Consistently recognized as one of the “Best Lawyers in America,” Alison Plessman delivers successful outcomes for her clients in a wide variety of high-stakes litigation, intellectual property matters, and complex commercial disputes. Ms. Plessman has developed creative and practical strategies for clients across a diverse set of industries, from asset management to technology to entertainment. She has served as lead counsel in multibillion-dollar wildland fire litigation, secured victories on behalf of clients seeking to enforce their contractual and intellectual property rights, and obtained dismissals on behalf of clients wrongfully accused of misconduct. Her practice includes class and derivative actions, mass tort and securities litigation, and other civil litigation arising from intellectual property, contract, fiduciary duty, employment, defamation, and professional negligence disputes.
Ms. Plessman has also successfully defended companies, boards of directors, and individuals facing regulatory investigations and criminal enforcement actions, securing pre- and post-indictment dismissals. She also regularly advises clients on their most sensitive and confidential internal matters, including on matters relating to corporate governance, regulatory compliance, whistleblowing, discrimination, breaches of fiduciary duty, trade secrets misappropriation, termination, and unfair competition.
Among many accolades, Ms. Plessman has been named to the Los Angeles Business Journal’s “Leaders of Influence: Litigators & Trial Attorneys,” “Women of Influence: Attorneys” and “Top 100 Lawyers,” as well as the Daily Journal’s “Top Women Lawyers” in California and LA Times Studios’ “Legal Visionaries.”
- Led the team that secured dismissal of a defamation action seeking tens of millions of dollars against TCW, a leading global asset management firm. Ms. Plessman also defeated a FINRA action brought against TCW, which the petitioner agreed to withdraw with prejudice following aggressive responsive filings made on behalf of TCW. She is currently representing TCW in an action it filed against a former officer seeking tens of millions of dollars in damages and disgorgement, which alleges multiple breaches of fiduciary duties, including sexual harassment of subordinates. The court denied the former officer’s motion to dismiss TCW’s faithless servant claim, among others, which has important implications for the application of the faithless servant doctrine in the sexual harassment context.
- Defending a Western utility in multiple lawsuits filed in jurisdictions across Oregon and California arising out of the 2020 Labor Day Fires. The fires burned over 500,000 acres across at least five counties in Oregon and California and allegedly destroyed over 2,000 structures. Ms. Plessman’s role includes defense of all civil litigation, including serving as lead counsel in numerous jury trials, and consultation and engagement with regulatory and investigatory agencies.
- Representing Broadcom and its affiliates as lead counsel in numerous intellectual property matters, including copyright infringement lawsuits currently pending against Delta, Allstate, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, and Kenvue Brands/Johnson & Johnson, as well as contract matters against T-Mobile and DST. Ms. Plessman recently defeated a motion to dismiss brought by DST and previously secured the dismissal of a lawsuit against Broadcom brought by TomTom International, B.V. alleging breach of warranty, and has secured numerous favorable settlements for Broadcom in recent years.
- Representing OpenAI in litigation against Elon Musk. Musk alleges, among other things, that OpenAI breached its non-profit mission.
- Secured a series of trial court and appellate wins and ultimately a settlement on behalf of shareholders of SweeGen, Inc. in a derivative lawsuit alleging breaches of fiduciary duties, self-dealing, securities fraud, conversion, and conspiracy. Ms. Plessman obtained a preliminary injunction on behalf of the shareholders at the outset of the litigation and persuaded the California Court of Appeal to uphold the injunction.
- Class action
- Commercial disputes
- Competition/antitrust
- Environmental
- Intellectual Property
- Product liability and recall
- Securities
- White collar crime
- Accounting
- Banking
- Consumer goods and services
- Energy
- Food and beverage
- Gaming
- Healthcare
- Investment management
- Pharmaceutical and life sciences
- Technology and telecommunications
- Utilities
- Columbia Law School (JD, 2003)
- University of Minnesota (BA, 1999, Political Science) summa cum laude
- Board of Directors, Western Center on Law & Poverty (co-chair of Nominating Committee)
- Member, Women’s White Collar Defense Association
- California
- New York