
Large public companies, small businesses, and trial counsel, as well as significant trade associations, have benefited from John Querio’s proficiency in a wide range of practice areas, including commercial contract disputes; arbitration and class actions; defense of claims based on professional conduct (including the anti-SLAPP statute and First Amendment issues, legal malpractice, and malicious prosecution); defense of insurance coverage and bad faith litigation; products and premises liability defense; civil rights litigation defense; and punitive damages.
John works with clients and trial counsel before, during, and after an appeal to preserve issues and position the case for an optimal outcome.
John is a partner at the firm, where he has worked on dozens of civil appeals in state and federal court. He has special expertise in federal civil and appellate procedure and has argued numerous appeals in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He is co-author of the leading treatise on civil appeals before the Ninth Circuit, the Rutter Group’s Ninth Circuit Civil Appellate Practice. He has also represented parties and amici curiae in numerous cases in the United States, California, and Nevada Supreme Courts.
John has counseled many significant companies on appellate matters, including Ford Motor Company, State Farm, American General Life Insurance Company, Hospital Corporation of America, QBE Insurance Corporation, Travelers, Kiewit, Dow Chemical Company, Philip Morris, and San Diego Gas & Electric Company. He has also represented cities, counties, and peace officers in federal civil rights actions; major hospitals and providers in healthcare matters; and large insurers in coverage disputes. He has worked with major trade associations to position cutting edge issues for appellate review, including the Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America, DRI-The Voice of the Defense Bar, the Washington Legal Foundation, the California Hospital Association, and the California New Car Dealers Association.
John is active in the legal community, authoring articles and making presentations at client venues, other law firms, and bar events. He has been a member of the Board of Governors of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, which brings together plaintiff and defense lawyers with judicial officers to promote civility, collegiality, and the fair and efficient administration of civil justice. In that capacity, he served as co-editor of the ABTL Report, which is the association’s quarterly publication dedicated to legal developments and civil practice issues.
Representative Matters
Estate of Rodriguez v. City of Long Beach (2025)
California Court of Appeal reverses $12.2 million jury verdict in wrongful death case against municipality and police officer due to trial court’s erroneous rejection of negligence per se instruction.
Read MoreMoir v. Ventura Locksmiths (2024)
Court of Appeal affirms modest judgment in personal injury action, rejecting plaintiff’s bid for a new trial.
Read MoreDiaz v. Macy’s West Stores, Inc. (2024)
Ninth Circuit holds that courts cannot require companies to arbitrate Private Attorneys General Act claims on a representative basis where arbitration agreements include a class or collective action waiver.
Read MoreShenoi v. Maya (2023)
California Court of Appeal affirms defense judgment in defamation case involving youth soccer league.
Read MoreGreen Gate Services, LLC v. Daniel Koetting (2020)
Horvitz & Levy obtains reversal of judgment confirming multimillion dollar arbitration award
Read MoreEstate of Morad v. City of Long Beach (2020)
Ninth Circuit affirms judgment for City of Long Beach, police chief, and police officer in excessive force case
Read MoreRoyal Alliance Associates, Inc. v. Mooney et al. (2017)
Ninth Circuit reverses order requiring securities broker/dealer to submit to FINRA arbitration
Read MoreMonje v. Spin Master Inc. (2017)
Ninth Circuit affirms trial court’s rulings striking punitive damages and excluding speculative expert toxicological causation opinions in product liability case involving children’s toy
Read MoreSarkisyan v. Newport Insurance Company (2017)
Court of Appeal affirms denial of class certification in favor of insurance company based on plaintiff’s failure to prove existence of ascertainable class and sufficient community of interest
Read MoreCromer v. Bristol West Insurance Group/Coast National Insurance Co. (2015)
Nevada Supreme Court affirms judgment for insurance company after jury trial in insurance bad faith case.
Read MoreMorrison v. Fire Insurance Exchange (2013)
Nevada Supreme Court holds that homeowner’s insurance policy does not cover policyholder for intentionally punching someone in the face.
Read MoreLi v. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP (2010)
California Court of Appeal affirms order denying motion to strike malicious prosecution action against Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.
Read MoreBoeken v. Philip Morris USA, Inc. (2010)
California Supreme Court rules that a plaintiff who previously sued for loss of consortium based on a spouse’s personal injuries cannot, consistent with the res judicata doctrine, again pursue post-death consortium damages in a second lawsuit for wrongful death.
Read MoreCredentials
Education
- Stanford University Law School
J.D., Order of the Coif, 2003 - Cambridge University, Corpus Christi College
M.Phil., International Relations, 2000 - Princeton University
A.B., Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude, 1999
Clerkships
- Hon. Pamela A. Rymer, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit (2004-2005)
- Hon. David F. Levi, Chief Judge, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California (2003-2004)
Bar Admissions
- California
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
- U.S. District Court, Central District of California
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
Professional Associations
- Association of Business Trial Lawyers, board member of the Los Angeles ABTL and co-editor of the organization’s publication, ABTL Report
- American Bar Association
- Association of Southern California Defense Counsel
- DRI
- Los Angeles County Bar Association
Awards
- Daily Journal California Top 20 Under 40 attorneys in California (2015)
- Super Lawyers (2017-2018, 2022-2025)
- Super Lawyers “Rising Star” (2010-2015)
Publications
- The Ninth Circuit Properly Imposes Limits on Representative PAGA Claims in Federal Courts (Oct. 14, 2021) Washington Legal Foundation, Legal Backgrounders
- The PAGA Preemption Battle Knocking On High Court’s Door (Aug. 3, 2021) Law360
- 9th Circ. Could Mend Split On Class Rules For PAGA Claims (Sept. 13, 2019) Law360
- Rutter Group’s Ninth Circuit Civil Appellate Practice, co-author
- Are Orders Denying Class Cert. Appealable In PAGA Cases? (Mar. 19, 2018) Law360
- Recent Developments in Class Action Law (Dec. 2017) Today’s General Counsel
- California Supreme Court Expands Scope of Discovery in Representative Actions under Private Attorneys General Act (Sept. 5, 2017) Washington Legal Foundation, The Legal Pulse
- Courts in California Enable End-Run of Federal Arbitration Act by Expanding Obscure State Labor Law (June 16, 2017) Washington Legal Foundation, Legal Backgrounder
- DC Circuit Rules FedEx Drivers Are Independent Contractors, Again Rejecting NRLB View (Mar. 30, 2017) Washington Legal Foundation, The Legal Pulse
- Congress, Judges Diverge on Remand Review (June 22, 2015) Daily J., p. 6
- Developments in Post-Concepcion Arbitration Law at the U.S. and California Supreme Courts: The Conversation Continues (Summer 2015) ABTL Report, Vol. XXXIV, No. 3, p. 6.
- Ninth Circuit Holds Federal Arbitration Act Preempts California Rule That Claims For Public Injunctive Relief Cannot Be Arbitrated (Spring 2014) Legal Insights
- Focus on the United States Supreme Court: Summary of Pending United States Supreme Court Cases (Winter 2014) Association of Business Trial Lawyers, Vol. XXXIV, No. 3, p.1
- The Changing State of Employment Arbitration (Nov. 4, 2013) The Recorder
- Appellate Courts Sharply Disagree Over Continuing Impact of Concepcion (Dec. 12, 2012) Daily J., p. 7
- Appeals, Writs and Post-Trial Motions (Cal. State Bar, Lit. Section, July 2008) 2007 California Litigation Review
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