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David W. Kesselman - Manhattan Beach, CA

1230 Rosecrans AvenueSuite 400 Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

Super Lawyers®

1

Updated: 06/18/2025

Manhattan Beach Antitrust and Trade Regulation Lawyer

Overview

David W. Kesselman is a Partner of Kesselman Brantly Stockinger LLP. Prior to founding KBS, Mr. Kesselman was a partner in the highly regarded antitrust and litigation boutique, Blecher & Collins, P.C., in Los Angeles. He began his legal career at the international law firm, Jones Day. Mr. Kesselman has represented plaintiffs and defendants in complex litigation matters including: antitrust, unfair competition, business tort, copyright, class action, and employment cases. Mr. Kesselman has significant trial and arbitration experience, and he has argued cases in both federal and state appellate courts. He provides antitrust counseling and compliance advice to corporations, and he has represented entities in antitrust investigations brought by the U.S. Department of Justice and the California Attorney General’s Office.

He was selected as a Southern California Rising Star every year from 2005 to 2013, and he has been named a Southern California Super Lawyer for his expertise in antitrust law from 2015-2024. He is also listed in Best Lawyers of America.

For many years, Mr. Kesselman has served as an adjunct professor of law at Loyola Law School, where he has taught courses in U.S. and Global Antitrust Law. He has served on the executive committee for the California State Bar's Antitrust and Unfair Competition section and is a past Chair of the Los Angeles County Bar's Antitrust and Unfair Corporation Section. He is also a contributing author and editor of the leading treatise in California on antitrust and unfair competition law.

Due to his expertise, Mr. Kesselman is often asked to provide commentary on significant antitrust issues to major national media sources, including: The New York Times, Bloomberg, The Hill, Law 360, LA Daily Journal, SF Recorder, and others.

Mr. Kesselman received his J.D. from the University of California, Davis, where he was a member of the law review and received the U.C. Davis Lasky Antitrust Award. He holds an M.A. from the London School of Economics in International History. He received his B.A. from the University of California, Irvine, where he majored in political science and served as student body president. He remains actively involved as an alumnus of UC Irvine and currently serves on the leadership advisory board for the Dean of the School of Social Sciences.

About David W. Kesselman

Current Employment Position(s)

  • Co-Managing Partner

Practice Areas

  • Antitrust and Trade Regulation
  • Business Litigation
  • Intellectual Property
  • Class Actions

Representative Cases

  • Leniconi, et al. v. Emily Cutrer [Interim President of Sonoma State University], the Board of Trustees for the California State University, and Mildred Garcia [Chancellor of the California State University], Case No. 25CV01328 (Sonoma Superior Court.), Mr. Kesselman and KBS represent the Board of Trustees of the California State University and related defendants (collectively “CSU”) against a lawsuit challenging Sonoma State’s plan to eliminate NCAA Division II athletics and certain academic programs to address an ongoing budget crisis. After extensive briefing and oral argument, the Court agreed with our position and denied plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction and their request for a writ of mandamus.
  • AIDS Healthcare Foundation v. Express Scripts, Inc., Case No. 4:24-cv-01043-MTS (E.D. Missouri) – Mr. Kesselman and KBS represent AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) against pharmacy benefits manager (PBM), Express Scripts, Inc. (ESI) and specialty pharmacy Accredo Health Group, Inc. (Accredo). AHF alleges that ESI and Accredo have engaged in federal antitrust and state law violations, including monopolizing the specialty pharmacy market in Louisiana.
  • Endanicha Bragg, et al. v. Pacific Maritime Association; International Longshore and Warehouse Union; International and Longshore Warehouse Union Local 13 (Case No. 20STCV42885) – Mr. Kesselman and KBS represent ILWU Local 13 against putative class action lawsuit alleging violations of California employment laws. The case is now in discovery.
  • Developer v. Laborers International Union of North America Local 300 – Mr. Kesselman and KBS represented Laborers International Union of North America Local 300 and various other defendants in a lawsuit alleging federal antitrust claims. After extensive briefing of summary judgment and Daubert motions, the case settled on confidential terms.
  • Harbor Performance Enhancement Center, LLC v. City of Los Angeles Harbor Department; City of Los Angeles; International Longshore and Warehouse Union; International and Longshore Warehouse Union Local 13; and Eugene D. Seroka; Case No. 2:20-cv-013251 (C.D. Cal.), Mr. Kesselman and KBS represented ILWU Local 13 in lawsuit alleging federal antitrust and related claims. After extensive briefing and oral argument, the District Court agreed with our position and dismissed the case in its entirety against ILWU Local 13. After further briefing and oral argument, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed.
  • Soleiman Professional Dental Corp. v. Health Care Entity – Mr. Kesselman and KBS represented periodontist group in lawsuit against health care entity asserting California state antitrust claims. The case settled on confidential terms.
  • Curtin Maritime Corp. v. Sana Catalina Island Company; Avalon Freight Services, LLC; Case No. 2:16-cv-3290 (C.D. Cal.) – Mr. Kesselman and KBS represented Curtin Maritime Corp. in lawsuit asserting federal antitrust claim. The case settled on confidential terms.
  • Renaissance Ventures, LLC d/b/a/ Prestige Entertainment; Broadway Hospitality Group, Inc.; Venue Kings Ticket Brokers, Inc.; RT&H, Inc. d/b/a 714 Tickets v. Los Angeles Dodgers LLC; Dodger Tickets LLC; Eventellect LLC; Case No. BC699721 (LA Superior Court), Mr. Kesselman and KBS represented ticket brokers in lawsuit against the Los Angeles Dodgers asserting state antitrust and related claims. We successfully defeated a motion to preclude the filing of the antitrust claims. The case settled on confidential terms.
  • Kofi Kessey, M.D., Ph.D.; Kofi Kessey, MD/PHD/ Inc. v. Los Robles Regional Medical Center d/b/a/ Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center; Case No. 56-2015-00469667-CU-MC-VTA (Ventura Superior Court) – Mr. Kesselman and KBS represented neurosurgeon and his professional corporation in health and safety whistleblower action against hospital. The case successfully settled on the eve of trial.
  • Veronica Perez, et al. v. County of Marin, Case No. 18-cv-04938 (N.D. Cal.) – Mr. Kesselman and KBS represented social workers in Fair Labor Standards Act case against County of Marin. The case successfully resolved and settlement was approved by the Court.

Qualifications

Other Affiliations

  • California State Bar’s Antitrust and Unfair Competition Section (Executive Committee and Advisor)
  • Los Angeles County Bar’s Antitrust and Unfair Corporation Section (Past Chair and Executive Committee Member)
  • American Bar Foundation (Fellow)
  • Association of Business Trial Lawyers (Member)
  • Chancery Club of Los Angeles (Member)

Classes and Seminars

  • Speaker, Epic Reverberations [update on Epic v. Apple litigation], Antitrust & Unfair Competition Law Section, California Lawyer’s Association Unfair Competition Institute (Jan. 18, 2024).
  • Presenter, Introduction to Antitrust Law, Loyola Law School: Journalist Law School (August 3, 2023)
  • Adjunct Professor, Antitrust Law, Loyola Law School (2009 - 2013, 2016 - present)
  • Adjunct Professor, Global Antitrust Law, Loyola Law School (2012)
  • Lecturer, Business Law, California State University, Northridge (2010)
  • Antitrust Law, Loyola Law School, 2017
  • Presenter, Introduction to Antitrust Law, Loyola Law School: Journalist Law School (August 3, 2024)

Past Positions

  • Blecher & Collins, P.C., in Los Angeles, Partner
  • Jones Day

Education

  • University of California, Davis School of Law, Davis, California, 1999
    J.D.
    Honors: U.C. Davis Lasky Antitrust Award
    Law Review: U.C. Davis Law Review, Member
  • The London School of Economics, 1995
    M.A.
  • University of California, Irvine, 1994
    B.A.

Fees

Accepts Credit Cards

Articles

Published Works

  • “Government Finally Files Its Antitrust Case Against Amazon,” LA Daily Journal, October 11, 2023 (co-author with Amy Brantly)
  • “The Cases Against Facebook,” Column in LA and SF Daily Journal, December 21, 2020 (co-author with Amy T. Brantly).
  • “Is the DOJ’s Google antitrust lawsuit just the beginning?”, Column in LA and SF Daily Journal, October 28, 2020 (co-author with Amy T. Brantly)
  • “Will Congress restore antitrust to protect competition?”, Column in LA and SF Daily Journal, October 26, 2020 (co-author with Amy T. Brantly)
  • "Hope for Antitrust Regulation,” Column in Los Angeles Daily Journal, May 21, 2019
  • “The civility and decency of a legal titan: Maxwell M. Blecher,” Op-ed in Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal (March 20, 2018)
  • Vertical Price-Fixing: Why California’s Per Se Rule Against Resale Price Maintenance Is Actually Good For Businesses and Consumers: Plaintiff Perspective, Competition; The Journal of the Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law Section of the State Bar of California (Fall 2013) (co-author with Trevor V. Stockinger)
  • California Business Law: Business And Professions Code Section 17200, Chapter 15 in California Antitrust & Unfair Competition Law (Revised), The Antitrust and Unfair Competition law Section of the State Bar of California (2009 – 2024) (co-author and co-editor with Jordan Ludwig)
  • Health Industry, chapter in California Antitrust & Unfair Competition Law (Revised), The Antitrust and Unfair Competition law Section of the State Bar of California (2013-15) (co-editor with Majed Dakak of updated chapter)
  • "Changing Channels," Op-ed in Los Angeles Daily Journal, October 30, 2007 (co-author with Maxwell M. Blecher)
  • Contributing author and editor of the leading treatise in California on antitrust and unfair competition law
  • "An Epic Battle: the Epic Games v. Apple antitrust decision", Westlaw Today (Reuters), September 23, 2021 (co-author with Amy T. Brantly)

Office Information

Address

1230 Rosecrans AvenueSuite 400 Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

Achievements

Other Sources of Feedback About David W. Kesselman

Included on the 2025 Southern California Super Lawyers list


Past Lists

  • 2024 Southern California Super Lawyers list
  • 2023 Southern California Super Lawyers list
  • 2022 Southern California Super Lawyers list
  • 2021 Southern California Super Lawyers list
  • 2020 Southern California Super Lawyers list
  • 2019 Southern California Super Lawyers list
  • 2018 Southern California Super Lawyers list
  • 2017 Southern California Super Lawyers list
  • 2016 Southern California Super Lawyers list
  • 2015 Southern California Super Lawyers list
  • 2013 Southern California Super Lawyers list
  • 2012 Southern California Super Lawyers list
  • 2011 Southern California Super Lawyers list
  • 2010 Southern California Super Lawyers list
  • 2009 Southern California Super Lawyers list
  • 2008 Southern California Super Lawyers list
  • 2007 Southern California Super Lawyers list
  • 2006 Southern California Super Lawyers list
  • 2005 Southern California Super Lawyers list

View the profile for David W. Kesselman on Super Lawyers

Honors

  • Best Lawyers in America, Litigation - Antitrust (2022-2024)
  • Southern California Super Lawyer (2015 - 2024)
  • Top 100 Southern California Super Lawyer (2020)
  • Southern California SuperLawyers Rising Star (2005 - 2013)
  • LA and SF Daily Journal Top Antitrust Lawyer (2020, 2023, 2024)

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