Nima H. Mohebbi

Litigation and Trials

• Chess.com in beating back defamation claims brought in New Jersey state court by grandmaster Brandon Jacobson after the site closed his account for violating its Fair Play Policy.
• Chess.com in high-profile defamation and antitrust suit regarding cheating allegations; won complete dismissal in federal court and helped lead multi-faceted public relations campaign.
• MLS team in confidential arbitration with minority owner over stadium rights and intellectual property.
• Omnicom subsidiary Mercury Public Affairs in highly publicized dispute with former partners operating in the public affairs space; settled favorably.
• Joint BVI Liquidators of Three Arrows Capital, a prominent crypto hedge fund with billions of dollars in assets previously under management; helped secure significant value to the liquidation, including through Chapter 15 litigation against major crypto funds.
• Leading plant-based meat company in long-running trade secret dispute with co-manufacturer; resolved favorably at trial.
• Fortune 100 food company as plaintiff in New York federal litigation regarding multi-billion-dollar M&A deal; defeated summary judgment and obtained significant settlement.
• Prominent media and entertainment company in high-stakes confidential arbitration over more than US$300 million in commercial assets; obtained complete victory and attorneys’ fees award for client.
• Emirates NBD Bank PJSC, the largest bank in the United Arab Emirates, against trade secret and fraud claims seeking more than US$1.6 billion in damages; obtained a complete defense verdict in a three-week federal jury trial; verdict affirmed on appeal.
• Co-founders of a major online fashion brand in a six-week jury trial in LA Superior Court, against another co-founder, on causes of action for breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, conversion, constructive trust, and breach of contract — the 12-person jury awarded clients US$36.6 million in compensatory and punitive damages and resolved key and heavily contested ownership and control disputes in favor of the clients.
• Time Warner Cable in a month-long federal jury trial involving patent infringement claims by Sprint seeking several hundred million in damages; defeated Sprint’s request for more than US$300 million in treble damages.
• Simon Property Group and The Macerich Company in a major breach of contract dispute with the City of Carson over a half-billion dollar redevelopment project.
• Large group of lenders in complex commercial action to recover more than €1.8 billion in PIK debt against the world’s largest lead producer; obtained settlement on favorable terms.
• Digital asset production company and Grammy-winning DJ in dispute involving music festival.
• Grammy-winning music icon in several litigation matters, including defense of Copyright-infringement claims.

Crisis Management

• Counsel to leading athletes and renowned entertainers, providing rapid-response guidance on sensitive, high-stakes matters—including media strategy and reputation management during times of crisis.
• Strategic advisor to companies on safeguarding board and executive leadership, developing tailored approaches to protect decision-making processes at the highest levels.
• Lead internal investigations for clients, including fast-growing startups, with a focus on intellectual property protection and risk mitigation.

Entertainment, Technology, and Digital Content Counseling

• Chess.com in a multiyear partnership agreement with the Esports World Cup Foundation, the organizer of the 2025 Esports World Cup (EWC), an affiliate of the Saudia Arabia Public Investment Fund.
• Multiple major technology companies on AI legal strategy.
• The Chainsmokers in a first-of-its-kind NFT release tied to album streaming royalties.
• Several celebrity entertainers and athletes in commercial and regulatory matters.
• Prominent NFL athlete on AI issues.
• OpenSea in its acquisition of Dharma Labs.
• Major NFT minter in formulating significant sports and media deal.
• NFT-minting platform in M&A and trade secret dispute.
• Several DAOs in providing regulatory and dispute-resolution advice.
• Atomic Fiction VFX in a sell-side M&A transaction.
• Netflix in its digital and visual effects production.
• RodeoFX in digital and content creation work.
• Well-known e-commerce beauty company on multiple intellectual property, distribution, and internet privacy matters.
• One of the largest virtual private network (VPN) companies in the world in regulatory and dispute advice.

Some of the above matters were handled prior to joining Sidley.

• Member, California State Bar, Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct
• Chair, Working Group on Legal AI Regulation, California State Bar Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct
• Member, Executive Committee, Los Angeles County Bar Association, Litigation Section