Richard J. Doren is a partner in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Los Angeles office and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. Over the course of his 37 years at the firm, Rich has litigated, tried and argued appeals in complex matters before state and federal courts across the country, as well as international arbitration tribunals.
Rich specializes in the preparation and trial of complex, difficult cases. He has tried over two dozen cases in venues around the country involving a broad variety of plaintiffs, defendants and issues. The National Law Journal named Rich in a Special Report on Winning Litigators who “scored big victories for their clients in high-stakes cases,” and he was named Litigator of the Week by The American Lawyer for his work as lead trial counsel for Apple in Epic v. Apple. The Daily Journal recently named Rich to its inaugural 2023 “Leading Commercial Litigators” list and has previously recognized him as one of California’s Top 100 Lawyers. Rich was also included in the 2025 edition of the The Best Lawyers in America in Commercial Litigation and Insurance.
Representative trials include:
- Lead trial counsel for Apple in a three-week bench trial in May 2021, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, defending against state and federal antitrust claims brought by Epic Games, Inc. In September 2021, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled in favor of Apple on all of Epic’s antitrust claims. The case was referred to in the press as “the Super Bowl of Antitrust,” and it was recognized by Daily Journal as one of the Top Verdicts of 2021, by Global Competition Review as the antitrust Matter of the Year, and by Benchmark Litigation as an Impact Case of the Year.
- Lead trial counsel for a large technology staffing company in a reverse discrimination jury trial in May 2023 in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. The trial involved a certified class of former employees claiming that Rich’s client discriminated against non-South Asians in making certain retention and termination decisions. Following several days of deliberations after a two-week jury trial, the jury was unable to reach a verdict and the court declared a mistrial. The case is scheduled to be retried in February 2024. A motion to decertify the class based on the recent trial record is currently pending.
- Lead trial counsel for a large U.S. manufacturer in a three-week international arbitration in London in Fall 2022 and Spring 2023. Rich’s client was sued by a Portuguese company seeking over one billion dollars in damages based on claims addressing a series of contracts and transactions between the two parties and several governmental ministeries of an African country. The three-member tribunal ruled entirely in favor of Rich’s client, awarding it attorneys’ fees and costs from plaintiff.
- Lead trial counsel for a major insurer in a four-week confirmation hearing in July 2022 before the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. Rich took the lead in presenting the case on behalf of a group of several dozen different insurers, each of which were represented by separate counsel. Following the month-long trial, the court denied confirmation of the plan until the debtor addressed the primary issues raised by the insurer group.
- Lead trial counsel for Netlist in a November 2021 jury trial in the United States District Court for the Central District of California in which Netlist sued Samsung for breach of a license agreement and supply contract. Following an award of nominal damages by the jury, judgment was entered in favor of Netlist.
- Lead trial counsel for a major insurer in a two-week bench trial in December 2020 in the complex division of the Los Angeles Superior Court. The trial resolved a series of factual issues related to insurance coverage for sexual abuse claims, and those findings have been used to great effect in subsequent motions.
- Lead trial counsel in a May 2019 jury trial for Apple’s contract manufacturers in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, in which Rich’s clients pressed antitrust claims against Qualcomm based on its business practices in the sale of cellular chips and chipsets. The case settled after a jury had been selected and opening statements delivered.
- Lead trial counsel in an arbitration in Spring 2017 in West Virginia before three sitting state court judges over a $120 million dispute between an out-of-state insurer and the state’s teachers’ retirement plan over the state’s right to terminate an annuity contract and reinvest the funds in alternative investments. Following the presentation of dozens of witnesses and hundreds of exhibits, Rich secured a unanimous decision from the panel for his client, with the three state court judges finding that the insurer had acted properly and owed the retirement plan nothing.
- Lead trial counsel in a four-week jury trial in April 2016 in Santa Clara County Superior Court in which Rich’s client, a health insurer and plan administrator, asserted seven different tort claims involving billing fraud against nine defendants involved in the operation of ambulatory surgery centers. The jury rendered a verdict of $37.5 million in favor of Rich’s client, awarding every dollar Rich sought on each cause of action. The sole question asked by the jury during deliberations was whether its award was limited to the amount of damages requested. In lieu of an appeal, the matter settled for more than $40 million.
Capabilities
- Litigation
- Antitrust and Competition
- Class Actions
- FDA and Health Care
- Insurance and Reinsurance
- Technology Litigation
- Trials
Credentials
Education:
- University of San Diego - 1986 Juris Doctor
- University of California - Los Angeles - 1982 Bachelor of Arts
Admissions:
- California Bar