HISTORY
After serving as Deputy City Attorney for the City of Los Angeles, Cary Agajanian formed an insurance defense litigation law firm in Los Angeles, California, which eventually became Agajanian, McFall, Weiss, Tetreault & Crist LLP (AMWT&C). Along with its medical malpractice defense group, AMWT&C is one of the pre-eminent law firms in the country in automobile and motorcycle racing and public/recreational facility litigation. The firm has handled a wide array of automobile related cases throughout the years ranging from a Formula One participant injury case to a deadly incident occurring at amateur sports car club event to various disputes relating to the implementation and enforcement of motorsports sanctioning body rules and regulations. AMWT&C has a particular expertise in the areas of waiver and release and assumption of the risk, and it also handles litigation concerning automobile safety and products liability.
With the formation of Agajanian & Anthony, P.C. (A&A) in Charlotte, North Carolina, Agajanian created an East Coast presence in the hotbed of motorsports with longtime partner William (Bill) Anthony. Like AMWT&C, A&A is focused on defense litigation, with an emphasis on sports, recreation and leisure liability. A&A is also poised to continue its growth in serving the commercial and corporate side of the sport and entertainment industry. In addition to its longstanding relationships in the motorsports industry, A&A’s experience relating to the legal aspects of sponsorship, marketing, production, activation, and event management, along with contract negotiation, sets it apart from the pack.
ATTORNEYS
Partner
Cary Agajanian
A famed motorsports attorney, promoter and racecar owner, Cary Agajanian has personally represented and advised over 20 sports and leisure sanctioning bodies in liability suits during the past 40 years, including Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART), IndyCar, United States Auto Club (USAC), Formula One (FISA), and National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), among others. Cary is also the Managing Partner of Agajanian, McFall, Weiss, Tetreault & Crist, LLC, a Los Angeles law firm specializing in medical malpractice and general liability defense. An important part of Cary’s practice is motorsports litigation and general liability law.
Prior to founding AMWT&C, he served as Deputy City Attorney for the City of Los Angeles for nine years, prosecuting hundreds of criminal actions, representing the City in major civil liability cases, and managing hundreds of attorneys and employees for a major division of the city attorney's office. A much sought after lecturer on risk management in motorsports, Cary conducts lectures to groups across the United States.
Cary has lifelong experience in nearly all facets of the auto racing industry, including as a car owner, sanctioning body director, event promoter, race track owner/operator, driver representative, legal counsel, and competition rules committee member. He worked in all phases of motorsport promotion and marketing since early childhood, including souvenir sales, parking sales, food and beverage concessions, crowd control, box office management, event sponsorship sales and advertising, television and radio production, and ultimately in the capacity of Chief Executive Officer. He also served on pit crews for many seasons on the IndyCar circuit in the 1960s and 1970s, including in the 1958 Monza Race of Two Worlds.
Cary's excellence has been acknowledged through numerous awards and honors. He was named the "Promotion of the Year" by Racing Promotion Monthly (1986), USAC (1987), and a national sprint car poll (1987). He was named the "Grand Marshal" for the U.S. Sprint Car Championships at Knoxville Speedway in Knoxville, Iowa (1990) and for the King's Royal Sprint Car Championships at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio (1991). He was inducted into the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame in 2011, and he received the inaugural "Star Award" from The Racing Attorney Conference (TRAC) in 2011 for his career contributions to motorsports.
Cary was also the founder and principal of Motorsports Management International, LLC (MMI), the groundbreaking full service sports management company that represented professional race car drivers. MMI has merged with Spire Sports & Entertainment, LLC (Spire), another full service North Carolina-based agency, and Cary continues to contribute to Spire as it provides first class marketing and consulting services in the sports and entertainment industries. For more information about Spire, please visit www.spiresportsinc.com.
Education
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Juris Doctor, 1966
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
B.A., Finance and Management, 1963
Activities & Affiliations
• Executive Vice President of the Indy Racing League, Former Officer
• Automobile Competition Committee for the United States (ACCUS), Member
• Executive Vice President of the Indy Racing League, Former Officer
• World Racing Group (WRG) Board of Directors, Member
• Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Board of Directors, Member
• USAC Board of Directors, Former Member
• Joint Venture World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint Car and Nashville Network Cable Channel Governing Board, Former Member
• American Motorcycle Association (AMA) Pro Racing Board of Directors, Former Vice-Chairman and Founding Member
• WoO Benevolent Fund (for injured sprint car drivers), Founding Member
• Motor Racing Panel, Founding Member
• National Board of Sprint Car Promoters, Founding Member
• National Sprint Car Museum & Hall of Fame (Knoxville, Iowa), Founding Member
• Jam Opperman Trust Fund, Trustee/Administrator
• Memorial Fund for Kara Hendrick, Originating Legal Counsel
• Ascot Racing Club (sanctioning body for stock car racing), Former President
Bar Admissions
• California
Partner
William D. Anthony
Bill has been involved in all aspects of litigation for twenty years, with an emphasis in sports, leisure, recreation liability defense. His experience also covers general and premises liability, insurance coverage, intellectual property, contract law and commercial transactions. Practical, clever, creative, and hard-working, Bill is dedicated to helping his clients achieve success and building strong and long-lasting relationships. He currently serves as Chief Operating Officer and Counsel for Spire in Cornelius, North Carolina.
Bill has worked with and represented some of the country's best professional race car drivers, crew chiefs, and race teams, including Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Jamie McMurray, Kyle Larson, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., James Hinchcliffe, Brian Vickers, Aric Almirola, Landon Cassill, Regan Smith, Josh Wise, Michael McDowell, David Stremme, Dave Blaney, Johnny Sauter, Christopher Bell, Todd Gilliland, Vaughn Gittin, Jr., Ryan Tuerck, Chris Forsberg, Steve Arpin, Cole Pearn, Todd Berrier, Slugger Labbe, Matt McCall, Bryan Herta Autosport, Stewart-Hass Racing, HScott Motorsports, Kyle Busch Motorsports, GMS Racing, MDM Motorsports, Kyle Larson Racing, Vaughn Gittin Jr. Motorsports, Chris Forsberg Racing, and Loenbro Motorsports. He has also been hired by several motorsports sanctioning bodies, including NASCAR, ARCA, WRG (WoO), Red Bull Global RallyCross, and USAC.
Bill's experience also extends into the emerging esports industry, as he has formed a business relationship with OpTic Gaming, one of the world's largest and best known esports brands, along with its academy and affiliate teams, including the franchised Houston Outlaws Overwatch team and the franchised OpTic North American League of Legends Championship Series team. He also serves as Counsel for Triggerfish Partnerships, the official sponsor sales agency for OpTic and its properties.
Through his entertainment insurance clients, Bill was involved in the development and negotiation of participant agreements for reality television programming, along with various other production, shopping, and appearance contracts. Additionally related to the entertainment industry, Bill further has provided legal assistance to new media production and brand service agencies, including Donut Media and Race Service, Inc..
Education
SOUTHWESTERN LAW SCHOOL
Juris Doctor, 1999
Magna Cum Laude, Law Review
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES
B.A., Political Science, 1993
Cum Laude
Activities & Affiliations
• American Bar Association, Member
• International Amusement and Leisure Defense Association (IALDA), Member
• North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA), Member
• Sport Lawyers Association, Member
• International Amusement and Leisure Defense Association (IALDA), Member
• Iredell County Bar Association, Member
• NCBA Sports & Entertainment Law Section, Committee Member
Bar Admissions
• California, North Carolina