Christine Demana

Christine Demana is a partner in Gibson Dunn’s Dallas office. Her practice focuses on high-stakes trade secrets, restrictive covenant, and commercial litigation matters for clients in the tech, gaming, biotech, and professional services industries. She excels in fast-paced litigation for these clients nationwide—including for matters involving preliminary and expedited relief. Her recent and notable accomplishments in these areas include:

• DraftKings: Winning preliminary injunction in trade secrets and restrictive covenant matter preventing former executive from working for rival in a similar role after expedited discovery and evidentiary hearing.
• CDI: Defeating preliminary injunction after full evidentiary hearing, and thereafter securing full summary judgment and dismissal on behalf of Churchill Downs Incorporated, in suit to overturn suspension of horse trainer following 2021 Kentucky Derby; subsequently defeating second temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction brought by owner less than one year later.
• AMN Healthcare: Winning preliminary injunction in restrictive covenant matter preventing former divisional vice president from soliciting clients and working for competitor in similar role after expedited discovery and evidentiary hearing.
• Tinder: Filing suit on behalf of a group of Tinder cofounders, early executives, and employees in multibillion-dollar litigation against Tinder’s parent companies, InterActiveCorp (IAC) and Match Group, Inc.; Gibson Dunn secured $441 million settlement after a nearly four-week jury trial.
• Capchase: Winning full temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction for Capchase in noncompete and trade secrets dispute with former employee.
• Square: After winning partial motion to exclude opposing party’s key expert witness, securing favorable settlement for Square, Inc. and cofounders Jack Dorsey and James McKelvey, Jr. in bet-the-company founders’ and trade secrets dispute.
• Gyroscope: Winning motion to compel arbitration on novel equitable estoppel theory in biotech (device) trade secrets dispute.

Christine also has broad experience prosecuting and defending complex business claims and class actions involving breach of contract, securities and other frauds, consumer product defects, antitrust violations, and employment issues. She has a winning record both in trial courts and on appeal for such matters, which include:

• Centerview Partners: Achieving full dismissal with prejudice of federal securities fraud case on behalf of investment advisor Centerview Partners, and securing affirmance on appeal in the Fifth Circuit.
• One Call: Achieving voluntary dismissal by plaintiffs of class allegations after winning two motions to dismiss on behalf of One Call Management Incorporated in misclassification and wage-and-hour suit, and then securing favorable settlement of individual claims.
• Trinity: Securing voluntary dismissal from plaintiffs in two putative products liability class action cases against Trinity Industries after pursuing aggressive discovery and litigation strategy.
• BNSF: Achieving nearly unprecedented multi-district litigation (“MDL”) order creating separate MDL for more than 45 newly filed actions after successfully defeating class certification at trial and on appeal in antitrust suit against Class 1 railroads.

Christine routinely advises clients on trade secrets policies, trainings, agreements, and best practices, as well, and she has unique expertise working with consultants and clients to develop media strategies for public matters.

Christine is consistently recognized for her cutting-edge legal work. The Legal 500 USA names Christine as a “Recommended Lawyer” for Trade Secrets. She has been repeatedly recognized by The Best Lawyers in America© in Commercial Litigation, as a Super Lawyers “Rising Star,” and The American Lawyer | Litigation Daily included her as a “Litigator of the Week” Runner Up after she helped “secure a sweeping injunction” in a trade secrets and restrictive covenant lawsuit on behalf of DraftKings.

Alongside Christine’s commercial docket, she proudly maintains an active pro bono practice. The New York Legal Aid Society twice awarded her its outstanding service award for her work on behalf of New Yorkers with disabilities in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. And she has represented individual clients charged with federal crimes as lead counsel both in trial and on appeal in federal district and circuit courts around the country.

Before joining Gibson Dunn, Christine served as a law clerk to the Honorable David C. Godbey, currently the Chief District Judge for the Northern District of Texas. She received her Juris Doctor in 2011 from Harvard Law School, where she was both a student attorney and on the Board of Directors as the Vice President for Practice Standards for the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau.