Marius Mateescu

Marius represents established businesses in bet the company disputes, technology and other emerging companies in their first lawsuit, real estate owners holding millions of dollars in real property, and individuals in high-stakes business disputes, guiding clients through every stage of litigation — from pre-suit strategy and negotiated resolutions to trial, appeal, and post-judgment enforcement. He regularly represents plaintiffs and defendants, developing litigation strategies tailored to each client’s business objectives, whether pursuing or defending claims, resolving disputes before litigation becomes necessary, or proceeding to trial.

Marius’ experience touches on every aspect of litigation, from inception through trial and appeal, and includes negotiating favorable pre-trial settlements, drafting and litigating pleadings, drafting and arguing dispositive and procedural motions, managing all phases of party, third-party, and expert discovery, conducting depositions, preparing for and engaging in trial, prosecuting appeals, and post-judgment enforcement.

Before joining Salisian LLP, Marius practiced at another California commercial litigation firm, where he focused on business litigation. Prior to beginning his legal career, Marius served as Director of Compliance for a Hancock Park real estate brokerage, where he oversaw compliance for multimillion-dollar real estate transactions.

Marius earned his J.D. from the UCLA School of Law. While in law school, he served as Editor of the UCLA Disability Law Journal and externed for the Honorable Maureen A. Tighe of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California. He received his B.S. in Business Administration, with a specialization in Business Law and a minor in Economics, graduating cum laude and earning Dean’s List honors.

Marius is fluent in Romanian. Born in Romania and a resident of Los Angeles for more than twenty-five years, he has an international perspective and deep Southern California roots. He handles several matters involving Romanian plaintiffs and defendants, where he brings to bear his understanding of Romanian culture to effectively represent his clients’ interests.

Marius was selected as a Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2025, 2026, and 2027, a recognition bestowed on only 2.5% of California lawyers under the age of 40.

Outside the office when not practicing law, Marius enjoys strength training, reading early American legal history, and being with his family and friends.

Business Divorce, Shareholder & Partnership Disputes

• Represented founders, shareholders, business owners, and closely held companies in disputes involving corporate control, fiduciary duties, business opportunities, unfair competition, trade secrets, securities claims, and business torts.
• Prosecuted and defended direct and derivative actions involving claims of corporate mismanagement, breach of fiduciary duty, shareholder deadlock, receivership, and judicial dissolution of corporations, limited liability companies, and partnerships.
• Represented clients in multi-jurisdictional business disputes involving parties and litigation across multiple continents.
• Successfully handled buyout proceedings under California Corporations Code section 2000, including obtaining confirmation of appraisers’ valuation increasing a corporation’s value to more than ten times the amount initially asserted by the opposing party.
• Obtained summary adjudication defeating seven-figure oral partnership claims.
• Successfully prosecuted simultaneous direct and derivative claims by defeating a demurrer and preserving both theories of recovery, allowing client to recover personally for harm suffered at corporation’s hands and on corporation’s behalf.
• Resolved a pre-incorporation dispute between startup co-founders through negotiated settlement.

Commercial Litigation & Business Torts

• Defended issuers of securities against claims involving alleged fraud, corporate mismanagement, and violations of California, Delaware, and federal securities laws.
• Negotiated favorable resolutions in numerous commercial disputes involving fraud, breach of contract, business torts, failure to disclose, professional liability, and commercial lease disputes collectively involving hundreds of millions of dollars in claimed damages.
• Resolved fraud and breach of contract actions seeking substantial damages for nominal settlement amounts before discovery or motion practice.
• Secured nominal settlement of fraud action against seller of business who was alleged to have misrepresented its financial health.
• Mediated a contract dispute that resulted in opposing party’s abandonment of seven-figure demand based on breach of contract.
• Obtained voluntary dismissal of claims through successful motions for summary adjudication.
• Defeated numerous motions for summary judgment, allowing clients’ claims and defenses to proceed to trial or favorable settlement.
• Secured dismissal of product liability action alleging wrongful death without client responding to lawsuit after filing motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction.
• Successfully challenged California jurisdiction over foreign defendants providing business services to California residents, resulting in their dismissal from the action and avoidance of financial discovery into their business affairs.
• Vacated a seven-figure default judgment years after its entry, ultimately resolving related class action claims for a small fraction of the amount originally sought.
• Conducted post-judgment enforcement proceedings resulting in satisfaction of six-figure judgments.
• Obtained default judgment exceeding $600,000 based on lost-profit damages without expert testimony at default prove up hearing.
• Negotiated settlement of a promissory note collection action for more than a fifty percent reduction from the face value of the debt.
• Successfully opposed various discovery motions seeking terminating, issue, and evidence sanctions, preserving clients’ right to trial.
• Opposed various discovery motions seeking monetary sanctions, resulting in five-figure and ten-figure monetary sanctions awards.
• Prosecuted legal malpractice claim against firm seeking seven figures in fees, resulting in firm paying six figures to client.

Real Estate Litigation

• Secured rescission of notices of default affecting multimillion-dollar real estate holdings.
• Successfully resolved wrongful foreclosure litigation on favorable terms years after default for less than the principal balance owed under the promissory note.
• Defeated a motion to stay proceedings based on failure to exhaust administrative remedies, leading to prompt resolution on favorable terms.
• Resolved disputes between property owners and homeowners’ associations involving construction defects and water intrusion.
• Represented clients in commercial lease disputes arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, obtaining favorable settlements despite unfavorable law.
• Resolved action alleging fraud in acquisition of real property, resulting in client retaining possession of property despite fraud allegations.

Awards

• Super Lawyers – Southern California Rising Stars (Business Litigation), recognized by Los Angeles Magazine in 2025, 2026 and 2027. This recognition is bestowed on only 2.5% of practicing attorneys.

Selected Publications

• “Changes Are Coming, But Real Estate Commissions May Stay the Same” (Daily Journal, March 28, 2024) — Co-authored analysis of the evolving regulation of real estate commissions in California after the landmark antitrust settlement entered into by the National Association of Realtors.
• “The Feud Over TikTok User’s Fair Use of Universal’s Copyrighted Work” (Daily Journal, February 15, 2024) — Co-authored article examining copyright law and the fair use issues arising from the dispute involving TikTok and Universal Music Group.
• “Real Estate Brokerages Face Billions in Liability in 2024 Due to Centuries-Old Practice” (Daily Journal, January 25, 2024) — Co-authored article discussing potential liability facing California real estate brokerages following landmark antitrust settlement.
• “Whether in the Ring or the Courtroom, No One Knows if X (Formerly Twitter) and Facebook Will Exchange Blows” (Daily Journal, August 24, 2023) — Co-authored article analyzing the legal disputes between X (formerly Twitter) and Meta related to their ongoing competition and whether Meta’s hiring of Twitter’s employee’s was unlawful.