Gustav W. Eyler is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He is Co-Chair of the firm’s Consumer Protection and FDA and Health Care Practice Groups, and he is a member of the White Collar Defense and Privacy Practice Groups. An experienced litigator and a former Director of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch, he defends companies and individuals in government investigations and enforcement actions and counsels clients on the design and implementation of compliance programs.
Mr. Eyler brings broad and practical experience to clients facing government investigations and litigation. As Director of the Consumer Protection Branch from 2017 to 2022, Mr. Eyler led more than 250 prosecutors and staff in criminal and civil enforcement actions involving drugs, medical devices, food, tobacco, consumer products, and fraudulent schemes. He personally oversaw and handled matters involving a wide range of statutes, including the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; the Controlled Substances Act; the Consumer Product Safety Act; the Anti-Kickback Statute; the False Claims Act; provisions administered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; and numerous fraud laws. He also led the Justice Department’s partnership with the Federal Trade Commission in achieving landmark corporate resolutions in privacy and deceptive-practice cases related to social media, marketing, and health care companies.
Clients also rely on Mr. Eyler’s experience to mitigate the risk of government enforcement actions through corporate compliance programs and proactive litigation. At the Justice Department, Mr. Eyler helped to craft new corporate compliance guidance as a member of the Deputy Attorney General’s Corporate Crime Advisory Group. He also litigated multiple challenges to actions of the Food and Drug Administration and other agencies in courts throughout the country.
Before serving as Director of the Consumer Protection Branch, Mr. Eyler worked as a Counselor to the Attorney General, providing advice on matters related to the U.S. Attorney’s Offices, the Criminal Division, the FBI, and the DEA. He also served as a prosecutor in the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland. Mr. Eyler is a recipient of both the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award and the Attorney General’s Fraud Prevention Award. Prior to joining the Justice Department, Mr. Eyler worked at Gibson Dunn, as counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, and as a law clerk to Judge Thomas L. Ambro of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Mr. Eyler received his J.D. from Yale Law School, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Law & Policy Review and an author for the Yale Law Journal. He received his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from Princeton University and studied history at Merton College, Oxford.
Mr. Eyler speaks and lectures regularly on white collar, life sciences, and privacy issues.
Capabilities
- White Collar Defense and Investigations
- Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice
- Class Actions
- Crisis Management
- FDA and Health Care
- False Claims Act / Qui Tam Defense
- Life Sciences
- Litigation
- Privacy, Cybersecurity, and Data Innovation
- Tech and Innovation
Credentials
Education:
- Yale University - 2008 Juris Doctor
- Princeton University - 2005 Bachelor of Arts
Admissions:
- District of Columbia Bar
- Maryland Bar
Clerkships:
- US Court of Appeals, 3rd Circuit, Hon. Thomas L. Ambro, 2008 - 2009