David R. Carpenter

Representative Matters

• Successfully argued Segal v. ASICS America Corp. (2022) in the California Supreme Court after also serving as appellate counsel for a trial that resulted in a complete defense verdict in a complex commercial dispute.
• In the products liability context, represented Johnson & Johnson in post-trial motions and on appeal, overturning a $417 million verdict in a widely publicized case alleging that talcum powder causes ovarian cancer. David also has extensive experience representing life-science defendants in other California JCCP proceedings.
• In the media and entertainment context, successfully represented on appeal and as appellate counsel at trial a major motion picture studio in a dispute over royalties for a musical work. Successfully represented on appeal the executive producer of the television show Hot Bench in a dispute over rights to the show—a case recognized in AmLaw’s “Litigator of the Week” column and featured in the article “A Hot Fight Over Hot Bench.”
• In the consumer class action context, represented clients in the Ninth Circuit, California Court of Appeal, and trial courts across jurisdictions in cases involving pharmaceutical products, dietary supplements, retail goods, and vehicle defects and fuel economy.
• In the employment context, acted as appellate counsel at trial in an alleged misclassification case that resulted in a complete defense verdict. Successfully represented clients on appeal and in defeating class certification in cases alleging failure to pay overtime, missed meal and rest breaks, and failure to reimburse, among other claims.

Pro Bono Supreme Court Matters

• Filed an amicus brief on behalf of 82 scholars who study the transgender population in R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes, Inc. v. EEOC, 590 U.S. __ (2020), a momentous case in which the U.S. Supreme Court held that employers are prohibited from firing employees on the basis of homosexuality or transgender status.
• Represented the Children’s Defense Fund, Fair Elections Legal Network, and the Union for Reform Judaism et al. in an amicus brief in Evenwel v. Abbott (2016), involving whether the “one-person, one-vote” principle under the Equal Protection Clause allows states to use total population, rather than voter population, when apportioning state legislative districts.
• Represented respondent in Kerry v. Din (2015), addressing the constitutional rights of a U.S. citizen to challenge the denial of a visa to her spouse.

• David chairs the Sidley Los Angeles Summer Committee and Committee on Associate Training and Development, for which he has developed programs on effective legal writing and research techniques.
• David is currently a board member of Sound Mind Live, a nonprofit organization that seeks to reduce the stigma that surrounds mental health issues through the power of music. 
• David was part of a Sidley team that earned the 2017 Pro Bono Service Award from Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles for work on a voting rights case that helped changed the election process for Fullerton city council.