Suzanne C. Jones

Suzanne Jones is a complex business and employment litigator specializing in defending organizations and corporate clients in class action lawsuits and multi-district litigation (MDL), including wage/hour class and Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) representative actions and class actions involving employment, consumer, Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA), privacy, data breach and product liability claims. Suzanne has also litigated “bet the company” cases and she played a lead role in a lengthy and high-profile dispute between well-known competitors involving trade secret and Lanham Act claims.

Suzanne represents clients across a wide variety of industries, including transportation (trucking, automobile, cargo shipping), health care, real estate, hotels, telecommunications, consumer credit and financial, food and beverage and food supplements/pharmaceuticals. She regularly litigates disputes involving employment claims, business torts, trade secrets, real property, unfair competition, partnerships and fraud. She has been on many trial teams, defending organizations and corporate clients in both federal and California state courts, in actions that range from product liability to business torts. Suzanne supervised the defense in several different states of lawsuits brought against the tobacco industry by state attorney generals seeking to recover monies expended by the states on smoking-related diseases and was involved more recently in the MDL litigation filed against JUUL Labs, Inc.

Suzanne has extensive experience representing hospitals and hospital systems in litigation concerning a broad range of health care areas, including medical staff and peer review, medical privacy/security breach, credentialing and hospital commercial contracting disputes. She has successfully litigated and resolved many health care-related class action matters on behalf of hospital clients. Additionally, Suzanne has advised health care organizations on hospital and medical staff bylaws, rules and regulations, peer review matters, credentialing and physician recruiting agreements, among other matters.

Experience

• Enforced class action waivers and compelled individual arbitrations in multiple wage and hour class action lawsuits (federal and California state courts)
• Successfully resolved multiple complaints alleging PAGA claims, including complaints filed against one of the nation’s largest motor carriers
• Prevailed on summary judgment in defense of complaint filed by employee against transportation industry employer alleging claims for racial and sexual discrimination
• Successfully defended large aerospace and defense industry corporation against putative class action for intentional age discrimination (Los Angeles Superior Court)
• Successfully resolved whistleblower retaliation and wrongful termination in violation of public policy claims alleged by employee against health plan employer
• On behalf of several hotels, defended and successfully resolved putative class action lawsuit asserting claims on behalf of more than 100,000 proposed class members for violation of Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (Orange County Superior Court)
• Successfully resolved medical privacy/security breach class action litigation on behalf of healthcare provider (California Superior Court)
• Represented nationwide credit reporting agency in defense of putative class action lawsuit involving claims for violation of Fair Credit Reporting Act; succeeded through motion practice in having court strike plaintiff’s class action allegations; plaintiff thereafter dismissed the case (Central Dist. of Cal.)
• Prevailed on behalf of nationwide credit reporting agency in federal court putative class action lawsuit involving Fair Credit Reporting Act claims; court dismissed case after granting summary judgment and denying class certification (Northern Dist. of Cal.)
• Successfully moved to dismiss federal court franchise investment law claims asserted in nationwide putative class action filed against national refrigerated trucking company (Northern Dist. Cal.)
• Obtained dismissal for hospital client in fraud and unfair business practices class action filed against multiple hospitals and County seeking millions of dollars and punitive damages (California Superior Court)
• Represented international fruit company and several of its inside directors in 20 putative class action suits brought by shareholders in connection with CEO and Director’s proposal to purchase all outstanding shares of stock and take the company private. Following discovery, parties reached an agreement to settle all cases and dismiss all claims
• Member of trial team that obtained fraud verdict in jury trial against international computer and electronics corporation (California state court)
• Obtained summary judgment on all claims on behalf of individual and corporate defendants in Los Angeles Superior Court real estate partnership action where plaintiffs sought in excess of $1 billion in damages and other relief
• On behalf of telecommunications company, obtained dismissal of all claims and full award on cross-complaint along with sanctions imposed on plaintiff in federal court action where plaintiff had alleged claims of libel, breach of contract and negligent and intentional business torts
• Represented limited liability company and large hospital (its majority stakeholder) in partnership dispute, breach of contract and fraud action involving hospital developer and construction of new hospital and medical office building
• Obtained dismissal with prejudice of federal court antitrust action filed by high profile physician seeking treble and punitive damages against hospital and other defendants, following a series of successful motions to dismiss (Central Dist. Cal.)
• Successfully moved to specially strike majority of physician’s claims against hospital and its affiliated entity pursuant to California’s anti-SLAPP statute, including claims for whistleblower retaliation under California Health & Safety Code §1278.5 and Bus. & Prof. Code §2056, resulting in complete dismissal of affiliate entity; also obtained substantial attorneys’ fees award (Ventura Superior Court)
• Succeeded in obtaining dismissal with prejudice of medical corporation’s lawsuit for alleged denial of due process against hospital; demurrer to complaint sustained without leave to amend (California Superior Court)
• Prevailed on appeal on behalf of hospital in connection with physician’s challenge to breach of contract arbitration award in favor of hospital (California Court of Appeal)
• Successfully moved to specially strike physician’s California Health & Safety Code §1278.5 whistleblower retaliation claim against hospital pursuant to California’s anti-SLAPP statute (Riverside Superior Court 2013)

• Successfully mediated and resolved partnership dissolution dispute involving eye surgery centers and claims for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and fraud
• Succeeded with motion to specially strike physician’s claims against hospital, including physician’s whistleblower retaliation claim under California Health & Safety Code §1278.5, pursuant to California’s anti-SLAPP statute; entire lawsuit dismissed (L.A. Superior Court 2011)
• Secured dismissal of all claims filed against California hospital system in California federal court for purported Medicare fraud under the False Claims Act
• Represented healthcare provider in connection with confidential government investigation concerning outlier reimbursement
• Successfully represented large hospital system in defense and resolution of government investigation related to two sealed False Claims Act Qui Tam actions alleging Medicare fraud; each Qui Tam action was dismissed by both the government and the relator
• Represented health insurance company in successful appeal related to licensing dispute and alleged trade disparagement
• Successfully defended international fruit company in “bet the company” litigation filed by competitor who alleged client’s theft of competitor’s claimed intellectual property interest in a hybrid pineapple, and asserted trade secret, Lanham Act and conversion claims. After plaintiff was forced to dismiss its trade secrets claim, the court issued a crime/fraud ruling against plaintiff, and clients’ summary judgment briefing was completed, case settled on favorable terms
• Obtained summary judgment of all claims on behalf of international beverage company in fraud, negligent misrepresentation and breach of fiduciary duty action involving claimed damages in excess of $175 million arising from failed investments in South African bottling company
• Part of the team that defeated an attempt to enforce an alleged foreign judgment for $489 million against California-based international company that was based on fraudulent documents
• Secured dismissal on behalf of major Asian power utility in fraud and breach of contract action brought in California state court after briefing was completed on motions to dismiss (forum non conveniens and failure to state a claim)

Publications

Honors & Recognitions

Alliance for Children’s Rights, Pro Bono Attorney Award

Chadbourne & Parke LLP, Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Award

Selected to the Southern California Super Lawyers list