</li><li><em>Randles Films, LLC v. Echo Bridge Entertainment, LLC</em>, et. al, Case 2:10-cv-03909-SJO -SS: Lead trial counsel in a seven day copyright infringement trial on behalf of an independent film producer against unauthorized distributors of the motion picture Torture Room.</li><li>Successfully argued an Anti-SLAPP motion at the trial court and appellate court level with an award of attorneys’ fees in a matter involving a real estate dispute.</li><li>Lead counsel in an unfair competition and false advertising suit involving consumer products that resulted in victory following the filing of a successful summary judgment motion</li><li>Successfully litigated profit participation dispute involving royalties derived from the distribution of television programs.</li><li>Represented creator of graphic novels in copyright infringement dispute.</li><li>Represented major brewer in acquisition of beverage company.</li><li>Represented whiskey distiller in licensing celebrity spokesmen and launching new brand.</li></ul>

• Buchalter COVID-19 Client Alert: San Francisco Moves to Lowest COVID Tier in California, Begins Process of Reopening Non-Essential Offices; Other Bay Area Counties Slower to Follow

  By Oren Bitan |November 2020

Additional Articles

• Ninth Circuit bars cannabis companies from pursuing RICO claims
• Cannabis Receiverships: A Viable Alternative to Bankruptcy
• Buchalter COVID-19 Client Alert: Supreme Court Holds That in Applying COVID-Related Stays of Eviction Proceedings, Landlords Must Be Given the Opportunity to Challenge a Tenant’s Claim of COVID-Related Hardship
• Testing Mandate Is Straining California Cannabis Cos.
• Legal View of Labels: What’s the best way to deal with the new wave of class-action lawsuits?
• The Best Defense Requires Litigating On The Merits
• Cyber Security/Data Breach: President Calls for New AntiHacking Legislation
• How to Aggressively Defend Against Lender Liability Lawsuits
• New Weapons to Battle Cybersquatters
• Protect It or Lose It: A Guide for Fashion Companies to Protect Their Trademark Rights and Preserve Their Brands
• The Perils of Film Distribution
• Five Tips for Film Distributors and Other Licensees
• The Ray Charles Foundation “Messes Around” and Gets SLAPP’d
• How Safe Is Your Security Interest in Intellectual Property? Five Tips That Protect You