John Lombardo is a veteran trial lawyer who represents clients across the consumer products, energy, financial services, pharmaceutical, and technology industries in high-stakes, cross-border litigation, arbitration, and enforcement actions. He handles matters in state and federal courts nationwide, including state attorney general investigations, complex commercial disputes, and class actions.
John has tried cases to verdict as lead trial counsel and as first chair in arbitrations, with experience spanning all stages of litigation, from pre-suit investigations through appeal. He is highly experienced in defending and resolving multi-state AG investigations and regularly leads large, cross-office teams in cutting-edge litigation matters involving climate change, financial services fraud, and mass torts. His practice encompasses a broad range of business disputes, including contract, environmental, antitrust, consumer protection, unfair competition (Business and Professions Code § 17200), trade secret, and franchise matters.
John serves on the firm’s Risk Committee and completed a three-year appointed term on the State Bar of California’s Committee on Administration of Justice.
Experience
- BP in over two dozen novel climate change lawsuits filed by state and local governments in California, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Washington, and by Indian tribes and a fishermen’s trade association.
- Pharmaceutical company in the national opioid litigation led by state attorneys general.
- Bank in defending claim that it failed to prevent its customer from perpetrating a scam that induced the plaintiff to transfer millions to the scammer’s account, with the case addressing banks’ obligations under federal know your customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering regulations.
- Adventist Health System/West in securing dismissal of a putative class action alleging COBRA violations and seeking penalties under ERISA.
- General Electric in obtaining dismissal under Rule 12 of a putative class action challenging alleged exclusive dealing agreement between GE and one of its distributors of radiopharmaceuticals.
- NBCUniversal against a Sherman Act section 1 case brought by a putative nationwide class of cable and satellite TV subscribers who alleged that the sale of programming in bundled "tiers" of channels, rather than a la carte, was an unlawful restraint of trade.
- Seller of a pharmaceutical business in post-acquisition litigation over earn-out payments, including international discovery proceedings in Ireland.
- Marketing services company in a “tying” case against its leading competitor under California's Cartwright Act, Unfair Practices Act, and Unfair Competition Law.
- Micron Technology, Inc. in public and private (including class) actions alleging an industry-wide price-fixing conspiracy under federal and state antitrust laws.
- BP West Coast Products in securing jury trial victory against allegations of fuel overcharging and a defective point-of-sale computer system.
- Liability insurer in connection with hundreds of concussion-related claims brought by former NFL players against a football helmet manufacturer.
- Real estate investment fund managers in litigation against their former co-manager involving allegedly improper accounting and breaches of employee nonsolicitation and proprietary information agreements.
- Live event video production company in trade secret and corporate raiding (of assets and employees) litigation against its former president and his new competing venture.
- Pest management company in arbitration of trade secret and breach of contract claims involving alleged misappropriation of proprietary pest control technology.
- Clinical-trial contract research organization in multijurisdictional litigation with a competitor involving an employee's compliance with a covenant not to compete, alleged trade secret misappropriation, and unfair competition.
- 7-Eleven in putative consumer class actions alleging alcoholic energy drinks posed unknown health risks.
- Liability insurer in connection with hundreds of childhood sexual abuse claims against Roman Catholic dioceses.
Perspectives
Recognition
Credentials
Education
- J.D., University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law, 1996, Order of the Coif
- B.A., Claremont McKenna College, 1993, magna cum laude
Admissions
- California
Activities
- Member, Antitrust & Unfair Competition Section, State Bar of California
- Member, Litigation Section, State Bar of California
- Former Appointed Member, Committee on Administration of Justice, State Bar of California
- Former Executive Committee Member, Antitrust and Unfair Business Practices Section, Los Angeles County Bar Association