Michael Zarian is a litigation associate in the Dallas office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.  He is a member of the firm’s Appellate and Constitutional Law, and Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Groups.

Mr. Zarian has experience litigating a wide range of appeals in federal and state courts, including high-stakes cases under federal and state False Claims Acts and the Texas Uniform Trade Secrets Act.  He has litigated appeals before the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Fifth, Seventh, and Ninth Circuits, as well as the United States Supreme Court and the Texas Supreme Court.  Mr. Zarian has also represented clients in agency enforcement actions and rulemakings, complex civil cases, religious liberty issues, and a variety of patent litigation and intellectual property matters.  In a recent significant trial victory, Mr. Zarian’s work was described as “stellar” in The Texas Lawbook, and the team was recognized as a runner up for litigator of the week by The American Lawyer.

Recent Representative Matters:

• Preserved appellate reversal of $740 million jury verdict in trade-secrets case by persuading the Texas Supreme Court to deny review after calling for full merits briefing. HouseCanary Analytics, Inc. v. Title Source, Inc., No. 20-0683 (Tex.).
• Secured jury verdict of $5 million actual damages and $10 million punitive damages in fraudulent transfer case. Maiden Biosciences Inc. v. DSS, Inc., No. 3:21-cv-0327-D (N.D. Tex.).  Mr. Zarian argued a motion for directed verdict and the jury instructions at trial.
• Second-chaired oral argument in the Seventh Circuit in eight-figure False Claims Act case. United States ex. rel. Heath v. Wisconsin Bell, Inc., 22-1515 (7th Cir.).
• Represented the Chamber of Commerce as amicus curiae before the Texas Supreme Court in class action case addressing the limits of class-member standing. American Campus Communities v. Berry, 21-0874 (Tex.).

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Zarian clerked for the Honorable Gregory G. Katsas of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and the Honorable Sandra S. Ikuta of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.  Mr. Zarian graduated with High Honors from the University of Chicago Law School in 2019.  While at the Law School, he served as the Business and Communications Editor for The University of Chicago Law Review.  Mr. Zarian earned his Bachelor of Science in Applied Physics from Brigham Young University, where he graduated magna cum laude in 2016.

Mr. Zarian is a member of the Texas bar.  He is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, as well the United States Patent & Trademark Office.