Photo of Rick L. Shackelford

Rick L. Shackelford is Co-Chair of the firm’s Food, Beverage & Agribusiness Practice. Rick’s practice focuses on complex litigation in numerous fields, including consumer class actions, product liability, false advertising, bankruptcy, securities, insurance, real estate and commercial law. He has considerable experience in consumer class action litigation, having been involved in class actions in federal courts in several states. In addition, his practice includes trials and appeals, in many instances involving cases he has handled from their initial pleading stages. He has defended clients in consumer product liability cases, including Proposition 65 claims. He has also represented debtors and creditors in bankruptcy actions throughout California, as well as in Ohio, Texas and Nevada, and has defended and prosecuted avoidance actions.

Rick represents food and beverage companies in consumer class and individual actions alleging deceptive trade practices and false advertising, including challenges to nutrition, ingredient and health claims made in a variety of media. His experience includes defending three clients in federal jury trials for alleged false advertising in violation of the Lanham Act and applying the “safe harbor” laws in two different district courts to bar consumer deception claims leveled against alcoholic beverage labels – the first such rulings ever applied to distilled spirits. Rick also handles claims for makers of dietary supplements, weight loss products, cosmetics and skin care products in California based upon claims that the products are ineffective or unlawfully marketed as unapproved drugs.