Biography

Stephanie Sheridan concentrates her practice in business and commercial litigation including consumer class actions, products liability, and matters involving California Business & Professions Code Section 17200 and the Consumer Legal Remedies Act. She also counsels clients regarding California’s Proposition 65 and compliance with the mandates of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Ms. Sheridan is Chair of the firm’s Retail and Fashion Industry Practice Group, which represents retailers across the country in all aspects of litigation, and counsels clients in compliance with state and local laws, regulations, and agency mandates.

Ms. Sheridan’s class action defense practice includes an established track record of successful initial motion practice and defeating class certification.  Her experience includes the defense of a Fortune 10 company in a national class action involving allegations of consumer fraud, deceptive trade practices, warranty and statutory claims; the defeat of a consumer class actions on behalf of an automobile manufacturer on a motion to dismiss; and the defense of an international office services company in consumer class actions involving claims of statutory violations.

Based on her in-depth knowledge across different business sectors, coupled with her extensive trial experience, Ms. Sheridan is known for her ability to identify strategic resolutions that protect and balance her clients’ financial interests, business objectives, and customer relationships.

Representative Experience

• Lead National Counsel for retailers and manufacturers in “no injury” consumer class actions;
• Successful resolution and negotiated dismissals of FACTA (Fair & Accurate Credit Transactions Act) and Song-Beverly Credit Card Act class actions;
• Class action counsel for Fortune 10 company in consumer class actions in multistate matters;
• Handled class action matters throughout several states on behalf of nationwide retailers and fashion accessory companies with respect to alleged data security/privacy statute violations;
• Acted as National Counsel for the largest domestic manufacturer of airbags for over a decade;
• Active Proposition 65 practice representing retailers, fashion industry interests, and the food and nutritional supplement industry.

Jury Trial Experience

Ms. Sheridan has tried many civil jury actions to verdict, which have all resulted in defense verdicts or, in one case, a verdict that required no monetary payout from her client. Her defense verdict in an alleged brain injury case was chosen by the California Daily Journal as one of the “Top 10 Defense Verdicts in 2003.” The publication ran a feature story in January 2004 on Ms. Sheridan and her successful defense strategy.

She has also successfully defended at trial the food and hospitality industry, an automotive component manufacturer, and a large utility company.

Presentations & Publications

Ms. Sheridan writes and speaks on products liability and complex litigation issues. Her published work and presentations include:

• “Now Open: Floodgates to Price Advertisement Cases,” co-author, Law360 (June 2013).
• “Credit Card Privacy Case Is Bad News For Mass. Retailers,” co-author, Law360, March 2013.
• “Online And Off Song-Beverly: Some Relief For Retailers,” co-author, Law360, February 2013.
• “Think You’re Complying With the Song-Beverly? If You’re Collecting Customer Information Using Point-of-Sale Software, Think Again,” co-author, Sedgwick’s Retail Industry Alert, October 2012.
• “Employee Training Key to Dodging Business Risks and Protecting Consumer Rights When Utilizing New Technology,” co-author, Employee Relations Law Journal, Spring 2011.
• “Two New California Supreme Court Decisions Will Impact Landscape of Class Action Litigation Against Retailers,” co-author, Sedgwick’s Retail Industry News Flash, February 2011.
• “Legal Risk of New Retail Applications,” co-author, retailcustomerexperience.com, November 19, 2010. 
• “Identity Theft Litigation,” author, Privacy & Data Security Law Journal, November 2008.
• "Trial Techniques: How to Present a Case to Jurors in the Digital Sound Bite Age," presenter, DRI Product Liability Conference, February 2005.
• “Testing the Tests. Medical Device Liability: What’s the Standard?” author, The Recorder, July 12, 2004. 
• Proposition 65: Year in Review, co-presenter with Edward Weil of the California Attorney General's Office, Santa Clara County Bar Association Symposium, 2003. 
• Proposition 65 News: Best Defense Ruling of 2002.