Ashley Simonsen

About Ashley Simonsen

I defend complex class actions in state and federal courts across the country, with substantive experience in the three hotbeds of class action litigation: Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. I represent clients in the technology, consumer brands, financial services, and sports industries through all stages of litigation, including trial, with a strong track record of success on early dispositive motions. In 2021, I was named a \"Class Action MVP\" by Law360 and earned a \"Top Verdict\" recognition from The Daily Journal. In 2020, I was named a \"Top Attorneys Under 40” by Law260 and a \"Leader of Influence: Litigators & Trial Lawyers\" by the Los Angeles Business Journal. My practice encompasses advertising, antitrust, product defect, and consumer protection matters. I regularly advise companies on arbitration clauses in consumer agreements and related issues, including mass arbitration risks and issues arising under McGill v. Citibank, N.A. And I am have special expertise on “true lender” issues and the related “valid when made” doctrine, having won a complete defense victory for bank following five-day arbitration in what is believed to be the first time a bank has ever defeated “true lender” claims following an evidentiary hearing.Before practicing law, I advised banks on balance sheet management and interest rate hedging strategies at Lehman Brothers in New York.

Experience

1. Partner

   Covington & Burling LLP

   Oct 2018 — Present · Los Angeles, CA, US

   Representative Matters - Technology Industry-Representation of Meta (formerly Facebook) in nationwide advertiser class action alleging violations of the California Unfair Competition Law (UCL) arising from charges for clicks from allegedly \"fake\" accounts. Narrowed claims at the pleadings stage, defeated class certification, opposed Rule 23(f) petition, and won summary judgment-Representation of Meta in two class actions brought by content moderators employed by Meta’s vendors in California and Florida courts. Won motion to dismiss Florida case with prejudice; secured final approval of novel four-state class settlement in California case.Representative Matters - Consumer Products Industry-Representation of Tootsie Roll in three consumer class actions challenging alleged nonfunctional slack-fill in Junior Mints snack boxes, including under the UCL, California Consumers Legal Remedies Act (CLRA), and California False Advertising Law (FAL). Won motions to dismiss New York and Illinois cases; prevailed on class certification in California case-Representation of Clorox in nationwide consumer class action challenging Clorox\'s Splash-Less bleach product label as misleading under the UCL, CLRA, and FAL. Won motion to dismiss.Representative Matters - Financial Services Industry-Defeated at the pleadings stage—including winning two motions to dismiss—twelve class action lawsuits filed across the country against five financial institutions under state consumer protection laws alleging that defendants failed to pay fees to agents of small business loan applicants under the Paycheck Protection Program-Representation of Navient in defense of nationwide class action in New York federal court challenging representations to borrowers about Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Won motion to dismiss 13 of 14 claims, leading to a nationwide class settlement that won final approval.

Education

• Amherst College

  B.A., Economics and Women's & Gender Studies

  2000 — 2004

• Stanford Law School

  J.D.

  2007 — 2010

Skills

• Civil Litigation
• Courts
• Commercial Litigation
• Appeals
• Intellectual Property
• Securities Litigation
• Legal Writing
• Litigation
• Legal Research
• Westlaw