John C. Hueston
Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Criminal Defense: White-Collar
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John Hueston has been described by Chambers USA, which ranked him in Band 1 nationally, as “the best trial lawyer of his generation” with “a commanding reputation for trial advocacy.” He has been recognized twice as a “California Lawyer of the Year” by California Lawyer magazine, twice as “California Trial Lawyer of the Year” by Benchmark Litigation, and among the “Top Lawyers of the Decade” by the Daily Journal.Mr. Hueston won “the largest-ever U.S. trademark award” (Reuters) for Monster Energy Company against rival beverage company Vital Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Following a two-week trial, an arbitrator awarded Monster and Orange Bang $175 million in damages, nearly $10 million in attorney’s fees and costs, and an extraordinary 5 percent royalty on all future sales of Bang Energy. (“Monster asks court to enforce $175 mln award against Bang Energy maker,” Reuters; “Monster, Orange Bang Win $175M Against Rival In Arbitration,” Law360).In addition, he won a four-month trial and gave drug companies their only opioids trial victory to date in the more than 3,300 lawsuits filed nationally. In defense of Endo Pharmaceuticals, he demolished the plaintiff’s principal arguments in the nationwide $50 billion opioid litigation that pharmaceutical companies caused a nuisance through their marketing and sale of prescription opioid medications. (“How Hueston Hennigan Notched A Landmark Opioid Trial Win,” Law360; “Opioid Makers Win Major Victory in California Trial,” The New York Times; “Drug Makers Handed First Win Out of Thousands of National Opioid Crisis Lawsuits,” Newsweek).The Endo win at trial and the Monster decision in arbitration are the bookends for Mr. Hueston’s extraordinary—and successful—run. Alongside these two widely reported victories in November 2021 and April 2022, respectively, Mr. Hueston ran up a series of other courtroom, trial, and arbitration wins second to none. In the $25 million intellectual property jury trial win against Samsung in the EDTX, Mr. Hueston had to take time off from the Endo trial in California to make arguments at trial in Marshall, Texas.Over the years, Mr. Hueston’s high-profile practice and trial work have attracted worldwide attention, beginning with his celebrated role as lead prosecutor in the successful three-month “business trial of the century” (Mr. Hueston is featured in this year’s Wall Street Journal podcast: Bad Bets – Enron: Lies and Choices, discussing Enron against former CEOs Jeffrey Skilling and Ken Lay). He recovered $5.15 billion after trial in Tronox v. Anadarko, the nation’s largest environmental fraudulent transfer case. As chronicled in the bestseller The Billionaire’s Vinegar, Mr. Hueston won an eight-figure recovery after a three-week jury trial in New York on behalf of William Koch in his worldwide crusade against wine fraud. He also defeated the SEC’s contempt action against Elon Musk for alleged improper tweeting. The American Lawyer described it as “a clear win for Musk’s lawyer, John Hueston.” (“How Hueston Hennigan Steered Tesla’s Musk to Safety.”) John Hueston has been described by Chambers USA, which ranked him in Band 1 nationally, as “the best trial lawyer of his generation” with “a commanding reputation for trial advocacy.” He has been recognized twice as a “California Lawyer of the Year” by California Lawyer magazine, twice as “California Trial Lawyer of the Year” by Benchmark Litigation, and among the “Top Lawyers of the Decade” by the Daily Journal.Mr. Hueston won “the largest-ever U.S. trademark award” (Reuters) for Monster Energy Company against rival beverage company Vital Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Following a two-week trial, an arbitrator awarded Monster and Orange Bang $175 million in damages, nearly $10 million in attorney’s fees and costs, and an extraordinary 5 percent royalty on all future sales of Bang Energy. (“Monster asks court to enforce $175 mln award against Bang Energy maker,” Reuters; “Monster, Orange Bang Win $175M Against Rival In Arbitration,” Law360).In addition, he won a four-month trial and gave drug companies their only opioids trial victory to date in the more than 3,300 lawsuits filed nationally. In defense of Endo Pharmaceuticals, he demolished the plaintiff’s principal arguments in the nationwide $50 billion opioid litigation that pharmaceutical companies caused a nuisance through their marketing and sale of prescription opioid medications. (“How Hueston Hennigan Notched A Landmark Opioid Trial Win,” Law360; “Opioid Makers Win Major Victory in California Trial,” The New York Times; “Drug Makers Handed First Win Out of Thousands of National Opioid Crisis Lawsuits,” Newsweek).The Endo win at trial and the Monster decision in arbitration are the bookends for Mr. Hueston’s extraordinary—and successful—run. Alongside these two widely reported victories in November 2021 and April 2022, respectively, Mr. Hueston ran up a series of other courtroom, trial, and arbitration wins second to none. In the $25 million intellectual property jury trial win against Samsung in the EDTX, Mr. Hueston had to take time off from the Endo trial in California to make arguments at trial in Marshall, Texas.Over the years, Mr. Hueston’s high-profile practice and trial work have attracted worldwide attention, beginning with his celebrated role as lead prosecutor in the successful three-month “business trial of the century” (Mr. Hueston is featured in this year’s Wall Street Journal podcast: Bad Bets – Enron: Lies and Choices, discussing Enron against former CEOs Jeffrey Skilling and Ken Lay). He recovered $5.15 billion after trial in Tronox v. Anadarko, the nation’s largest environmental fraudulent transfer case. As chronicled in the bestseller The Billionaire’s Vinegar, Mr. Hueston won an eight-figure recovery after a three-week jury trial in New York on behalf of William Koch in his worldwide crusade against wine fraud. He also defeated the SEC’s contempt action against Elon Musk for alleged improper tweeting. The American Lawyer described it as “a clear win for Musk’s lawyer, John Hueston.” (“How Hueston Hennigan Steered Tesla’s Musk to Safety.”) John Hueston has been described by Chambers USA, which ranked him in Band 1 nationally, as “the best trial lawyer of his generation” with “a commanding reputation for trial advocacy.” He has been recognized twice as a “California Lawyer of the Year” by California Lawyer magazine, twice as “California Trial Lawyer of the Year” by Benchmark Litigation, and among the “Top Lawyers of the Decade” by the Daily Journal. Mr. Hueston won “the largest-ever U.S. trademark award” (Reuters) for Monster Energy Company against rival beverage company Vital Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Hueston’s extraordinary—and successful—run. Alongside these two widely reported victories in November 2021 and April 2022, respectively, Mr. Hueston ran up a series of other courtroom, trial, and arbitration wins second to none. In the $25 million intellectual property jury trial win against Samsung in the EDTX, Mr. Hueston had to take time off from the Endo trial in California to make arguments at trial in Marshall, Texas. Over the years, Mr. He also defeated the SEC’s contempt action against Elon Musk for alleged improper tweeting. The American Lawyer described it as “a clear win for Musk’s lawyer, John Hueston.” (“How Hueston Hennigan Steered Tesla’s Musk to Safety.”)
Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2009
Jason Campbell
Our company retained John Hueston and his team at Hueston Hennigan to defend us in a high-stakes trade secrets and breach of contract dispute. From the outset, his deep experience was evident. His strategic approach, honed over three decades, was masterful, and his courtroom presence was exactly as described by Chambers—truly commanding. He has a rare ability to distill incredibly complex financial and technical details into a compelling narrative for the judge. The recognition he has received, like the recent 'Lawyer of the Year' awards, is well-deserved. We achieved a highly favorable settlement that protected our core intellectual property. The only minor critique would be that communication from his support team during non-critical phases could occasionally lag, but when it mattered, John himself was always accessible and decisive. We would not hesitate to engage him again for bet-the-company litigation.