"U.S. Trial Firm of the Year" – 3 Consecutive Years (Benchmark; Law360)
Lauren Johnson Image

Lauren M.
Johnson

Of Counsel

Of Counsel

Education

Clerkships

  • Hon. George H. Wu, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California

Admissions

  • California

Lauren McGrory Johnson focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation, including contract, employment, trade secrets, securities, and intellectual property cases. She has experience in both state and federal court throughout all stages of litigation, including drafting pleadings and dispositive motions, taking and defending depositions, managing fact and expert discovery, preparing cases for trial, and drafting appellate briefs. Her notable clients include Amgen, Western Digital, the State Bar of California, the Navajo Nation, Sorrento Therapeutics, Tesla, and Monster Energy.

Ms. Johnson began her legal career as an associate in the Los Angeles office of Sullivan & Cromwell, where she represented an elite financial institution in connection with several high-profile lawsuits involving allegations of securities fraud and related government investigations, as well as an international corporation in a Department of Justice investigation of alleged violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

While in law school, Ms. Johnson served as a senior editor for the Southern California Law Review. She also externed for the Honorable Stephen V. Wilson on the United States District Court for the Central District of California and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California. After law school, Ms. Johnson clerked for the Honorable George H. Wu on the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

Experience

Won a “record-setting” $293M verdict for Monster Energy Company against rival beverage company Vital Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in a false advertising, tortious interference, and trade secret case after a monthlong trial. The jury found Vital Pharmaceuticals Inc. and its CEO falsely advertised the “super creatine” ingredient of its billion-dollar Bang energy drink. The verdict is believed to be one of the largest, if not the largest, Lanham Act awards ever. (See “Monster Energy wins $293 mln false-advertising verdict against rival Bang,” Reuters; “Monster Wins $293M Verdict Against VPX In False Ad Trial,” Law360; “Monster Energy Wins $293 Million False Ad Award Over Bang,” Bloomberg Law).

Won “the largest-ever U.S. trademark awards” (Reuters) for Monster Energy Company against rival beverage company Vital Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Following a two-week trial, the arbitrator held that VPX’s Bang Energy does not contain advertised muscle-building creatine and infringed on “Bang” trademark. In the significant ruling, the arbitrator awarded Monster and Orange Bang $175 million in damages, nearly $10 million in attorney’s fees and costs, and a 5% royalty on all future sales of Bang Energy (with over $1.5 billion in annual sales). (See “Monster asks court to enforce $175 mln award against Bang Energy maker,” Reuters; “Monster, Orange Bang Win $175M Against Rival In Arbitration,” Law360).

On the eve of trial, favorably settled a lawsuit on behalf of Palantir Technologies alleging intentional interference with economic advantage relating to an alleged potential $300 million sale of stock.

Represented Sorrento Therapeutics in multiple litigations alleging a high profile business partner’s scheme to “catch and kill” Sorrento’s promising cancer drug, Cynviloq, as well as a related arbitration involving breach of contract and tort claims relating to the parties’ exclusive license agreements for monoclonal antibodies.

Representing the Navajo Nation in all aspects of its claims arising out of the unprecedented environmental disaster caused by the Gold King Mine spill near Silverton, Colorado.

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Represented Amgen in defending a preliminary injunction that it obtained holding that information related to potential price changes submitted to the state pursuant to California Senate Bill 17 can be classified as protectable trade secrets and may not be disclosed in response to a California Public Records Act request.

Represented an individual in connection with a multiyear investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office involving allegations of healthcare fraud.

Represented an individual in connection with a high-profile investigation by the Department of Justice regarding a complex antitrust conspiracy.

Represented the Navajo Nation in obtaining a $6.5 million settlement against Wells Fargo Bank for alleged predatory and fraudulent lending practices.

Represented Sorrento Therapeutics in a lawsuit alleging intellectual property theft, breach of fiduciary duties, unlawful competition, and breach of contract against two former employees.

Successfully represented Endo Pharmaceuticals in litigation related to opioid abuse in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco. Following extensive fact and expert development that strengthened Endo’s position, the case favorably settled on the eve of trial. (See “Endo Reaches $10M Deal With SF Ahead Of Opioid Trial,” Law360).

Represented Western Digital and its SanDisk subsidiaries in their widely publicized dispute with Toshiba over joint ventures governing multibillion-dollar NAND flash memory business assets. The dispute encompassed multiple arbitrations before the ICC International Court of Arbitration and litigation in the California trial and appellate courts, where Western Digital secured injunctive relief in aid of the arbitrations.

Represented Tesla in a qui tam action against more than two dozen automakers, contractors, and subcontractors for alleged violations of U.S. immigration law, trafficking, and RICO.

Represented the State Bar of California and individual defendants in multiple lawsuits brought by former executive employees alleging wrongful termination, defamation, and tortious interference.

Recognitions

  • Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch (2021-present)
  • Named to the Southern California Rising Stars list (2020-present)

Activities

Co-Chair, Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, Amicus Briefs Committee

Board of Councilors’ Judicial Clerkships Committee, University of Southern California Gould School of Law

Member, Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association

Member, Women’s Lawyers Association of Los Angeles

Moderator, “Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association Goes to Court: The Importance of IP Litigation,” with the Honorable James S. Otero and the Honorable George H. Wu on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.