Abbey Hudson is a partner in Gibson Dunn’s Los Angeles office.  Her practice focuses on environmental matters and complex trial litigation.  She devotes a significant portion of her time to helping clients navigate environmental and emerging regulations and related governmental investigations.  The Legal 500 United States named Ms. Hudson a Next Generation Lawyer in the category of Industry Focus – Environment – Litigation.

Environmental and Mass Tort Litigation and Regulatory Compliance.  Ms. Hudson has handled all aspects of  environmental and mass tort litigation and regulatory compliance.  She has provided counseling and advice on environmental and regulatory compliance to clients on a wide range of issues, including supply chain transparency requirements, comments on pending regulatory developments, and enforcement counseling.  She has experience handling California environmental matters that involve the California Air Resources Board, the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the California Geologic Energy Management Division, and the Regional Water Quality Control Board – Los Angeles Region.  Ms. Hudson also regularly advises clients regarding Environmental Social Governance (“ESG”) issues, including sustainability, in connection with corporate and real estate transactions.

Ms. Hudson also has experience with climate change focused regulations such as the California Air Resources Board’s (‘CARB”) Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), the Zero-Emission Vehicle Program, and the Cap-and-Trade Program.  As part of her climate focused work, she helps guide clients to monetize the environmental and low-carbon attributes of their products or services under both voluntary and compliance based regimes.

Litigation.  Over the past decade, Ms. Hudson has litigated several of the firm’s most high-profile complex cases.  She specializes in helping clients navigate incident response including crafting big picture media and litigation strategies.  Ms. Hudson also has an expertise in post-incident e-discovery and evidence preservation.

Some of Ms. Hudson’s most recent non-confidential matters include:

• Represented Mercedes-Benz and Daimler in an investigation relating to compliance with Clean Air Act requirements governing emissions after-treatment and in related settlement of civil claims with the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the California Attorney General, and the California Air Resources Board. United States v. Daimler AG et al., No. 02564 (D.D.C. 2020) & California v. Daimler AG, No. 02565 (D.D.C. 2020).
• Represented Toyota Motor Corporation in an investigation relating to compliance with Clean Air Act requirements governing emissions reporting and in related settlement of civil claims with the U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. United States v. Toyota Motor Corporation et al., No. 00323 (S.D.N.Y. 2021).
• Representation of major food retailer in confidential matter involving alleged trichloroethylene (“TCE”) contamination in drinking water in a California city. Brought in to advise client in anticipation of potential litigation.  Advice is ongoing.
• Representation of aerospace company in confidential matter involving alleged toxic exposures in California city. Brought in to advise client on technical environmental issues in anticipation of potential litigation.  Advice is ongoing.
• Compliance and enforcement counseling addressing Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and FIFRA topics in a variety of industries such as chemical manufacturing, consumer product and textile manufacturing, and upstream oil and gas operations.
• Representation of The Boeing Company against claims primarily by property owners alleging damages stemming from the November 2018 Woolsey Fire in Southern California. Representation is ongoing.
• Representation of Northrop Grumman against putative class action involving alleged trichloroethylene (“TCE”) contamination in Canoga Park California.
• Represented Intel Corporation in connection with claims of birth defects allegedly caused by employees’ and their spouses’ exposures to chemicals (including glycol ethers) in clean rooms associated with semiconductor manufacturing. All cases successfully dismissed in or around 2015 as a result of motion practice before Delaware state trial court where cases were consolidated.
• Tellez v. Dole Food Co.: securing dismissal with prejudice of U.S.-filed toxic tort claims alleging that DBCP caused reproductive harm.
• Representation of oil companies in connection with civil litigation, environmental enforcement actions, and community complaints.
• Hollingsworth v. Perry: the federal constitutional challenge to California’s ban on same-sex marriage, Proposition 8.
• You v. Japan: defended vehicle manufacturers against alien tort and RICO claims brought on behalf of a purported class of Korean citizens.

Community and Firm Involvement.  Ms. Hudson is a member of the Firm’s Associates, Diversity, Well-Being and Community Affairs Committees. Additionally, Ms. Hudson helped launch and helps run the firm’s LGBT Women’s initiative.  In 2017, Ms. Hudson was named one of the 40 Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40 by the National LGBT Bar Association.  Ms. Hudson also has an active pro bono practice.  She regularly represents The Trevor Project, and she also is a certified trainer for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy and traveled to Kenya and Tanzania with Lawyers Without Borders to facilitate the training of Kenyan and Tanzanian advocates and judges on how to successfully bring to trial claims under those countries wildlife conservation laws.

Education and Background.  Ms. Hudson earned her law degree from Columbia University, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, a finalist in the Harlan Fiske Stone Moot Court Competition, and president of OutLaws, Columbia’s LGBT law student organization.  Ms. Hudson received her Bachelor’s degree with distinction in Political Science from Yale University in 2003.