Sarah A. Marsey
Partner
Overview
Sarah A. Marsey is a trial attorney based in Holland & Knight's San Francisco office. With a strong track record in high-stakes litigation, Ms. Marsey handles complex disputes for corporations and individuals in federal and state courts, as well as in arbitrations throughout the United States.
Ms. Marsey has extensive experience representing clients in complex commercial disputes, business torts, prosecution and defense of fiduciary duty claims, fraud claims, trade secret and restrictive covenants, and insurance disputes on behalf of brokers, insurers and insureds. She also has experience in administrative and mandamus litigation actions relating to the development of much-needed housing in California.
Throughout her career, Ms. Marsey has represented clients in diverse industries such as technology, e-commerce marketplaces, real estate development and construction, insurance and aerospace, providing tailored solutions to meet the challenges within each sector.
In addition to acting as trial counsel, Ms. Marsey has successfully represented clients before California Courts of Appeal and the Alaska Supreme Court. Her combined trial and appellate experiences assist in her developing strategies for optimal early resolution of cases.
Representative Experience
- Obtained a defense verdict as lead counsel on behalf of an e-commerce platform in a multimillion-dollar tort action brought by five plaintiffs in a three-week arbitration
- Represented a manufacturer of nano- and micro satellites as lead counsel in a week-long arbitration
- Successfully represented a publicly traded company in a restrictive covenant and trade secret lawsuit that was settled to the client's satisfaction
- Obtained a defense verdict as the lead counsel on behalf of a construction company in a multimillion-dollar premises liability trial
- Served as second-chair counsel defending an insurance company in a three-week jury trial on claims for breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealing and breach of contract in California state court
- Served as co-lead trial counsel obtaining a six-figure verdict and judgment dismissing all counterclaims in a weeklong judicial reference based on breach of contract claims
- Successfully represented client as second-chair counsel in a four-week jury trial against multimillion-dollar breach of contract and negligence claims arising from a construction project in Texas
- Served as second-chair counsel in a six-week jury trial against three parties in Alaska state court based on negligence, spoliation and vicarious liability claims
- Successfully represented an investor in a weeklong Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitration case against a broker-dealer based on a misrepresentation claim
- Served as second-chair counsel in a two-week jury trial resulting in a seven-figure verdict for the client on a claim for insurance bad faith in Alaska court
- Represented a plaintiff in a bad faith lawsuit against an insurance company that resulted in the Alaska Supreme Court adopting a rule that causation is not an essential element of the tort of bad faith in Alaska
- Obtained summary judgments on behalf of three clients – the trademark holder, managing member of limited liability company and a landlord – as to all of plaintiffs' claims seeking millions of dollars
- Represented clients in Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) cases on medical malpractice claims arising from the mistreatment and misdiagnosis of meningitis resulting in severe personal injuries to two infants before obtaining multimillion-dollar settlements
- Secured dismissal of a guilty plea and dismissal of a federal indictment on behalf of the chief of staff to the governor of Alaska
- Obtained anti-strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP) dismissing claims of malicious prosecution and abuse of process in favor of law firm and attorney that was affirmed by the California Court of Appeal
- Authored petition for writ to the California Court of Appeal following denial of motion for summary judgement because decision expanded coverage beyond the language of the Commercial General Liability (CGL) policy
- Represented respondent before the California Court of Appeal resulting in affirmation of judgment in favor of client's motion for nonsuit
- Represented plaintiff in a bad faith lawsuit against insurer in appeal and cross-appeal before the Alaska Supreme Court resulting in a published opinion announcing that causation is not an essential element of the tort of bad faith in Alaska
- Represented respondent and cross-appellant before the California Court of Appeal resulting in the affirmation of judgment in client's favor following four-week jury trial
Credentials
- Rutgers Law School, J.D.
- San Francisco State University, B.A., Political Science
- Alaska
- California
- All State Courts in California
- All State Courts in Alaska
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
- The Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Board of Trustees, Secretary, 2023-Present
- Outstanding Volunteer in Public Service, Justice and Diversity Center (JDC), 2023
- Holland & Knight Pro Bono All-Star, 2020, 2021
- Rutgers Moot Court Board, 2008-2010
- David Cohn Appellate Advocacy Competition, First Place, 2009
- Nathan Baker Mock Trial Competition, Semi-Finalist, 2008
- National Appellate Advocacy Competition (NAAC) Team, Rutgers Law School, 2010
- Nathan N. Schildkraut Award in Appellate Advocacy, Rutgers Law School, 2010