Karen Ding practices complex commercial litigation, managing all aspects of a case for a wide variety of clients.
During law school, Ms. Ding served as the senior articles editor and member of the board of the Stanford Law Review and worked as a research assistant to Professors Michael Wald, Debbie Mukamal, Michelle M. Mello and David Studdert. She also served as a law student intern to the United States Attorney’s Office in Chicago.
Prior to law school, Ms. Ding was a consultant at The Boston Consulting Group, where she handled a number of projects including analyzing global supply chain operations for a Japanese pharmaceutical company, conducting primary consumer research to develop a new pricing strategy for a major global fast-food chain, creating progress tracking metrics for the UN Mission for Emergency Ebola Response, and serving as a project manager for implementation of distributor engagement strategy for a U.S. beer supplier.
Experience
Obtained a favorable settlement exceeding $300 million in value for Match Group against Google over its illegal monopolization and other anticompetitive behavior in the distribution of mobile apps and processing of in-app purchases. (See “The Match-Google antitrust settlement netted the dating app maker over $300M,” TechCrunch; “Epic Games Against Google on Deck After Match Settlement,” Daily Journal).
Won “landmark” opioid trial for Endo Pharmaceuticals in a closely watched $50 billion California case alleging public nuisance, unfair competition, and false advertising. Obtained a full defense verdict following a four-month trial. The win was hailed as “giv[ing] drug companies their first major victory in the litigation brought by cities and counties across the country over the opioid crisis,” American Lawyer. (See “How Hueston Hennigan Notched A Landmark Opioid Trial Win,” Law360; “Opioid Makers Win Major Victory in California Trial,” New York Times; “Drug Makers Handed First Win Out of Thousands of National Opioid Crisis Lawsuits,” Newsweek).
Successfully settled a breach of contract and fraud case with claimed damages in excess of $75 million on behalf of a private equity fund.
Successfully settled a class action lawsuit filed against Ring (an Amazon.com subsidiary) arising out of alleged hacking of Ring devices.
Representing a major laboratory in a HHS-OIG investigation of billing and compensation practices related to the Anti-Kickback Statute and the False Claims Act.
Representing the California Institute of Technology in a False Claims Act lawsuit alleging that the Institute defrauded the Department of Energy out of millions of dollars in government funds associated with a renewable energy research program.
Secured a sweeping victory for Joe Kiani, Founder and CEO of Masimo Corp., a global technology company, in a highly publicized activist shareholder suit challenging Kiani’s employment agreement. Plaintiffs asserted claims for breach of fiduciary duty and sought to invalidate key provisions of the agreement, which they alleged to have been worth more than $1 billion. With trial approaching, plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed all claims.
Secured a complete victory for McDonald’s USA against Byron Allen in a $100 million fraud suit over ad spend on black-owned media, through a motion brought under California’s “anti-SLAPP” statute. (See “McDonald’s Gets Anti-SLAPP Win In Allen’s $100M Fraud Suit,” Law360; Byron Allen Loses $100M Fraud Lawsuit Against McDonald’s Over Ad Spend on Black-Owned Media,” The Hollywood Reporter).
Activities
Panelist, “Behind the Bench: Insights from Top Districts’ Former Law Clerks,” 2023 RPX Conference, May 2023