Overview
Glenn Bridgman is a trusted resource, valued trial lawyer, and relied upon legal counsel to his clients and colleagues. Glenn, who has recovered over one billion dollars for his clients, represents both plaintiffs and defendants in high stakes commercial litigation, trying cases successfully across practice areas and industries such as insurance, antitrust, intellectual property, securities, malpractice and breach of contract.
Glenn has been recognized as a California Lawyer Attorney of the Year by The Daily Journal, a California Trailblazer by The Recorder, and a Rising Star in Insurance Litigation by Law360. He is also recognized as a Rising Star in General Commercial Litigation by The Legal 500.
WINS
In the insurance sector alone, Glenn has secured over $500 million for policy holders in class actions against some of the country’s largest insurers. In a six-month time span Glenn secured three settlements totaling in the hundreds of millions for plaintiffs in breach of contract class actions against insurance industry titans AXA, North American and American General Life Insurance Company. In 37 Besen Parkway v. John Hancock Life Insurance Co., Glenn helped secure a $91.25 million settlement for insurance policy owners who alleged breach of contract against John Hancock Life Insurance Company. Judge Paul Gardephe described the settlement as a “quite extraordinary.” Glenn was quoted about the case and the enormous result in an article by Law360. In addition, in TVPX ARS, Inc. v. Genworth Life and Annuity Insurance Company, Glenn took over the case when it was on appeal and persuaded the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals to vacate a district court’s injunction restraining a breach of contract action against Genworth. The opinion can be read here and you can listen to Glenn’s argument before the court here (start at 3:15).
Glenn’s litigation savvy is not limited to insurance matters. Glenn is well-versed in all types of high stakes litigation. He has:
- Defeated preliminary injunction and secured dismissal while defending Pzena LLC in a breach of contract action alleging breach of LLC agreement. Read more (subscription required);
- Successfully represented Jasmin Solar Pty Ltd. in its breach of contract action against a Chinese equipment supplier. After the solar company suffered defeats with prior counsel, Glenn took over the appeal at the Second Circuit. His briefing persuaded the appellate court to not only overturn the district court’s previous order confirming the arbitration award, but also to vacate entire judgment against Jasmin;
- Defeated a trademark-infringement preliminary injunction sought against one of the world’s largest technology companies;
- Litigated the LIBOR OTC class action currently pending in the Southern District of New York, which has already produced almost $700 million in settlements (fees and expenses not yet determined) and a certified class against additional defendants;
- Secured favorable settlements on behalf of, among other clients, a large telecommunications company, lease-financing companies, and defrauded individual entrepreneurs in both federal and state court; and
- Represented automotive dealership software company in defense of antitrust claim seeking hundreds of millions of dollars of damages.
PRO BONO AND BACKGROUND
Glenn maintains an active pro bono practice. He currently represents a tenant advocacy group helping defend the constitutionality of eviction protections for renters enacted by the City of Oakland and Alameda County in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Daily Journal and Law360 profiled Glenn and his colleagues for their work in this area. He was also awarded Daily Journal’s prestigious California Lawyer Attorney of the Year award for his work on these timely and significant matters.
Glenn attended Yale Law School where he was the Notes Editor for the Yale Law Journal and served the Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization as both a Board Member and the Clinic Director. Glenn also received the William K.S. Wang Prize for Excellence in Corporate Law, the Thomas I. Emerson Prize for Best Paper on Legislation, and the C. LaRue Munson Prize for Excellence in the Presentation of a Clinical Case. Glenn also directed the Yale Landlord Tenant Clinic.
Before attending law school, Glenn was a Peace Corps Volunteer in rural Bulgaria. Before starting his practice at Susman Godfrey, Glenn clerked for Chief Judge Robert A. Katzmann of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and Judge Christina A. Snyder of the Central District of California.
Notable Representations
- In re AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company COI Litigation (S.D.N.Y)Secured a $307.5 million deal for a putative class of plaintiffs who challenged AXA’s 2016 hike of cost on insurance rates on hundreds of elderly insureds, claiming AXA unfairly increased the cost of insurance for certain flexible-premium universal life insurance policies.
- 37 Besen Parkway LLC v. John Hancock Life Insurance Co. (S.D.N.Y.). Secured a $91.25 million all-cash, non-reversionary settlement for insurance policy owners in this certified class action against John Hancock Life Insurance Co. Glenn’s efforts over the course of two and a half years led to a successful settlement at mediation before Judge Theodore H. Katz (Ret.). Glenn was quoted about the case and the enormous result for the Class in this article by Law360.
- PHT Holdings II LLC v. North American Company for Life and Health Insurance (S.D. Iowa). Resolved major insurance breach of contract class action on behalf of a class of policy holders against North American Insurance Company. The case was settled on the eve of trial.
- LSIMC LLC v. American General Life Insurance Co. Settled class action against Amgen for relief valued at $55 million for a class of policy holders who alleged that Amgen increased their insurance rates against contractual terms (net amount after fees and expenses not yet determined).
- TVPX ARS, Inc., v. Genworth Life and Annuity Insurance Company (E.D. Va.)Represented life settlement fund, TVPX, in their breach of contract action against Genworth Insurance Company. After Genworth secured an injunction based on a 2004 settlement of a prior case, Glenn took over the appellate argument before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and persuaded the Eleventh Circuit to vacate the district court’s injunction. The opinion can be read here and you can listen to Glenn’s argument before the court here (start at 3:15).
- Helen Hanks on behalf of herself and all others similarly situated, vs. The Lincoln Life & Annuity Company of New York; Voya Retirement Insurance and Annuity Company (S.D.N.Y.). Litigated an insurance matter against Voya Life Insurance Company, which successfully resolved for relief valued at over $92.5 million.
- Rama Krishna et al. v. Pzena Investment Management Inc. (Delaware Court of Chancery). Defeated preliminary injunction and secured dismissal while defending Pzena LLC in a breach of contract action alleging breach of LLC agreement. Read more (subscription required).
- Winthrop Resources v. Prospect ECHN. Secured affirmative summary judgment in breach of a lease contract on behalf of longterm Susman Godfrey client Winthrop Resources Corporation. The Court rejected Prospect’s motion for summary judgment seeking return of previously paid rent, and awarded Winthrop every penny it sought.
- Jasmin Solar Pty Ltd. V. Chinese Equipment Supplier (2nd). Represented Australian solar energy company, Jasmin Solar Pty Ltd., in their breach of contract action against a Chinese equipment supplier. After suffering defeats with prior counsel before both an arbitrator and the district court, Glenn and a team from Susman Godfrey took over the case at the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, and persuaded theSecond Circuit to not only overturn the district court’s previous order confirming arbitration award, but also to vacate entire judgment against Jasmin.
- Malpractice Action. Represented major construction entrepreneur in successfully-resolved malpractice action against his conflicted former law firm.
- In Re: James V. Cotter, Living Trust, Ellen Marie Cotter, Margaret Cotter, Petitioners, vs. James J. Cotter, Jr., Respondent. Achieved a successful verdict invalidating a will on grounds of both undue influence and incapacity in this trust and estates case in Los Angeles Superior Court. At trial, Glenn examined witnesses and delivered closing argument on the successful undue influence claim.
- Currently representing chemical manufacturing company in confidential arbitration alleging that our customer breached their exclusive supply agreement.
- Confidential Patent Infringement Matter on Behalf of Bitdefender. Defended cybersecurity company, Bitdefender, in patent action filed by a well-known non-practicing entity. Glenn took the lead on the damages portion of the case and handled Daubert briefing seeking to exclude plaintiffs’ entire damages case, briefing which shortly preceded a favorable settlement of the entire matter.
- Confidential Trademark Dispute on behalf of Amazon. Defended online retail giant, Amazon, in a complex trademark dispute. After defeating plaintiff’s request for a preliminary injunction, the case settled confidentially on favorable terms.
- In Re: LIBOR-Based Financial Instruments Antitrust Litigation (S.D.N.Y.). Served as co-lead counsel to a certified class of 16 plaintiffs, including cities, pension funds and others known as the “OTC” investors, who sued a number of investment banks for conspiring with rivals to rig LIBOR. The team has helped nearly $700 million in settlements for the class against defendant banks. The class was certified in 2018 by the court, the only class in the coordinated LIBOR litigation to receive class certification.
- Confidential Auto Dealership Antitrust Matter. Represented automotive dealership software company in defense of antitrust claim seeking hundreds of millions of dollars of damages.
Honors & Distinctions
Honors and Awards
- Lawdragon 500X - The Next Generation of Leading Lawyers (2023)
- California Lawyer Attorney of the Year, Daily Journal (2023)
- Rising Star, Southern California (2023, Thomson Reuters)
- Rising Star in General Commercial Litigation, The Legal 500 (2020)
- Rising Star – Insurance, Law360 (2019)
- California Trailblazer, The Recorder (ALM, 2019)
Clerkships
- Chief Judge Robert A. Katzmann, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, 2014-2015
- Honorable Christina A. Snyder, United States District Court for the Central District of California, 2013-2014
Education
Education
- Dartmouth College (B.A., Physics & Philosophy, minor in Mathematics, magna cum laude, 2008)
- Yale Law School (J.D., 2013)
Admissions
Admissions
Bar Admissions
- California
Leadership & Professional Memberships
Associations
- Fellow of the American Bar Association
- Los Angeles County Bar Association
- Association of Business Trial Lawyers Los Angeles
