Stanton “Larry” Stein

Stanton “Larry” Stein

Stanton (“Larry”) Stein is a partner and the head of Russ August & Kabat’s Media & Entertainment group. Larry’s clients include actors, writers, directors, producers, music artists, high-net-worth individuals, entertainment guilds, talent agencies, personal and business management companies, independent production companies, and video game companies.

Larry is widely known in the entertainment industry for his work taking on Hollywood studios. Throughout the last decades, Larry created legal theories for challenging the film and television accounting practices of vertically integrated studios and media conglomerates through litigation. He is literally the father of vertical integration accounting lawsuits. His efforts have changed the face of talent and rights holders’ contract negotiations with studios, networks, and their affiliated production companies, seeking to more evenly allocate revenue to profit participants including actors, directors, writers and producers. Larry has brought countless lawsuits on behalf of his clients against companies that were self-dealing on licensing fees and a variety of other revenue streams. In addition to his groundbreaking litigation in the profit participation space, Larry has also fought to establish copyright protection for formats in reality television, bringing the seminal lawsuit in that area of law.

Larry also has a long history of bringing defamation, right of privacy, and right of publicity actions against publications and private individuals while dealing with the media and governmental agencies. He has secured dozens of confidential settlements and retractions.

Larry is a frequent author and lecturer in the field of entertainment law. He served as an adjunct Professor of Entertainment Law at USC Gould School of Law and Stanford Law School and has lectured at Yale Law School, Harvard Law School, and UC Berkeley School of Law.

Regularly called on by journalists and legal scholars for comment regarding legal issues facing the entertainment industry, he has been quoted in such publications as: The Hollywood Reporter, Buzzfeed News, Law360, IPWatchdog, USA Today, Los Angeles Daily Journal, Deadline, Variety, Billboard, and many more.

Throughout his career, Larry has been recognized by leading legal, business, and entertainment industry publications and organizations for the successes he has achieved on behalf of his clients.

Larry is ranked as a “Top Media and Entertainment Litigator” by Chambers USA, named a “Legal Legend” by The Hollywood Reporter, was honored in Variety’s 2023, 2024, and 2025 Legal Impact report, recognized as one of Billboard’s “Top Music Lawyers” since 2020,  and has repeatedly been named a “Southern California Super Lawyer”  since 2004. The Daily Journal named Larry one of the “100 Most Influential Lawyers in California” while the Los Angeles Business Journal profiled him in “Who’s Who in LA Law.” California Lawyer featured him as a top five “A-list Entertainment Lawyers” and Los Angeles Times‘ The Envelope Magazine named him a 2024 “Business of Entertainment Visionary.”  Nationally, Larry has been recognized as a “Best Lawyer” by The Best Lawyers in America and in “Lawdragon 500: Leading Lawyers in America.” Larry has received the “Entertainment Lawyer of the Year” awards from both the Beverly Hills and Century City Bar Associations, as well as the ACLU Foundation’s “Pro Bono Civil Liberties Award.” 

Recent Matters

The following is just a sample of Larry’s ongoing and recently resolved matters:

  • Larry represents Drake in several litigation matters, including the recently resolved trademark infringement claim brought against him by Condé Nast in connection with his parody cover of Vogue magazine and a series of other parodies he released ahead of Her Loss, his album with 21 Savage. Larry is also advising and defending Drake in numerous lawsuits filed against him in connection with his guest appearance at Travis Scott’s 2021 Astroworld concert. He defended Drake in an interference case regarding the documentary Black Ice and advised in connection with cases stemming from a shooting at the Muzik nightclub after the 2015 OVO Fest.
  • Larry represents and provides ongoing advice to Simon Cowell and Syco Entertainment on a variety of matters related to his television program America’s Got Talent and new television formats currently in development. An AGT Live show in Las Vegas was successfully launched in late 2021.
  • Larry represents Trancas International Films, the producers of the highly successful Halloween motion picture franchise, in connection with contractual and profit participation issues.
  • Larry is representing Jeff Franklin, the creator of the classic sitcom Full House and Fuller House in litigation against his former co-executive producer for interference with his business relationship with Warner Brothers.
  • Larry represents artist and musician Post Malone in various litigation and confidential matters.
  • Larry is defending Laguna Beach plastic surgeon Dr. Arian Mowlavi in a civil case against social media personality Chalene Johnson related to statements by Johnson on various social media platforms. Johnson filed an anti-SLAPP motion that Larry defeated. The matter is on appeal. 
  • Larry represents the Trustees of The Carroll Hall Shelby Trust in a number of litigation matters, including a recently resolved a dispute against a trust beneficiary regarding asset valuation. Larry assists the Trustees with an array of matters that pertain to protecting Shelby intellectual property and continuing Mr. Shelby’s legacy.
  • Larry represented Harry Shearer, Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest and Michael McKean, co-creators of the iconic “mockumentary” film This is Spinal Tap, in litigation against Vivendi and its subsidiaries Universal Music Group and StudioCanal. The case involved complicated copyright termination and accounting issues as well as cutting-edge legal issues regarding co-creators’ rights to terminate their copyright grants and regain ownership of their trademarks and other intellectual property rights.
  • Larry represented music industry icon Scott (“Scooter”) Braun and his companies, including a high profile litigation case involving a former business venture with claims for, among others, breach of contract, fraud, and misappropriation of trade secrets.
  • Larry advised artists Roddy Ricch, Smilez and Donis Winter in public and personal matters including real property and copyright infringement, respectively.
  • On behalf of Todd Moscowitz, Larry filed a lawsuit against Theory Entertainment, LLC d/b/a 300 Entertainment for breach of contract and a judicial declaration regarding Moscowitz’s ownership of stock in the company he co-founded.
  • Larry defended Little White Dog, Inc. and Cristina Ehrlich, a world-renowned stylist for some of Hollywood’s most recognized celebrities, in a civil action brought by a former employee.
  • Larry successfully defended TV producer Brian Graden and his production company, Brian Graden Media, in a case brought by Rovier Carrington, a man claiming sexual misconduct and theft of ideas against Graden, the late Bray Grey, Paramount and Viacom. Larry helped establish that the allegations were supported by fabricated evidence, leading to the court’s dismissal of the action with prejudice and an award of attorneys’ fees and costs. Carrington was found to be a vexatious litigant and the U.S. Attorney successfully prosecuted him for perjury in the case.
  • On behalf of famed plastic surgeon and television reality star Dr. Terry Dubrow, Larry filed a defamation action against Dr. Dubrow’s former patient’s lawyer for various false statements made in the press. Stein defeated the defendant’s anti- SLAPP motion and then their appeal.
  • Larry represented comedian Iliza Shlesinger in a class action suit brought by men for allegedly being turned away from Shlesinger’s interactive Girls Night In show that occurred in LA in late 2017, in alleged violation of the Unruh Act.
Larry C. Russ

Larry C. Russ

Larry Russ is a founding partner and co-head of the litigation department of Russ August & Kabat.

As an active trial attorney, Mr. Russ has focused on trademark, copyright, patent, business torts, trade regulation and advertising law and complex litigation. Mr. Russ has also worked extensively on antitrust and unfair competition matters.

Directly after being admitted to the California Bar in 1978, Mr. Russ launched his career by successfully challenging Levi-Strauss & Co’s resale price maintenance program related to men’s jeanswear in Levi Strauss & Co. v. Federated Pants, et al., 1979-2 Trade Cases #62,727 (C.D. Cal. 1979). In 1981, as co-lead trial counsel, Mr. Russ achieved a multi-million dollar jury verdict in one of the first private Section 7 Clayton Act cases that directed Pillsbury Flour Co. to divest itself of Wilton, Inc., a dominant cake decorating equipment specialty firm.

Throughout his career, Mr. Russ has successfully represented clients in the direct marketing industry and the apparel industry. Mr. Russ also has extensive experience representing clients in the home entertainment, technology and communications sectors, including video game hardware manufacturers, computer software developers, electronic toy makers and wireless communications companies.

In 1985, Mr. Russ obtained the highest Superior Court sanctions award in California history in connection with his representation of plaintiffs in a complex Malibu real estate fraud matter in which the trial judge delivered a seven-figure verdict and awarded punitive damages.

In 2002, Mr. Russ negotiated a highly publicized settlement on behalf of Yodeler Wylie Gustafson against Yahoo. Gustafson, who had recorded a single yodel for a Yahoo radio commercial, filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Yahoo after the company began using Gustafson’s distinctive and unique yodel as the company’s audible signature on a myriad of company products and releases.

Mr. Russ represented the prevailing parties in several major apparel cases. In 2010, Mr. Russ successfully defended Forever 21 in a copyright and trade dress infringement action filed by Express. Mr. Russ obtained Summary Judgment in Forever 21’s favor, as well as an award of attorney fees.

In 2016, Mr. Russ was lead Class counsel in Perkins, et al, v LinkedIn, a privacy class action challenging LinkedIn’s ubiquitous ad- connection emails. The Class was approved and LinkedIn agreed to modify its practices and pay the Class $13,000,000+.

More recently, Mr. Russ has been re-focusing his attention on consulting with established and emerging companies in connection with e-commerce, financing, expansion, mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings, strategic alliances and intellectual property issues.  Along with the new chair of the Mergers & Acquisition Department, Christine Shin, Mr. Russ is tasked with the mission of building a pre-eminent M&A team rivaling the talent and depth of knowledge of big law M&A departments.

In addition to his law practice, Mr. Russ is the past President and a member of the Board of Directors of the Jewish National Fund Los Angeles zone. Mr. Russ is also involved as a principal of several well-known Los Angeles apparel companies including world renowned retailer, American Rag Cie.  In 2014, Mr. Russ/ American Rag Cie was selected as a finalist by the Los Angeles Business Journal at the prestigious Southern California Apparel Awards, and WeAr Magazine, a world-renowned international magazine focusing on the apparel industry, announced that American Rag Cie was voted as the best retail denim store in the world.

Mr. Russ is also active in helping emerging and troubled companies raise funds. For a number of years, Mr. Russ served as an associate editor of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers quarterly publication. He is an active member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, Litigation, Antitrust and Intellectual Property Law Sections as well as an active member of the American Bar Association Antitrust and Intellectual Property Law Sections.

Mr. Russ was recognized as a Super Lawyer by the Publishers of Los Angeles Magazine from 2008-2025. From 2013-2025, Mr. Russ was recognized as a Southern California Top 100 Super Lawyer. Mr. Russ was also recognized among The Best Lawyers In America list for Patent Litigation from 2012-2025.  In 2024 and 2025, he was named a “Legal Visionary” in the LA Times B2B’s Business of Law: Updates, Trends, & Visionaries Magazine. Mr. Russ was selected to The American Lawyer’s Top Rated IP Lawyers list in 2015.

Admitted

  • State Bar of California (1978)
  • U.S. Supreme Court (1989)
  • Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (1978)