Shannon Z. Petersen

Shannon Z. Petersen is a partner in the Business Trial Practice Group in the firm's San Diego office.

Areas of Practice

Dr. Petersen practices general business litigation, including in the area of consumer class action defense.  He has substantial lead counsel trial experience, and is familiar with all aspects of litigation, arbitration, and mediation.  He has successfully represented business clients in claims involving breach of contract, unfair business practices and unfair competition, false advertising, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, negligence, bad faith, unjust enrichment, misappropriation of trade secrets, quiet title, emotional distress, construction defect, receiverships, statutory violations of the Consumers Legal Remedies Act, the Unfair Competition Law, the Truth in Lending Act, the Automobile Sales Finance Act (Rees-Levering), the Vehicle Leasing Act, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Acts, Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, and other causes of action.  He represents clients in a variety of industries, including mortgage, auto finance, insurance, health care, and others.

Education

• Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, 2000
• J.D., Stanford Law School, 2000, with Distinction
• M.A., University of Montana, 1995
• Fulbright Fellow, Université de Saint-Louis, Sénégal, 1994
• B.A., University of Montana, 1993, with High Honors

Admissions

• California
• U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Central, Northern, and Eastern Districts of California

Languages

• French
• Russian

Representative Clients

Mortgage and banking clients include Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Union Bank, and U.S. Bank.

Auto finance clients include Toyota Financial, GM Financial (formerly AmeriCredit), and Santander.

Receivership clients include Douglas P. Wilson Companies.

Insurance company and broker clients include Lockton Companies, Liberty Mutual, Safeco, Integrity Life, Union Bank Insurance Services, and State Compensation Insurance Fund.

Healthcare clients include Longs Drug Stores, CVS Pharmacy, RxAmerica, OmniCare, NeighborCare, and various physician medical groups.

Recent Litigation Successes

Successfully moved to compel arbitration and enforce a class action waiver in favor of a large auto finance company.

Obtained complete dismissals of over a dozen class action mortgage-related cases on motions to dismiss.

Obtained complete dismissal of multi-million dollar insurance case after uncovering grounds for rescission.

As lead trial counsel, obtained a complete victory following arbitration on behalf of a major telecommunications client.

Obtained complete dismissal of a healthcare privacy class action on a demurrer.

As lead trial counsel, obtained a complete victory following arbitration on behalf of major healthcare client.

Obtained complete dismissals of dozens of single-plaintiff mortgage-related cases on motions to dismiss/demurrers.

As lead trial counsel, obtained a complete victory after a jury trial and a bench trial in two pro bono cases.

Honors

• 2008, recognized as a "Top Young Attorney" in San Diego by The Daily Transcript
• 2007, 2003, 2002, California Bar Association Wiley Manuel Award for Pro Bono Legal Services
• 2003, Nominee, California Bar Association President's Pro Bono Service Award, Recently Admitted Category
• 2002-2003, San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program Distinguished Service Award
• 1992, Honorable Discharge, U.S. Navy, Russian linguist

Memberships

• Member, State Bar of California
• Member, Board of Directors of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers and Editorial Board Committee of the ABTL Report
• Barrister, Louis M. Welsh Chapter of the American Inns of Court
• Member, San Diego County Bar Association

Articles

• "The U.S. Supreme Court Reaffirms The Enforceability of Arbitration Agreements," Sheppard Mullin Class Action Defense Law Blog, January 31, 2012
• "The U.S. Supreme Court Reaffirms The Enforceability of Arbitration Agreements," The Update, San Diego Defense Lawyers, Winter 2012
• "Default Judgment Is Not Available In Actions To Quiet Title," Sheppard Mullin Financial Institutions Law Blog, January 9, 2012
• "Class Action Waivers After The U.S. Supreme Court Decision in AT&T v. Concepcion," The Update, San Diego Defense Lawyers, Autumn 2011
• "The California Court Of Appeal Disagrees With The U.S. Supreme Court On The Enforceability Of Arbitration Agreements," Sheppard Mullin Class Action Defense Strategy Law Blog, November 2, 2011
• "No Need To Record An Assignment Of A Deed Of Trust Prior To Foreclosure," Sheppard Mullin Financial Institutions Blog, October 21, 2011
• "Dispelling the Myth of MERS as a 'Sham' Beneficiary," Sheppard Mullin Financial Institutions Blog, October 18, 2011
• "In Brown v. Ralphs Grocery Co., California Court of Appeal Strikes Back on the Enforceability of Class Action Waivers in Arbitration Agreements," 18 Association of Business Trial Lawyers Report, San Diego, Fall 2011
• "Too Little, Too Late For Plaintiff's Fraud-Based Mortgage Lawsuit," Sheppard Mullin Financial Institutions Blog, September 20, 2011
• "The California Court Of Appeal Again Rejects A Claim For Wrongful Foreclosure At The Pleading Stage," Sheppard Mullin Financial Institutions Blog, September 1, 2011
• "The California Court Of Appeals Weighs In On Option ARM Class Actions," Sheppard Mullin Financial Institutions Blog, August 31, 2011
• "Class Action Waivers After The U.S. Supreme Court Decision In AT&T v. Concepcion," 18 Association of Business Trial Lawyers Report, San Diego, Summer 2011
• "More Teeth For The Tender Rule," Sheppard Mullin Financial Institutions Blog, June 16, 2011
• "The California Court of Appeal Again Chips Away at In re Tobacco II," Sheppard Mullin Class Action Defense Strategy Blog, May 24, 2011
• "Discover Bank Is Dead: The U.S. Supreme Court Rules That Federal Law Preempts State Laws That Obstruct The Enforcement Of Class Action Waivers In Arbitration Agreements," Sheppard Mullin Class Action Defense Strategy Blog, April 27, 2011
• "To Avoid Assuming Fiduciary Duties, Mortgage Lenders Should Take Care to Avoid Acting as Mortgage Brokers" Sheppard Mullin Financial Institutions Blog, April 14, 2011
• "A Borrower May Not Bring An Action To Determine Whether The Owner Of A Mortgage Note Has Authorized A Nonjudicial Foreclosure," Sheppard Mullin Financial Institutions Blog, April 12, 2011
• "The California Court Of Appeal Holds Claims Under The Perata Mortgage Relief Act Generally Unsuitable For Class Treatment," Sheppard Mullin Class Action Defense Strategy Blog, June 23, 2010
• "The California Court Of Appeal Narrowly Interprets The Perata Mortgage Relief Act," Sheppard Mullin Financial Institutions Blog, June 8, 2010
• "Ninth Circuit Rules That The National Bank Act Preempts California's Unfair Competition Law," Sheppard Mullin Class Action Defense Strategy Blog, April 6, 2010
• "In A Putative Class Action, The Third Circuit Holds That A Plaintiff Must Show Detrimental Reliance On Improper Loan Disclosure Statements To Obtain Actual Damages Under The Truth In Lending Act," Sheppard Mullin Class Action Defense Blog, February 2, 2010
• Co-Author, "The Receiving End," The Daily Journal, Focus Column, Oct. 23, 2008 at 7 
• Co-Author, "Receivers: How They Can Help Your Client In Business Litigation," 16 Association of Business Trial Lawyers Report, San Diego, Summer 2008
• "Writs of Attachment: What They Are, How To Get One, And How To Protect Your Client Against One," 14 Association of Business Trial Lawyers Report, San Diego, Winter 2007
• "The Honorable Dana Sabraw: A View From Both Benches," 12 Association of Business Trial Lawyers Report, San Diego, Summer 2005
• "California Proposition 64 Requires That Pending Actions Based On The Unfair Competition Or False Advertising Laws Be Dismissed," 10 Stanford Journal of Law, Business & Finance, June 2005
• "Proposition 64 Requires That Pending Actions Based On The Unfair Competition Laws Be Dismissed," 12 Association of Business Trial Lawyers Report, San Diego, Winter 2005
• Note, "Endangered Species in the Urban Jungle: How the ESA Will Reshape American Cities," 19 Stanford Environmental Law Journal (May 2000): 423
• "Yellow Justice: Media Portrayal of Criminal Trials in the Progressive Era," 1 Stanford Journal of Legal Studies (Fall 1999)
• "Bison to Blue Whales: Protecting Endangered Species Before the Endangered Species Act," 22 Environs: Environmental Law and Policy Journal (Spring 1999): 71
• Comment, "Congress and Charismatic Megafauna: A Legislative History of the Endangered Species Act," 29 Environmental Law (Summer 1999): 463

Books

• Author, Acting for Endangered Species: The Statutory Ark, Development of Western Resources Series, Kansas University Press, 2002 (hardcover) and 2007 (paperback).  Favorably reviewed by The Journal of American History (June 2003); History: Reviews of New Books (Summer 2003); Perspectives on Political Science (Summer 2003); Environmental History (April 2003); Stanford Environmental Law Journal (Jan. 2003); Animal Keeper's Forum (2003); and Choice (Dec. 2002)
• Contributor, Dictionary of American History, 3rd Edition, Charles Scribner's Sons, 2002. Contributed essays on the Clean Air Act of 1990, the Clean Water Act of 1987, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Sierra Club, and the Highway Beautification Act
• Co-Author, The Endangered Species Act, Stanford University Press, 2001

Speeches

• Organizer and Presenter, Association of Business Trial Lawyers Trial Skills Seminar, San Diego, CA, October 2008 and October 2010.
• Speaker, Continuing Legal Education Presentation on Receiverships, San Diego, CA, August 2008.
• Dr. Petersen has taught courses at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and the University of Montana, Missoula.