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Partner
Litigation & Intellectual Property Practice
Los Angeles
(213) 532-2129 Phone
(213) 532-2020 Fax
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| Resumes |
Primary Resume
National Business
Tort and Product
Liability bio
| Practices |
Climate Change Law
and Policy
Endangered and
Threatened Species
Environmental
Environmental Issues
In Business
Transactions
Environmental
Litigation & Toxic
Torts
Life Sciences
Litigation
National Business
Tort and Product
Liability
Superfund
TSCA
Waste
Water Quality
Wetlands, Endangered
Species & Natural
Resources
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Ms. Reck's practice focuses on environmental, product liability and complex business matters. She has successfully represented both large international companies and small businesses in cases involving toxic tort, global warming, CERCLA, RCRA, and a variety of other environmental statutes and common law. Ms. Reck has trial experience in both state and federal court, where she successfully tried a CERCLA allocation case to judgment. Ms. Reck also has extensive experience resolving environmental matters in both arbitration and mediation. In her practice, Ms. Reck has litigated environmental matters arising from a variety of facilities and operations, including numerous landfills, petroleum refineries and manufacturing facilities within and outside California. In addition, she has successfully tried to jury verdict several product liability cases involving the use of prescription drugs for an international pharmaceutical company.
Relevant Experience 
- Represents several utility companies in suit brought by Native Alaskan Village for damage alleged to be caused by global warming.
- Obtained judgment in favor of major aircraft manufacturer after month-long CERLCA trial in Central District Court in Los Angeles. Ms. Reck then forestalled a protracted and expensive appeal by negotiating a multimillion dollar settlement on her client's behalf.
- Successfully defended aerospace manufacturer in multiple toxic tort class action suits brought by 3,000 California residents claiming harmful health exposures from hexavalent chromium, TCE and PCE in groundwater and property damage. Summary judgment on causation was granted in favor of the manufacturer.
- Obtained jury verdicts in favor of defendant large pharmaceutical company in numerous product liability cases brought in Central Civil West in Los Angeles. Also successfully managed the resolution of dozens of additional product liability cases on behalf of large pharmaceutical company.
- Obtained complete dismissal of toxic tort claim for worker exposure brought against integrated energy company.
- Obtained large settlement in favor of manufacturing client from United States for resolution of CERCLA claim that the United States government was an operator of the manufacturing facility during World War II.
- Successfully defended international, integrated energy company in Northern California action involving claims for fraud and breach of contract related to sale of petroleum refinery. Ms. Reck successfully moved the action to arbitration, wherein she successfully resolved the matter.
- Successfully defended integrated energy company in lawsuit brought by City of Los Angeles alleging, among other claims, common law claims and violations of the Lempert-Keene-Seastrand Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act and the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act in connection with a site in San Pedro, California.
- Successfully represented Fortune 500 corporate client in scope of employment trial.
- Successfully represented integrated global entertainment company in a copyright infringement case against CBS, among others, in which she obtained a TRO against CBS' production of the program currently known as "The Amazing Race."
- Successfully resolved suit by well-known actors in their suit against Host International, Inc. for infringement of their right to publicity.
Background
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Partner, O’Donnell & Mortimer LLP, 1996–2006
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Associate, Kaye, Scholer, Fierman, Hays & Handler, 1993–1996
- Clerk, Hon. Ronald S.W. Lew, United States District Court, Central District of California, 1992-1993
- Instructor, legal writing and research, University of Southern California School of Law, 1990-1992
- Instructor, English, Illinois State University, 1984-1986
Membership
Member, California State Bar Current member and Past President, California Women Lawyers (2001-2002) Current Member and former Co-chair, Litigation Committee, Women Lawyers of Los Angeles (2000-2001)
Awards and Professional Recognition
2009, Named "Top 100 Women Litigators in California," L.A. Daily Journal 2009, Named "Super Lawyer" in Environmental Law, California Lawyer 2007 Finalist, 500 Leading Lawyers in America, Lawdragon
Pro Bono Work
- Prosecuted cases for the Los Angeles City Attorney's office on a volunteer basis. To date, Ms. Reck has successfully prosecuted numerous criminal jury trials to "guilty" verdicts and has successfully argued numerous evidentiary issues.
Education - J.D., University of Southern California Law School, Order of the Coif; Member, University of Southern California Law Review, 1992
- B.S., Illinois State University, magna cum laude, 1986
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Belynda Reck
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