Katie Wright Morrone
Katie has vast experience representing prominent individuals and organizations in all stages of litigation and dispute resolution. She is regularly engaged in highly publicized matters while also handling extremely confidential matters that are routinely resolved without ever getting to litigation. She is a trusted advisor who is particularly sensitive to, and adept at managing, the competing interests that clients must balance during or in anticipation of litigation. In this capacity, Katie has represented clients in unique and high-stakes cases across the country involving a wide range of issues, including breach of contract claims, tort causes of action, defamation, rights of publicity, "soft intellectual property" (trademark and copyright) disputes, false advertising, Fair Housing Act claims, and antitrust actions.
Regardless of the subject matter, Katie is a fierce advocate for her clients, always focused on achieving outstanding results for them. She understands that success depends on navigating complexity with strategy and protecting what clients value most: their reputation, their business, and their future.
Katie also has wide-ranging experience with all manner of legal issues involving entertainment and large-venue events, with a focus on contract and transactional work involving sponsorships, licensing, intellectual property and brand protection, venue and tour vendors, ticketing, confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements, and media rights deals.
Experience
Representative Matters
- Representing and counseling a global artist/songwriter and other clients on defamation, "soft intellectual property" (trademark and copyright) issues, and various business ventures
- Representing a large cargo shipper in litigation brought pursuant to the novel Helms-Burton Act (a statute that had remained dormant for over 20 years before any claims could be asserted)
- Representing a commercial mortgage-backed securities special servicer and related entities in multiple litigations stemming from the disposition of a major private residential development
- Counseling a securities nonprofit in several confidential business disputes
- Representing artists and co-writers against copyright infringement claims in several jurisdictions
- Represented a global artist/songwriter, and was a member of the trial team, in a landmark, high-profile sexual harassment lawsuit adverse to an on-air radio personality, resulting in a jury verdict for Venable’s client on all claims and defenses (Mueller v. Swift)
- Represented a global artist/songwriter and related companies in offensive and defensive copyright infringement suits (Hall v. Swift; TAS Rights Management, LLC v. Evermore Park LLC; LaDart v. Swift)
- Counseled a client through unique Rule 202 Petition pre-litigation discovery procedures in Texas
- Represented and successfully defended a pharmaceutical company against antitrust and Lanham Act claims, achieving dismissal at motion to dismiss stage
- Represented a highly regarded construction company in a breach of contract action stemming from engineer abdications of work during a design-build highway extension project
- Member of several defense teams for pharmaceutical manufacturers against antitrust class action claims arising from alleged "reverse payment" settlement of patent litigation (In re Solodyn Antitrust Litigation; In re Modafinil Antitrust Litigation; In re Opana Antitrust Litigation)
- Defended a multinational hospitality company in a dispute involving complicated international jurisdictional issues related to plaintiffs' claims to land in Eastern Europe; won a motion to dismiss in the Northern District of Illinois, and the decision was affirmed on appeal in the Seventh Circuit
- Represented a former president/CEO of an insurance technology company in a deceptive marketing and sales investigation by the FTC
- Represented an adult education company specializing in trading and financial education in a deceptive advertising investigation and litigation by the FTC
- Represented a company in student loan investigations before the CFPB and state attorneys general
- Secured anonymous treatment on behalf of a client suing the CFPB in federal court, which was the first time that a court had granted John Doe status to a party challenging any aspect of a CFPB civil investigative demand (CID)
Insights
Credentials
Education
- J.D. magna cum laude American University, Washington College of Law 2014
- Order of the Coif
- Executive editor, American University Law Review
- B.A. Northwestern University 2007
- Captain, Women's Soccer Team
Bar Admissions
- Maryland
- District of Columbia
Court Admissions
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Recognition
- Super Lawyers, Rising Star, Washington, DC, 2020 – 2023
- The Best Lawyers in America, Ones to Watch, 2023 – 2025
- Legal 500, Media, Technology and Telecoms - Advertising and Marketing - Transactional and Regulatory, 2023
Community
Personal Activities
- Captain, Division I college soccer team
- Avid Peloton rider
- Member, Her Legal Circle