Marco Quazzo is a Partner of the firm. He is a trial lawyer with broad experience in business and real estate litigation including disputes arising from the purchase and sale of business and real property, partnership and shareholder disputes, corporate governance disputes, trustee disputes, disputes arising from real property leasing, disputes involving manufacturers, dealers, distributors or suppliers, and disputes involving business torts, fraud, breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty. Marco has tried many cases to verdict in U.S. District Court and California Superior Court and frequently represents clients in arbitration and mediation proceedings. He is a former law clerk of the Hon. D. Lowell Jensen of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.
In his free time Marco is active in his community and has been recognized for his support of at-risk youth and the victims of gun violence. He also enjoys skiing, golf, reading, and the theater.
Education
- University of California Berkeley School of Law, J.D. (Order of the Coif)
- Harvard University, A.B., Magna Cum Laude
Professional Affiliations
- Association of Business Trial Lawyers
- Faculty Member, National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA)
- Faculty Member, University of San Francisco Law School, Intensive Advocacy Program
Bar Admissions
- State Bar of California
- Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
- U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Central and Eastern Districts of California
Honors & Awards
- Honored as a Northern California “Super Lawyer” by Thomson Reuters (2004, 2006 – 2012, 2015 – 2017, 2019 – 2023)
- Rated “AV Preeminent” by Martindale-Hubbell, indicating very high legal ability and very high ethical standards
- Recipient of the Community Service Award from the Jack Berman Advocacy Center for legal work on behalf of victims of gun violence
- Recipient of the Golden Eagle award from The Guardsmen for work on behalf of at-risk youth in the Bay Area
Representative Cases
- Marco successfully defended a restaurant in litigation in which a landlord claimed it was owed substantial monies over a 20-year period, resulting in a judgment in favor of the restaurant for more than $600,000 in attorneys’ fees.
- Marco defended the directors and officers of a mortgage bank against breach of fiduciary duty claims by shareholders who sought $30 million in damages.
- Marco represented a real estate investment trust in pursuing breach of contract and fraud claims against a property management company entrusted with managing and selling a shopping center portfolio of 60 properties.
- Marco successfully defended commercial property sellers against claims by a title insurance company for $3.3 million in damages by obtaining a dismissal before trial with the plaintiff recovering nothing.
- Marco represented two real estate developers in an eight-week jury trial in California Superior Court against claims of fraud and breach of contract.
- Marco represented a major automobile company in a $3 million dispute with two suppliers involving the shipment of hundreds of thousands of vehicles between California and Hawaii.
- Marco defended the selling shareholders of a high technology company against indemnity claims totaling $25 million asserted by the buyer after losses arose from patent infringement litigation that was pending at the time of sale.
- Marco represented the general partner of a family investment partnership against claims of breach of fiduciary duty and fraud asserted by 15 limited partners after the general partner adopted a diversified investment strategy.
- Marco defended a corporate officer against claims by dozens of investors for breach of fiduciary duty and fraud after the corporation filed bankruptcy.
- Marco secured summary judgment in U.S. District Court on behalf of an investment bank against a company which refused to pay a $2 million “success fee” after the company was acquired in a private equity transaction.
- Marco represented retail tenants throughout the United States in litigation with commercial landlords arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, and obtained several favorable settlements for retail tenants in cases involving lease terminations and/or rent abatement.
- Marco successfully defended a restaurant group in litigation in which a landlord claimed it was owed substantial monies over a 20-year period, resulting in a judgment in which the restaurant group recovered more than $600,000 of its attorneys’ fees.
- Marco prevailed at trial in U.S. District Court on all claims asserted by his client, a maritime transportation company, against a medical clinic in a dispute arising from the clinic’s negligent treatment of the company’s employee. SeaRiver Maritime, Inc. v. Industrial Medical Services, Inc., 983 F.Supp. 1287 (N.D. Cal. 1997).
- Marco litigated claims against a real estate broker for breach of fiduciary duty and fraud on behalf of a commercial property developer.
- Marco litigated premises liability claims against a building owner and security company, and negligence claims against a gun manufacturer and retailer on behalf of a shooting victim at 101 California Street in San Francisco.
- Marco litigated claims for breach of contract, non-disclosure, fraud and construction defects on behalf of a property owner who incurred more than $1 million in water damage against the seller, developer and contractor for the property.
- Marco prosecuted inverse condemnation and negligence claims for property damage after a city-owned water main burst, causing a flood on an automobile dealer’s lot that damaged dozens of new vehicles.
- Marco secured a favorable settlement in a JAMS arbitration proceeding on behalf of the estate of a deceased shareholder of a closely held company that refused to repurchase his shares upon his death.
Publications & Speaking Engagements
Guest Lecturer, University of San Francisco Law School, Corporate Governance Seminar
Speaker and Co-Author; International Council of Shopping Centers – U.S. Law Conference, November 2021
The Litigation Wave and Impact of COVID-19 on Retail Lease Obligations
Speaker and Co-Author; International Council of Shopping Centers – U.S. Law Conference, October 2020
5 Guidelines Courts Will Use to Decide Force Majeure Claims in COVID-19 Cases
Los Angeles & San Francisco Daily Journal (May 4, 2020)
Bloomberg BNA Corporate Accountability Report, August 2013