Tyler L. Farmer
Tyler L. Farmer
Tyler L. Farmer
Biography
Tyler is the Co-Managing Partner of the Seattle office. For over 20 years, Tyler Farmer has represented a broad spectrum of clients in courts around the country. Matters often include “bet-the-company” litigation, IP disputes, or corporate disputes and internal investigations. Tyler’s work has been noted by Chambers USA, Best Lawyers in America (Commercial Litigation, Intellectual Property, Appellate), Benchmark Litigation and other top legal directories.
Tyler represents commercial property owners on a range of issues, including complex condemnation proceedings for large capital works projects, construction impact litigation, insurance coverage disputes, joint venture disputes, commercial lease disputes and disputes arising from purchase and sale agreements.
He has represented several clients in Federal Trade Commission matters and responses to investigations and compulsory process by several state attorneys general. Tyler has personally presented internal investigation results before the Securities and Exchange Commission, the FTC and boards of directors.
Tyler is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and a Senior Fellow of Litigation Counsel of America.
Tyler has handled numerous high-stakes matters on behalf of clients throughout Asia, including internal investigations, patent licensing disputes, and financing disputes.
Before law school, Tyler taught middle school in Pensacola, Florida, through Americorps and Notre Dame’s ACE program and worked as a residential staff member at the Andre House homeless shelter in Phoenix, Arizona.
Admissions
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Washington, 2008
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District of Columbia, 2001
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California, 2000
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Supreme Court of the United States
U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit, Third Circuit, Ninth Circuit, Eleventh Curcuit
U.S. District Courts, Western District of Washington, Central District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California, District of Colorado.
U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of California
Education
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University of Notre Dame, J.D., cum laude, 2000
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University of Notre Dame, B.A., 1995
Related Practice Areas
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Business & Commercial Disputes
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Intellectual Property and Technology Disputes
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Litigation & Dispute Resolution
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Regulation, Compliance & Advisory
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Class Actions & Mass Torts
Experience
- Protected a renowned technology entrepreneur and company founder by filing suit to challenge merger agreement; favorably resolved after mediated negotiations.
- Enforced a minority shareholder’s rights by invalidating a purported buyout option agreement on summary judgment and then resolved the lawsuit for immediate payment of 20 times the price stated in the invalidated option agreement.
- On behalf of the City of Seattle, we defeated class certification in a putative class action arising from June 2020 protests after Tyler’s class certification oral argument in WD Washington in April 2022.
- At bench trial in WD Washington in March – April 2022, Tyler paired with the client’s general counsel to defend the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe’s treaty rights. After trial we obtained an order dismissing all of the petitioning tribe’s claims to have treaty fishing rights in our client’s fishing territory.
- After a four-week jury trial in Washington state court, Tyler obtained the trial court’s dismissal of the claim against our client St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (2020); affirmed by Court of Appeals after Tyler’s in-person argument (2022).
- After obtaining dismissal of a CPA claim seeking to restrict a cable news network’s Covid-19 news coverage, Tyler argued before the Court of Appeals (via Zoom), which affirmed the trial court win (2020 and 2021).
- In federal court, we enforced a $30m real estate purchase sale agreement despite the buyer’s attempt to excuse performance based on Covid-19 regulations (2020).
- Served as lead counsel in two complex arbitrations arising from a $400m real estate deal (2020 – 2023).
- In a five-week jury trial, Tyler and Tim Leyh defended a Seattle area technology against breach of contract, fraud, and unfair trade practice claims. Plaintiff sought $27m and recovered nothing. The Court of Appeals affirmed a $2m fee award in our client’s favor.
- In Nevada state court, Tyler and Ariel Martinez tried one of the first Covid era live jury trials regarding a complex breach of contract dispute between a private equity firm and a hedge fund (2021).
- After a six-week jury trial in Ventura County California, a tech company and its founders hired us to take over their defense in post-verdict motion practice following a six-week trial in California state court. The case involved allegations that our clients took intellectual property of their former employer and used it to build their successful start-up. A team led by Tyler and Kristin Ballinger briefed and argued the plaintiff’s post-trial equitable relief motion in Ventura County Superior Court and resolved the matter without imposition of a constructive trust over the client’s intellectual property and without any financial contribution from the clients.
- Successfully represented the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe in Lundgren v. Upper Skagit Indian Tribe, argued March 2018 at the Supreme Court of the United States. The Tribe hired us after the Washington State Supreme Court ruled that an adverse possession claim could proceed against the Tribe despite its assertion of sovereign immunity from suit. Working closely with the Tribe’s general counsel, we successfully petitioned the United States Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari, briefed the case on the merits, prepared for oral argument, and won a 7-2 ruling reversing the State Supreme Court.
- Successfully represented the Upper Skagit Tribe in numerous treaty rights disputes at the trial level and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
- Together with Art Harrigan, Tyler took over the defense of one of the most heavily publicized and complicated construction defect cases in the history of Seattle involving a $100m claim. Following extensive discovery, including dozens of depositions and expert work including extraction and analysis of the building’s post-tension cables, we organized a two-day mediation including the plaintiff, the architect, all of the subcontractors, and all of the insurers. The case was resolved with no financial contribution from the client.
- Served as national lead counsel defending Internet company against putative class actions in California, Georgia, and Washington and before the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. Separately, Tyler served as lead counsel defeating a putative class action arising from the client’s smartphone application.
- Tyler has significant experience counseling clients on corporate governance issues and has presented internal investigation results to boards of directors and government agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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