Privacy and Cybersecurity Team Co-Leader Craig Cardon was named among the Daily Journal's 2025 list of "Top 100 Lawyers" in California.
The publication lauded Cardon for his reputation as "the attorney retail executives call when data breaches and consumer class actions threaten their companies... and is at the center of corporate America's most pressing legal battles." Recently, Cardon successfully defended Vital Farms against a consumer class action attacking the company's business model, which is centered on humane egg production.
"The plaintiff's strategy was clear—attack the best in class and it is then easier to attack the whole industry," Cardon said.
Cardon also scored a victory for defendants in a major data breach class action that established precedent for arbitration analysis in the 9th Circuit and is now frequently cited by courts nationwide. In that case, a separate mass arbitration settled concurrently, making the appellate victory necessary to preserve the settlement's value and avoid additional liability from the class action claims.
According to Cardon, the case follows a concerning trend in consumer litigation where the plaintiffs' bar is running "a high volume business based on nuisance level settlements."
Mass arbitrations present particular challenges, combining "intellectual stimulation and cynicism as the matters rarely touch on the actual merits of the claims," Cardon said. He advocates for courts to recognize these proceedings as attempts "to arbitrage a procedural quirk that can allow for crippling and unfair leverage."
Click here to read the profile. (A subscription is required)