David R. Sugden
SHAREHOLDER
- OVERVIEW
- HIGHLIGHTS
David Sugden is a Shareholder at Call & Jensen and a trial lawyer. Companies and individuals bring him in when a high-stakes case is headed to a jury, often after it has already been litigated for years. He has won seven- and eight-figure verdicts for plaintiffs, secured complete defense verdicts for corporate defendants, and in September 2026 obtained a $12 million settlement for his client in Zandi v. Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa.
The Trial Attorneys selected Mr. Sugden as its sole recommended attorney for California for 2023/2024. He has been named one of the Top 50 Super Lawyers in Orange County, has been listed in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Lawyers annually since 2021, and is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), one of the most selective trial lawyer organizations in the country.
Licensed in California, Texas, and New York, Mr. Sugden has tried cases to verdict in multiple states and served as lead counsel in matters in California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas.
Recent Results
For Plaintiffs
$12 Million Settlement (September 2026). Represented the plaintiff in Zandi v. Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, Orange County Superior Court, a case arising from the church’s failure to act on repeated warnings about a staff member’s conduct.
$8.69 Million Verdict (June 2025). Represented a former UC Irvine student and researcher in a three-month trial against her tenured faculty supervisor for sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and retaliation. The jury held both the professor and the UC Regents liable.
$6.7 Million Verdict (May 2024). Won a fraud and breach of contract trial in Orange County for a client deceptively prevented from completing a legitimate real estate auction.
$9 Million Verdict (September 2022). Won a Los Angeles breach of contract trial over disputed goods delivery, prevailing on every claim and defeating every cross-claim.
For Defendants
Complete Defense Verdict (November 2025). Defended the late Gary Winnick in a three-week Beverly Hills trial over an alleged partnership, against a damages model exceeding $100 million. Motions in limine cut exposure to the mid-seven figures, and the jury returned a 12-0 defense verdict within two hours.
Complete Defense Verdict (February 2025). Defended loanDepot against a sexual harassment and constructive discharge claim featured in the New York Times, with a pre-trial demand in the mid-eight figures. The jury returned a unanimous defense verdict within hours of closing arguments.
Complete Defense Verdict (October 2021). Defended LA Fitness against wrongful termination, disability discrimination, and retaliation claims seeking $2.9 million.
Complete Defense Verdict (November 2019). Defended a prestigious private university in Los Angeles federal court against FMLA, CFRA, and related claims, after being retained less than two months before trial.
Earlier Notable Results
For Plaintiffs
$47.4 Million Verdict. Unanimous federal jury verdict after a three-week trial for a corporate client.
$20 Million Judgment. Obtained after a surprise search and seizure with U.S. Marshals, in which Mr. Sugden’s investigation team found direct evidence of trade secret misappropriation.
Equitable Relief Award (Pro Bono). Won additional braille education and services for a student whose school district had improperly denied them, after a three-week trial.
For Defendants
Complete Defense Verdict. Defended a leading oil company in a three-week toxic tort trial against an $8 million demand.
Complete Defense Verdict. Defended a prominent clothing retailer in a sexual harassment trial; the jury returned a unanimous verdict in under two hours.
Complete Defense Award (Arbitration). Defended a leading insurance agency in a sexual harassment arbitration.
Practice
Mr. Sugden tries high-stakes cases for plaintiffs and defendants, including:
Sexual harassment and institutional liability claims
Business and commercial disputes
Trade secret and intellectual property litigation
Employment litigation, plaintiff and defense
Author, Commentator, and Teacher
Mr. Sugden is the author of Picked to Win: A Smarter Way to Pick Your Next Jury, a practical guide to jury selection that teaches trial lawyers what information actually matters and how to draw it out of prospective jurors during voir dire.
He appears on Fox News as a legal commentator on The Will Cain Show, where he has analyzed the mistrial in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial and the defamation issues raised by the Cornell fraternity case.
He is also the founder of Evidence at Trial, where he teaches live and online trial and evidence courses for attorneys nationwide.
Community & Pro Bono
Mr. Sugden has volunteered with the Disability Rights Legal Center, helping low-income parents of children with special needs obtain educational services, and has litigated pro bono matters through Orange County’s Public Law Center. He served on the Foundation Board of CHOC Children’s Hospital and serves on Pepperdine Law School’s Board of Advisors.
Education & Background
Originally from Vancouver, British Columbia, Mr. Sugden came to California to play NCAA Division I baseball at Pepperdine University, where he was named to the All-West Coast Conference Team as a senior. He earned his J.D. from Pepperdine University School of Law, where he was featured in the 24th Annual Edition of The National Dean’s List and won the Annual Dalsimer Moot Court Competition.
- October 2022Jury Awards $9 Million To Call & Jensen Clients In Los Angeles Breach Of Contract Case This hotly disputed breach of contract case, filed in 2019, arose between Call & Jensen clients Brightex International, Inc., and Joyful Will International Limited, subsidiaries of an overseas textile company and Defendant Romex Textiles, Inc., a Los Angeles-based broker of textiles. Call & Jensen attorneys David Sugden and Aaron Renfro argued that Defendant Romex breached contracts by failing to pay for textiles and fabrics that it ordered and received from Plaintiffs between… READ MORE
- February 2021C&J Attorneys Recognized By Super Lawyers Call & Jensen congratulates its attorneys who have been recognized by Southern California Super Lawyers in its recent lists of “Super Lawyers.” Nine Call & Jensen attorneys were named “Super Lawyers” in their respective areas of practice – honors awarded to no more than 2.5% of California attorneys who have practiced law for over 10 years and attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement in their respective areas of… READ MORE
- March 2019Super Lawyers Recognition Call & Jensen congratulates its attorneys who have been recognized by Southern California Super Lawyers in its recent lists of “Super Lawyers” published in Super Lawyers, Orange Coast, and Los Angeles Magazine. Nine Call & Jensen attorneys were named “Super Lawyers” – honors awarded to no more than 2.5% of California attorneys who have practiced law for over 10 years and attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement in… READ MORE
- February 2018Honor: C&J Top 50 And Super Lawyers Call & Jensen is pleased to congratulate its attorneys who were recognized by Southern California Super Lawyers in its 2017 lists of “Super Lawyers” published in Super Lawyers, Orange Coast, and Los Angeles Magazine. Two of the spots on the Top 50 OC Super Lawyers were held by Call & Jensen attorneys Mark Eisenhut and David Sugden. Overall, 8 Call & Jensen attorneys were named “Super Lawyers” in their respective areas of… READ MORE
- August 2017Three-week Jury Trial Victory: Prestigious Private University Prevails In Multi-million-dollar Employment Discrimination And Harassment Lawsuit Call & Jensen recently obtained a complete 12-0 defense trial verdict for its clients, a prestigious Southern California private university and one of its employees, following a three-week jury trial in the Superior Court of California, Los Angeles County. The lawsuit involved detailed claims of sexual harassment and discrimination, pregnancy harassment and discrimination, constructive discharge in violation of public policy, failure to prevent harassment and physical disability discrimination and unpaid overtime and… READ MORE
- August 2017C&J Obtains Jury Verdict For Over $1m For Trade Secrets Misappropriation And Related Torts In July of 2017, David Sugden and Scott Hatch helped Applied General Agency, Inc. (“AGA”) obtain a jury verdict of over a million dollars. The jury found in AGA’s favor as against Greenleaf Financial and Insurance Services, Inc., Christopher Mulder, and Lucas Johnson for Misappropriation of Trade Secrets and Negligent Interference with Prospective Economic Relations, as well as against Lucas Johnson for Breach of his Duty of Loyalty to AGA. The jury… READ MORE
- September 2016Defense Victory: Firm Prevails In Multi-million-dollar Consumer Credit Reporting Lawsuit Call & Jensen recently obtained a complete defense judgment for its clients in a hotly-contested, multi-million-dollar lawsuit. Call & Jensen obtained the victory via a summary judgment motion after stepping in to take over the defense following years of protracted litigation. The complaint sought more than $5 million in damages based on alleged violations of state and federal consumer credit reporting laws. Attorneys David R. Sugden and Melinda Evans obtained the complete… READ MORE
- September 2016If You Cannot Get The Smoking Gun . . . At Least Get The Smoke INTRODUCTION Unlike criminal cases, a defendant in a civil action is virtually certain to be afforded notice of his alleged misconduct long before he has to sit for a deposition, produce documents, or otherwise explain or justify his alleged misconduct. What happens then, if the defendant has the mind of a criminal with no reservations about destroying evidence? Especially in today’s digital age, when evidence can be destroyed with a few keystrokes… READ MORE
- September 2016A Sword, Not A Shield: Section 2019.210 Conventional wisdom instructs defense counsel, when dealing with “hide-the-ball” plaintiffs, to file all necessary motions to compel compliance with the area of law or discovery that is not being fearfully obeyed. The theory, of course, is that diligent defense counsel must not leave a stone unturned and must also bring its adversary’s improper tactics to the court’s attention at each and every instance. In trade secret litigation, the conventional wisdom is no… READ MORE
- September 2016Going Gray? How Businesses Can Put An End To The Unwanted And Illegal Gray Marketing Of Its Products INTRODUCTION Coming out of the box, it looks like a brand new computer in perfect condition. When the buyer has some questions and calls the manufacturer for technical support, however, he is frustrated to learn that the manufacturer will not support the product because it was sold without its knowledge or authorization. The customer is certain that there must be some mistake. After all, the computer was not bought from some covert… READ MORE
- September 2016Just Or Unjust Compensation? Effective Strategies To Maximize Recovery In The Intellectual Property Trial In today’s world of music “sharing,” “open source” software, and YouTube, intellectual property owners face increasing challenges when they endeavor to persuade a jury that a defendant’s misappropriation or infringement warrants a large damages award: Why does this large company that is already earning millions deserve or need more money just because a smaller competitor has a copy of its software or customer list? Why should this company merely selling products… READ MORE
- September 201620 Under 40 When Sugden’s law partner, Scott Ferrell, is in the trenches on a complex intellectual property case, he says he usually logs off the computer and hits the pillow around 1 a.m. When Ferrell awakes a few hours later, he says, “it’s common for me to have a dozen new emails from Dave” about the case that Sugden typed out while he was sleeping. Colleagues say Sugden’s near round-the-clock work approach and sharp… READ MORE
- September 2016Gray Matters: When The Legal And Black Market Collide Not long ago, brand owners could take comfort in the intrinsic barriers hampering black marketers. While most large cities have places known by their dwellers to be sources of cheap goods of dubious origin, consumers have to consciously decide to explore these markets in addition to or in lieu of conventional establishments. Canal Street in New York’s Chinatown is a well-known example. The street is lined with densely packed shops offering watches,… READ MORE
- September 2016A Black And White View Of Grey Markets? This book’s perspectives on gray markets (parallel trade) is clear from its subtitle. The author is a partner at Call, Jensen & Ferrell, specializing in IP litigation and brand protection. While acknowledging that he has produced ‘no spy novel,’ he has provided a very readable, black and white review of the unauthorized grey market in the USA. He focuses in particular on the implications of grey markets for brands, especially due to… READ MORE
- April 2016Arbitration Victory: Arbitration Victory In Employment Case Call & Jensen attorneys David Sugden and Jacqueline Beaumont obtained a complete arbitration victory for their client, a professional services organization, in an employment discrimination lawsuit made under California’s Fair Employment & Housing Act. The claimant had initially filed the lawsuit in civil court, but the Firm successfully compelled arbitration. Following the arbitration hearing on the merits, the arbitrator entered an award for the Firm’s client on all causes of action, including… READ MORE