Representative trial court matters:

• Prosecution of fraud claims on behalf of subsidiaries of a large California-based utility company over the failed sale of a $1.2 billion liquefied natural gas power plant located in Puerto Rico. Mr. Hedenkamp assisted in obtaining a multi-million dollar settlement in favor of the firm’s clients;
• Prosecution of claims on behalf of a master developer against a merchant builder in a master planned community. Mr. Hedenkamp assisted the client in obtaining a favorable settlement, including the defendant’s acknowledgement of the enforceability of a prohibition on the unauthorized bulk sale of unimproved lots within the development, and the payment of a per lot fee for permission to engage in such sales to an authorized buyer;
• Successful defense of numerous mortgage crisis related lawsuits alleging fraudulent lending practices against a major homebuilder, all of which resulted in the dismissal of the complaints at the pleading stage;
• Prosecution of nuisance and trespass claims on behalf of a public school district against the owner of a solid waste transfer station located in close proximity to an elementary school. Under the resulting settlement agreement, the owner of the transfer station agreed to pay over $20 million to fully enclose the station, install state of the art air filtration systems, fund the construction of an enclosed gymnasium at the school, and reimburse all attorney’s fees and costs.
• The defense and prosecution of numerous actions involving disputes over the ownership and control of partnerships, LLCs, and closely held companies.
• Representation of the owner of a former landfill site in negotiations with a redevelopment agency over state and federal environmental remediation requirements;
• The successful defense of a school district in a dispute over a contractor’s exclusion from bidding for a public contract, which ultimately resulted in a voluntary dismissal;
• Prosecution of a wrongful termination claim that resulted in a multi-million dollar judgment in favor of the firm’s client after a three and one-half month jury trial. Mr. Hedenkamp’s involvement included the successful defense of the jury’s verdict on appeal;
• Prosecution of claims on behalf of a large developer and landowner to enforce a restrictive land-use covenant which barred the development of a residential townhome project on neighboring property. Mr. Hedenkamp’s involvement included the successful appeal of two adverse preliminary rulings, which enabled the client to obtain an advantageous settlement of the dispute; and
• Hedenkamp has also been involved in the successful prosecution of numerous CEQA actions, actions arising from partnership/joint venture disputes, and attorney malpractice actions.

Representative appellate court matters:

In addition to his significant trial court experience, Mr. Hedenkamp has significant appellate experience, including a string of successes on behalf of appellants in recent published decisions:

• Hedenkamp successfully briefed and argued the appeal of a judgment absolving Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. from liability in a $200 million groundwater remediation lawsuit filed by the Orange County Water District in Orange County Water Dist. v. Alcoa Global Fasteners, Inc. (2017) 12 Cal.App.5th 252. The published opinion reversed the judgment in Northrop’s favor, and also established several important legal principles relating to the Hazardous Substance Account Act (the “HSAA”), and the Orange County Water District Act, which would later prove to be crucial in other cases involving the District;
• Hedenkamp also briefed an argued the appeal of a judgment in favor of 22 other defendants in another multi-million groundwater remediation lawsuit filed by the Orange County Water District. The appeal in this case resulted in the reversal of the judgments in favor of all 22 defendants, and the restoration of six out of the District’s seven causes of action.  Orange County Water Dist. v. Sabic Innovative Plastics US, LLC (2017) 14 Cal.App.5th 343.
• In Orange County Water Dist. v. The Arnold Engineering Co. (2018) 31 Cal.App.5th 96, Mr. Hedenkamp successfully briefed and argued the appeal of an award of attorney and expert witness fees as cost of proof sanctions for the denial of requests for admission. The award of over $600,000 was reversed as a result of the appeal.
• In Oxford Preparatory Academy v. Chino Valley Unified School District (D074703, July 11, 2019) __ Cal.App.5th __, Mr. Hedenkamp successfully argued a charter school’s appeal in a case challenging the non-renewal of the school’s charter.

Background and Education:

Mr. Hedenkamp was born in San Diego, California in 1975. He received his B.A. degree in Rhetoric in 1998 from the University of California at Berkeley. In 2001, Mr. Hedenkamp received his J.D. degree, cum laude, from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Mr. Hedenkamp has served as the Chair of the Business Litigation Section of the Orange County Bar Association, and since 2011, has prepared and presented the Section’s annual update on new cases, statutes, and rules of court.
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