Wikipedia

Charles Harder

Charles John Harder (born November 9, 1969) is an American lawyer at the law firm Harder LLP based in Los Angeles, California.[3]

Charles Harder
Born
Charles John Harder[1]

(1969-11-09) November 9, 1969 (age 55)[2]
Los Angeles, California, US[2]
EducationUniversity of California, Santa Cruz (BA)
Loyola Marymount University (JD)

Early career and education

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Harder graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a bachelor's degree in 1991. He earned a juris doctor degree from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles in 1996.[4] After completing law school, Harder served as a law clerk to U.S. District Judge A. Andrew Hauk in Los Angeles.[5]

Notable cases

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Harder is best known for representing Hulk Hogan (real name Terry Bollea) in the Bollea v. Gawker case.[6][7]

In 2007, Harder represented video game publisher Ubisoft in a one-week arbitration trial, defeating an $11 million claim by a German video game producer.[4]

Between 2009 and 2016, Harder represented a number of celebrities over misappropriation of their names and likeness,[8] including Sandra Bullock,[9] George Clooney, Bradley Cooper,[10] Jude Law,[11] Mandy Moore,[12] Liam Neeson,[10] Julia Roberts[9] and Reese Witherspoon.[13][14] Harder also won ICANN arbitrations for Sandra Bullock,[15] Cameron Diaz,[16] Kate Hudson,[17] and Sigourney Weaver.[18]

In 2011, Harder won an $18 million verdict for Cecchi Gori Pictures and defeated a multi-million dollar counter-claim after a four-week trial in Los Angeles state court.[19][20]

In 2017–18, Harder represented Ivan Aguilera, the heir of Mexican pop icon Juan Gabriel, against Univision and Telemundo in a $100 million defamation suit.[21]

In 2017, on behalf of Harvey Weinstein, Harder threatened to sue the New York Times after the Times published a story about Weinstein's alleged harassment. The lawsuit was not filed, and Harder withdrew from representation of Weinstein the following week.[22]

In 2017, Harder represented First Lady Melania Trump in a defamation case against the Daily Mail, which resulted in a $2.9 million settlement payment to Trump, and a public retraction and apology by the Daily Mail to her.[23] In 2018, he also represented President Donald Trump in legal demand letters sent to political consultant/media executive Steve Bannon and author Michael Wolff.[24] Harder also represented Jared Kushner in connection with a Vanity Fair article covering the 2017 Special Counsel investigation.[25] He represented the Trump campaign in a legal action taken against Omarosa Manigault Newman following the publication of her book, Unhinged.[26]

In 2018, Harder represented Trump in a defamation lawsuit filed by Stormy Daniels (real name Stephanie Clifford). On October 15, 2018, the U.S. District Court granted an anti-SLAPP motion filed by Harder, dismissing the lawsuit with prejudice and awarding Trump reimbursement of his attorneys fees against Stormy Daniels.[27] On December 11, 2018, the court ordered Stormy Daniels to pay Trump 75% reimbursement of his attorneys fees or $292,052.33, plus a $1000 sanction on Stormy Daniels as well. "The court’s order," Harder said, "along with the court’s prior order dismissing Stormy Daniels’ defamation case against President Trump, together constitute a total victory for the President, and a total defeat for Stormy Daniels in this case."[28] On July 31, 2020, the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed the U.S. District Court's ruling, in a unanimous 3-0 decision.[29]

In 2019, Harder sent a letter to CNN on behalf of Trump and his campaign, claiming CNN was violating the federal Lanham Act by marketing itself as a news organization.[30]

In 2019, Harder sued Oakley on behalf of US Olympic gold medalist Shaun White, for using his name and image beyond the term permitted by an earlier contract between them.[31]

In 2020, Harder sued VICE Media on behalf of BYD, a multi-billion dollar electric vehicle manufacturer based in China backed by Warren Buffett.[32]

Personal life

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Harder bicycled across the US at age 19.[33]

References

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  1. ^ "Charles John Harder Lawyer Profile on Martindale.com". www.martindale.com.
  2. ^ a b Hubbell, Martindale (1999). Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory. Martindale-Hubbell. ISBN 9781561603244.
  3. ^ "Home Page | HARDER LLP". www.harderllp.com. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Charles J. Harder | HARDER LLP". Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  5. ^ "Charles J. Harder". hmafirm.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  6. ^ Zengerle, Jason (November 17, 2016). "The Lawyer Who Killed Gawker Isn't Done Yet". GQ. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  7. ^ Harder, Charles (April 5, 2016). "Hulk Hogan's Lead Lawyer Explains How His Team Beat "Arrogant," "Defiant" Gawker (Guest Column)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  8. ^ Gardner, Eriq (September 22, 2016). "Ailes Media Litigator Charles Harder on His Improbable Rise With Clients Melania Trump and Hulk Hogan". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  9. ^ a b "Sandra Bullock Settles Lawsuit Over 'Bullock Watch'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  10. ^ a b "Bradley Cooper & Liam Neeson Team Up for Lawsuit". E! Online. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  11. ^ "Jude Law Suing Mad at Fireplace Maker". E! Online. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  12. ^ "Diane, Michelle, Sandra & Mandy Feeling Very Un-PC". E! Online. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  13. ^ "Reese Witherspoon Moves Closer to Trial Against Sears Over Imitation Jewelry". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  14. ^ "Hollywood Docket: Reese Witherspoon Settles Imitation Jewelry Lawsuit". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  15. ^ "Sandra Bullock v Network Operations Center c/o Alberta Hot Rods". www.adrforum.com. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  16. ^ "Cameron Diaz v Network Operations Center c/o Alberta Hot Rods". www.adrforum.com. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  17. ^ "Kate Hudson v Fei Zhu". www.adrforum.com. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  18. ^ "Sigourney Weaver v Stephen Gregory aka 'THIS DOMAIN NAME IS FOR SALE'". www.adrforum.com. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  19. ^ "Meet Charles Harder, the Gawker killer now working for Melania Trump and Roger Ailes". Newsweek. October 14, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  20. ^ Johnson, Ted (March 29, 2011). "Cecchi Gori awarded $15 mil in suit". Variety. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  21. ^ "Family of Late Mexican Superstar Says Univision Defamed Them". May 25, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  22. ^ "Even Famed Defamation Attorney Charles Harder Ditched Weinstein". Law&Crime. October 15, 2017.
  23. ^ "Melania Trump Nets Millions, Apology in Daily Mail Settlement | New York Law Journal". New York Law Journal. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  24. ^ "Trump attorney sends Bannon cease and desist letter over 'disparaging' comments". ABC News. January 4, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  25. ^ Sherman, Gabriel (October 17, 2017). "Kushner Adds Charles Harder to Legal Team As Pressure Mounts". Vanity Fair. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  26. ^ Schwartz, Brian (August 14, 2018). "Trump campaign hires Hulk Hogan lawyer Charles Harder for arbitration action against Omarosa Manigault Newman". CNBC. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  27. ^ "Trump scores a 'total victory' after federal judge dismisses Stormy Daniels' lawsuit and orders her to pay his legal fees". INSIDER. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  28. ^ Richardson, Matt (December 11, 2018). "Stormy Daniels ordered to pay President Trump $292G in legal fees". Fox News.
  29. ^ Gerstein, Josh (July 31, 2020). "Trump scores win over Stormy Daniels' libel suit". POLITICO. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  30. ^ "Trump threatens to sue CNN, seeks 'substantial' payment over damages: letter". Reuters. October 18, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  31. ^ "Shaun White Sues Oakley for Allegedly Using Him to Promote Sunglasses After Their Deal Expired". finance.yahoo.com. July 3, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  32. ^ admin (April 27, 2020). "BYD files federal defamation lawsuit against VICE". The Fourth Revolution. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  33. ^ Pierce, Jacob (November 6, 2018). "How Charles Harder Went From UCSC Democrat to Trump's Top Lawyer".

Further reading

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