Bonnie Lau

Bonnie’s practice focuses on antitrust and unfair competition class action litigation in federal and state courts, as well as enforcement proceedings before agencies in the U.S. and other countries. She leverages her almost 15 years of experience in civil and criminal antitrust litigation and investigations to advise clients across a range of industries that face government scrutiny, including technology and manufacturing.

A dynamic litigator, Bonnie has significant experience defending class action and complex commercial disputes, and deftly handles international competition investigations and enforcement issues. She has defended companies in antitrust and related complex litigation involving claims of price-fixing, output suppression, monopolization, and group boycott, as well as prosecuted antitrust counterclaims in patent and IP infringement matters. Bonnie has also successfully defended class actions, multi-district litigations and enforcement actions in federal and state trial and appeals courts across the U.S., and advised on parallel international class actions and foreign regulatory actions. In addition to her work in the antitrust area, Ms. Lau has represented clients in various complex commercial litigation and alternative dispute resolution matters relating to RICO violations, unfair competition and intellectual property claims.

Bonnie serves as lead counsel on antitrust price-fixing cartel matters in the Northern District of California. She currently represents a Japanese technology and manufacturing client in consolidated class action litigation alleging federal and state antitrust and consumer protection claims, and Department of Justice Antitrust Division investigation and criminal proceedings. She also oversees the related Canadian class action litigation and coordinates the company’s defense with local counsel of the foreign investigations and enforcement proceedings in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, Brazil and the European Union.

Prior to joining the firm, Bonnie handled class action and complex litigation, antitrust, RICO, intellectual property, and technology-related matters as a partner at a global firm.

Bonnie devotes herself to promoting diversity in the legal community, serving as Chair-Elect of the Leadership Council for Legal Diversity Fellows Alumni; Co-Chair of the Women’s Leadership Network for the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association; and Advisory Board member of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association.

Representative Matters

• Defending technology and manufacturing client in consolidated class action litigation alleging federal and state antitrust and consumer protection claims and related Department of Justice Antitrust Division price fixing conspiracy investigation and criminal proceedings. Managing parallel international class actions and coordinating defense of foreign regulatory antitrust investigations.
• Won en banc Eleventh Circuit decision affirming dismissal with prejudice of federal antitrust claims in multidistrict litigation comprised of 24 individual and putative class action cases across the country, which allege antitrust, RICO and/or steering violations against over a hundred major automobile insurance carriers.
• Won appeal, defeated three separate attempts to certify a class, excluded expert methodology, and won complete summary judgment of individual claims in antitrust and unfair competition class action against a major automobile insurer, alleging a conspiracy to charge anticompetitive premiums to policyholders.
• Prosecuted Handgards antitrust counterclaim in patent infringement lawsuit by non-practicing entity.  Following trial of the patent infringement claims, and post-judgment remittitur of the award, won complete victory at Federal Circuit, which reversed the jury finding of infringement and vacated award of damages.
• Prosecuted Walker Process antitrust counterclaim in patent and intellectual property infringement lawsuit.
• Obtained favorable settlement of putative class action where plaintiffs sought to impose conspiracy or vicarious liability upon major international life insurer for its independent insurance producer's separate Ponzi scheme conspiracy. Forced plaintiffs to voluntarily dismiss federal class action and re-file on behalf of 22 plaintiffs proceeding individually in state court.
• Defended three putative class actions against major title insurer alleging improper escrow fees and failure to provide discounted refinance rates for title insurance policies. In lead case, won motion to decertify class based on changes in class action jurisprudence. Won motion for summary judgment of remaining individual RICO and consumer fraud claims.