Partner Katie Townsend was a guest on the “Legal Face-Off” show on WGN Radio 720 in Chicago, discussing a significant win for The New York Times in its challenge to the constitutionality of a Trump administration policy governing the issuance, denial, and revocation of press credentials at the Pentagon. Katie is part of the team representing The Times and its reporter Julian Barnes in that challenge.

Katie is Co‑Chair of the firm’s First Amendment and Free Expression Practice Group and a former Deputy Executive Director & Legal Director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

Gibson Dunn represented BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group, one of the world’s largest timberland managers, in the formation of the largest reforestation fund closed to date, The Reforestation Fund I, investing in Latin American timberland assets, seeking to generate carbon credits for its Latin American Reforestation Strategy with $1.24 billion in committed capital.

The firm’s investment funds team was led by partner Kira Idoko and included associates Phil Stachnik, Jack Rogers, Trevor Herden, Eimi Harris, Grace Feitshans, and Kai Abbas, with additional transactional support from partners John Gaffney and Dan Alterbaum and of counsel Adam Lapidus. Partner Brian Kniesly and of counsel Jenn Fitzgerald advised on tax aspects. Partner Kevin Bettsteller advised on regulatory aspects. Partners Darius Mehraban and Duncan McKay and associates Aja Sanneh and Axel Sarkissian advised on finance aspects.

Partner Elizabeth Ising testified before the Subcommittee on Capital Markets of the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services during its April 29, 2025 hearing on Exposing the Proxy Advisory Cartel: How ISS & Glass Lewis Influence Markets.

Elizabeth shared her observations on the significant influence of proxy advisory firms in corporate elections and the need to regulate these firms.

Elizabeth said that “the lack of regulation and accountability of proxy advisory firms, their conflicts of interest, ongoing objective errors in their reports, as well as unfounded biases and presumptions underlying their proxy voting positions, demonstrate the need for these participants in the U.S. proxy system to be subject to reasonable, common-sense regulation.”

Read the full testimony here.

On April 24, 2026, Gibson Dunn secured a major win for State Farm in Clippinger v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., a closely watched class-certification appeal before the full Sixth Circuit, sitting en banc. The Sixth Circuit’s published opinion rejecting class certification will be useful to defendants across the country in auto insurance class actions and beyond.

Plaintiffs nationwide have sued auto insurers, including State Farm, challenging the way the insurers resolve claims involving “totaled” cars. Insurance policies typically promise insured customers the “actual cash value” of totaled vehicles, and plaintiffs have alleged that insurers use valuation methods featuring one or more steps that undervalue the vehicles. In this case, the plaintiff’s theory was that by applying a “negotiation adjustment” to the advertised prices of cars on dealer lots—which accounts for the fact that dealers frequently sell used cars for less than advertised price after negotiating with buyers—State Farm was breaching its insurance policies.

The district court granted class certification, and a divided panel of the Sixth Circuit initially affirmed. After taking over the briefing, Gibson Dunn convinced the Sixth Circuit to grant rehearing en banc, emphasizing that the panel majority’s decision affirming class certification conflicted with case law from five other circuits in essentially identical total-loss cases. Gibson Dunn then handled the briefing and argument before the en banc court.

The en banc court’s published opinion, authored by Judge Murphy (whose dissent at the panel stage was vindicated after en banc review), joined the five other circuits in holding that total-loss cases are unsuitable for class treatment because they raise highly individualized issues of the actual cash value of each class member’s vehicle. The Sixth Circuit also explained that courts may not sidestep this individualized analysis by preventing defendants (or policyholders) from presenting vehicle-by-vehicle evidence of value, as doing so would violate the Rules Enabling Act and due process. 

The Gibson Dunn team included partners Ted Boutrous (who argued before the 17-judge en banc court), Brad Hamburger, and Daniel Adler and associates Matt Aidan Getz and Jessica Kinnamon. Partners Jeff Wall and Judd Littleton were also on the en banc briefs.

The article “The SEC’s Latest Crypto Guidance Still Leaves Too Much Unsaid” by partners Nick Harper, Matt Gregory, and Jason Mendro and associate Christian Talley has been published by Coindesk. They write that recent joint guidance by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission “stops short of the full course correction the crypto industry needs.”

Partners Krista Hanvey, Trey Cox, and Collin Cox were interviewed by Legal Business (subscription required) for an article on the growth of the Dallas market for Big Law firms. Krista said that “The Dallas market has shifted a lot. There’s a lot of competition, as we’re all going after the same Fortune 500 clients headquartered here.”

Trey mentioned that an influx of major banks and financial institutions increasing their investment in Dallas has impacted the legal market: “As more Fortune 500 companies and financial institutions come into the market, top 50 firms follow. With the bigger companies and the bigger law firms comes a more sophisticated set of legal services consumers. Everyone benefits from that – primarily the clients.”

Collin pointed out that the Texas Business Court has also played a role in driving demand in the Dallas market. “The business courts are another place where demand is expressing itself. It’s really exciting. It’s a great development for us,” he said.

Gibson Dunn is advising XOMA Royalty on its sale to Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc.  

The firm’s corporate team is led by partners Ryan Murr and Branden Berns and includes associate Evan Shepherd. Partners Pamela Lawrence Endreny and Rachel Kleinberg are advising on tax aspects. Partner Sean Feller is advising on benefits.

On April 21, 2026, a Gibson Dunn team secured a significant victory for pro bono client Daryl Davis in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. In a published opinion, the Court reversed in part the district court’s dismissal with prejudice of several of Mr. Davis’s Section 1983 claims, giving him the opportunity to pursue those claims on remand.

Mr. Davis’s claims arise from a 2019 traffic stop in which officers accused him of swallowing cocaine—despite never testing him at the time of arrest and despite later drug tests repeatedly coming back negative. Officials nevertheless pursued a felony evidence-tampering charge against Mr. Davis for nearly five years, subjecting him to ongoing supervision and prosecution based on allegations that were never substantiated. Eventually, prosecutors dropped that baseless charge.

Proceeding pro se, Mr. Davis brought civil rights claims arising from his arrest and prosecution, which the district court dismissed with prejudice at the pleading stage. On appeal to the Fifth Circuit, the Court appointed Gibson Dunn associate Liz Kiernan as Mr. Davis’s counsel. Gibson Dunn argued that the district court erred in dismissing the claims with prejudice and that Mr. Davis should be able to replead his claims with the benefit of counsel. Liz presented argument to the Fifth Circuit, which agreed in key respects, holding that several of Mr. Davis’s claims should not have been dismissed with prejudice and remanding the case with instructions to grant Mr. Davis leave to amend his complaint. 

This outcome represents a meaningful step forward for Mr. Davis, who now has the chance to seek relief for his baseless arrest and prosecution. Gibson Dunn will continue to represent Mr. Davis on remand in a team led by Arjun Ogale.

The case is Davis v. Warren, No. 24-40599 (5th Cir.).

The team includes partner Allyson Ho and associates Liz Kiernan (argued), Arjun Ogale, Warren Bloom, Jeff Gurley, and Nate Evans.

Gibson Dunn represented Chobani, LLC and Chobani Finance Corporation, Inc. on an upsized offering of $800 million in aggregate principal amount of 6.375% Senior Notes due 2034.  Proceeds of the new senior notes will be used to fund the redemption of the 8.750%/9.500% Senior PIK Toggle Notes due 2029 of Chobani Holdco II, LLC and related fees and expenses.  The transaction closed on April 20, 2026.

The Gibson Dunn team advising Chobani included Andrew Fabens, Robert Giannattasio, Lawrence Lee, Kevin Mills, and Alanah Herfi. The firm’s finance team included Aaron Adams and Julia Sweitzer. Eric Sloan, James Jennings, and Emily Leduc Gagné advised on tax matters.

Gibson Dunn is advising Spectrotel, a leading provider of managed network services and connectivity solutions, and Grain Management on Spectrotel’s merger with AireSpring, a premier provider of global connectivity, managed services, and network infrastructure solutions.

The Gibson Dunn corporate team is led by partner Evan D’Amico and includes associates Kristen Lee, Percy Gao, and Sydney Colopy. Partner Jin Hee Kim and associate Melody Karmana are advising on financing aspects, partners Marian Fowler and A.J. Frey are advising on investment fund aspects, partner Matt Donnelly and associate Eytan de Gunzburg are advising on tax aspects, partner Michael Collins is advising on benefits, partner Joshua Lipton and associate Alexander Merritt are advising on antitrust aspects, partner Daniel Angel is advising on IP aspects, and partner Meghan Hungate is advising on technology aspects.

Gibson Dunn announced today that Eliza Kaiser has joined the firm as a partner in its Labor and Employment practice in New York. She has built a premier practice advising financial services, technology, and professional services clients on high-stakes employment litigation and investigations.

“Eliza is a standout employment litigator and exactly the kind of powerhouse talent who will complement and expand our New York capabilities,” said partner Jason Schwartz, Co-Chair of the Labor and Employment Practice Group. “Her judgment and experience navigating high-risk employment disputes make her a trusted advisor for clients and a strategic fit for our practice.”

“The firm has built the premier employment litigation platform in the country, and the opportunity to collaborate with world-class litigators on large-scale matters across its integrated platform — while further deepening relationships with shared clients, particularly in the financial services sector — made this an exceptional time to join,” said Eliza.

Gibson Dunn is the go-to firm for novel and high-stakes employment matters, with a Labor and Employment Practice Group at the leading edge of the field. The group has been recognized 13 times as an Employment Practice Group of the Year by Law360 and for the last nine years in a row as Labor and Employment Litigation Department of the Year by The National Law Journal. It includes more than 250 lawyers across 15 offices. The team works seamlessly across disciplines, bringing together some of the country’s leading employment, regulatory, class action, and appellate lawyers.

About Eliza Kaiser

Eliza represents employers in federal and state courts, administrative proceedings and agency actions, and arbitrations and mediations. She has extensive experience litigating a wide range of employment claims, including allegations based on discrimination, whistleblowing, wage and hour violations, breach of contract, and tort. Eliza also has experience counseling clients on all aspects of the employment relationship, such as equal employment opportunity, employment policies, hiring, termination, disciplinary action, leave and medical issues, and employment contracts.

Additionally, she regularly conducts investigations into employment issues, including claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, whistleblowing, and employee misconduct. Eliza’s prior experience as an in-house employment lawyer at a financial services firm provides her with a unique perspective on the issues facing employers. Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Eliza was a partner at an international law firm.

A Gibson Dunn client alert authored by partners Michael Kahn, Monica Loseman, Brian Lutz, Jason Mendro, and Craig Varnen and associate Brian Yang, “Delaware Supreme Court Rejects Bright Line Rules in Section 220 Books and Records Proceedings,” has been published by the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance.

Shout-out to Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher partners Theodore Boutrous Jr., Connor Sullivan and Katie Townsend, who led a team representing NBCUniversal defending a $100 million defamation claim filed by Sean Combs stemming from the documentary “Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy.” Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Phaedra Perry-Bond dismissed the suit this week, holding that the documentary took a “nuanced” approach and included responses to key allegations against Combs. “It is inconceivable as to how the documentary created additional damage to plaintiff’s reputation, which was already tarnished by the numerous lawsuits, domestic violence video, press coverage and a criminal indictment,” the judge wrote. The Gibson Dunn team included associates Zachary Freund, Connor Mui and Elise Blegen.

Gibson Dunn advised Catchment Capital, a private equity firm focused on transforming middle market industrial businesses, on its acquisition of Isolatek, a leading manufacturer and supplier of passive fireproofing technologies, from SK Capital.

The Gibson Dunn corporate team was led by partner Alexander Fine and included associates Jonathan Abrams, Michael Naclerio, and Ethan Anderson. Partner Matt Donnelly and associate Elizabeth Johnson advised tax aspects; partner Michael Collins advised on benefits; partner Dean Masuda and associates Catie Sakurai and Nicole Kim advised on financing; partner Meghan Hungate and associate Andrew Hartman advised on IP aspects; partner Michael Murphy advised on environmental aspects; partner Josh Lipton and associate Alex Merritt advised antitrust aspects; and partner Christopher Timura advised on international trade aspects.

A Gibson Dunn team secured a significant win for NBCUniversal to dismiss in full Sean “Diddy” Combs’ $100 million defamation claim related to the documentary “Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy.” The case is Sean Combs v. NBCUniversal Media et al. [PDF] in the New York Supreme Court.

The firm’s winning team includes partners Theodore J. Boutrous Jr., Connor Sullivan, and Katie Townsend and associates Zachary Freund, Connor Mui, and Elise Blegen.

Partner Allyson Ho has been nominated for North America Constitutional Lawyer of the Year by the IFLR Women in Business Law Americas Awards.

Now in their 15th year, the awards celebrate “trailblazing” women who are breaking new ground in their areas of expertise in the legal sector. Allyson is honored to be named alongside Karen Dunn, Roberta Kaplan, and Lisa Blatt.

Allyson is Co-Chair of the firm’s Appellate and Constitutional Law Practice Group. She has presented over 100 oral arguments in federal and state courts nationwide, including multiple high-stakes business cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Women in Business Law Americas Awards winners will be announced on May 28 in New York.

Gibson Dunn’s market-leading Business Restructuring & Reorganization practice led all law firms in creditor side engagements in the first quarter of 2026, with 15 mandates, according to Octus’s most recent Americas Restructuring Rankings.

Partner Mylan Denerstein has been named by Crain’s New York Business [subscription required] to its list of Women of Influence for 2026: leaders who “are igniting change” and “reshaping how the city is powered … while elevating their peers.”

Speaking with Crain’s, Mylan discussed how acting under the principles of respectfulness and authenticity has helped in her career.

“You can get so much from being friendly — they’ll tell you more that might help you, and you’ll learn all sorts of things, like what they really want,” Mylan said. “But because I’m friendly does not mean you’re going to be able to walk all over me. Because I try to take time to understand what a regulator or opponent wants to achieve while also understanding my client’s objectives, I am able to drive results.”

Mylan said that a career highlight was crafting marriage equality legislation in New York while serving as counsel to former Governor Andrew Cuomo.

“There was fervent opposition, fervent support and it was constant — as this was all pre-COVID, and everybody was in the capital all the time — and that experience really changed my life,” Mylan said. “I realized you could really make positive changes for people.”

Mylan is Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn’s Public Policy Practice Group, Co-Partner in Charge of the New York office, a member of the Executive Committee, and a leader of the firm’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force. She leads complex litigation and internal investigations, representing companies confronting a wide range of legal issues in their most critical times. Since January 2022, Mylan has served as the court-appointed New York Police Department Monitor responsible for overseeing the implementation of court-ordered reforms.

Gibson Dunn announced today that a four-partner team of leading appellate and strategic litigators has joined the firm, reinforcing its position as the nation’s preeminent destination for litigation talent. Former Acting Solicitor General Jeff Wall will serve as Co-Chair of the firm’s Appellate and Constitutional Law Practice, building on its exceptional record in handling the most challenging appeals and legal issues. He is joined by premier litigators Morgan Ratner and Judson (Judd) Littleton in Washington, D.C., and Yaira Dubin in New York.

“Jeff, Morgan, Judd, and Yaira are among the country’s most respected appellate advocates, with an extraordinary record in high-stakes cases,” said Barbara Becker, Chair and Managing Partner of Gibson Dunn. “Their arrival represents a powerful addition to our litigation platform, further strengthening our ability to lead clients through their most consequential matters.”

Jeff, Morgan, and Yaira have together argued more than 45 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. The team brings deep experience at the highest levels of appellate advocacy, including in the Office of the Solicitor General. Jeff served two stints at the Office, most recently as Acting Solicitor General. Yaira and Morgan served as Assistants to the Solicitor General, and Judd was a Bristow Fellow before serving in the U.S. Department of Justice’s elite Federal Programs Branch. Collectively, they have handled industry-shaping cases across trial and appellate courts nationwide, including high-stakes commercial litigation in federal district courts, challenges to federal agency action, and precedent-shaping cases before the courts of appeals and the Supreme Court. 

“These are some of the most accomplished, well-regarded, and versatile Supreme Court and appellate lawyers in the country, and their arrival is a testament to Gibson Dunn’s position as a litigation powerhouse,” said Thomas Dupree, Co-Chair of the firm’s Appellate and Constitutional Law Practice.

Allyson Ho, Co-Chair of the Appellate and Constitutional Law Practice, added, “We have known and respected this team for years. They are exceptional advocates and trusted advisors, and their addition enhances our ability to deliver the highest level of appellate and Supreme Court representation to our clients.”

“We are thrilled to be joining forces with Gibson Dunn,” said Jeff. “Gibson Dunn is a powerhouse known for its depth of talent, strong culture, and extraordinary client base. Together with the rest of the Gibson Dunn team, we will be unmatched in our ability to help clients navigate their highest-stakes matters.”

Jeff, Judd, Morgan, and Yaira join a deep appellate bench at Gibson Dunn, including 11 lawyers who have argued before the Supreme Court. Their arrival cements the firm’s market-leading position as the go-to platform for appellate advocacy and strategic legal thinking.

Jeff Wall
Jeff has argued more than 30 cases before the Supreme Court and is one of the most in-demand appellate advocates for bet-the-company litigation. Jeff is ranked Band 1 by Chambers USA; The National Law Journal named him “Appellate Attorney of the Year” for 2025; and he has recently been named The American Lawyer’s “Litigator of the Week” three times for a series of groundbreaking wins. Jeff clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas on the Supreme Court and Judge Wilkinson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Yaira Dubin
Yaira will lead Gibson Dunn’s New York appellate practice. Yaira has argued six cases before the Supreme Court, prevailing in major copyright, bankruptcy, and statutory appeals. Clients tap Yaira for their most challenging and cutting-edge legal issues, including in frontier technologies like artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency. Yaira clerked for Justice Elena Kagan on the Supreme Court, Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and Chief Judge James E. Boasberg on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Judd Littleton
Judd is a highly versatile appellate lawyer who has litigated clients’ most pressing and consequential cases at every level of the judiciary. He is a go-to lawyer for challenging burdensome government regulations, having won a series of closely watched cases striking down the FTC’s non-compete and premerger notification rules and multiple rules issued by the SEC and CFPB. Judd clerked for Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. on the Supreme Court and Judge A. Raymond Randolph on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Morgan Ratner
Morgan handles high-profile appeals and legal issues, turning complex problems into simple winning points. She has argued 10 cases before the Supreme Court, where she has had an extraordinary record of success. Morgan was The American Lawyer’s “Young Lawyer of the Year” for 2024, and her high-dollar appellate wins have repeatedly racked up “Litigator of the Week” accolades. Morgan clerked for Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. on the Supreme Court, and then-Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Partner Helgi Walker and associate Michael Corcoran have published an article in the National Law Journal [PDF] about the landmark Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo administrative law U.S. Supreme Court case. They explain the two must-do steps for any lawyer seeking to challenge agency actions involving supposed delegations of discretionary power: (1) knock out generic grants of authority as conferring no interpretive discretion and (2) ensure that the agency’s regulations are directly linked to terms it has the authority to interpret.

They write that the ruling’s language about delegated discretions “is no shark, but a herring” and that in light of their analysis “agency challengers should be well-equipped to sail across these new seas in the post-Loper Bright world — building on Loper Bright and opening new fronts in challenges to agency actions.”