Samantha O. Hay is an associate in Gibson Dunn's Los Angeles office, where she currently practices in the firm’s Litigation department. Samantha’s practice focuses on False Claims Act investigations and litigation, appellate litigation, class actions, and other complex commercial litigation in both federal and state court. Samantha has extensive experience leveraging complex factual records to drive successful results during investigations, summary judgment, and trial. She also maintains a robust pro bono practice.
Recent Representative Matters Include:
- Representing a health-care provider in a qui tam litigation brought under the False Claims Act regarding Medicaid payments.
- Representing a communications company in connection with an investigation by the DOJ and U.S. Attorney’s Office related to the False Claims Act concerning alleged deficiencies in cybersecurity practices, controls, and disclosures.
- Representing Joy Reid in a defamation action.
- Representing a social-media company in a class action related to ad targeting and delivery.
- Defended a leading technology company in connection with parallel investigations by the DOJ, U.S. Attorney’s Office, SEC, and State Attorney General’s Office relating to purported deficiencies in cybersecurity practices, controls, and disclosures for alleged violations of the False Claims Act, numerous states’ false-claim acts, and securities laws, successfully convincing authorities to close all investigations across the board.
- Secured a first-of-its-kind victory in the Ninth Circuit for an insurance company in a duty-to-defend case involving insurance coverage for the opioid crisis.
- Defended an aerospace contractor in a qui tam litigation brought under the False Claims Act related to its cybersecurity compliance representations and substantially narrowed the scope of liability for the client and then secured a favorable settlement.*
- Defended a pest repellant company in a consumer class action and prevailed at summary judgment.*
- Defended a toothpaste company in a consumer class action and secured a favorable settlement.*
- Represented a real estate developer in litigation against a utility company related to the Aliso Canyon gas leak, which resulted in a favorable settlement.*
* Representations occurred prior to joining Gibson Dunn.
Before joining Gibson Dunn, Samantha served as a law clerk to the Honorable Karen Nelson Moore of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit from 2022 to 2023, and practiced with the firm Kirkland & Ellis as an associate in its litigation group from 2020 to 2022.
Samantha earned her J.D. from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law where she was the Executive Editor of the Southern California Interdisciplinary Journal. Samantha also served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Virginia A. Phillips of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, an extern for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, and a research assistant focused on campaign finance law for Professor Abby Wood. Prior to law school, Samantha worked as a campaign finance analyst at the Federal Election Commission from 2015 to 2017.
Samantha is a member of the California bar and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the U.S. District Courts for the Central and Eastern Districts of California.
Capabilities
- Litigation
- Appellate and Constitutional Law
- Class Actions
- False Claims Act / Qui Tam Defense
- Trials
- White Collar Defense and Investigations
Credentials
Education:
- University of Southern California - 2020 Juris Doctor
- Northeastern University - 2014 Bachelor of Arts
Admissions:
- California Bar
Clerkships:
- US Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit, Hon. Karen Nelson Moore, 2022 - 2023