Jason R. Meltzer is a partner in Gibson Dunn’s Washington, D.C. office. He practices in the firm’s Litigation Department and serves on the firm’s Class Actions Practice Group Steering Committee. Jason has experience in a wide range of complex commercial litigation, with an emphasis on consumer products and securities class action defense. Jason also has extensive experience representing clients in mass tort, breach of contract, commercial fraud, antitrust, insurance and merger-related litigation.
Jason was recognized as one of the Best Lawyers in America® for Commercial Litigation in 2024 and 2025. The National Law Journal also named Jason as a DC Rising Star for Civil Litigation – Class Action Defense. Super Lawyers and The Washington Post Magazine have also recognized Jason on multiple occasions as a class actions and civil litigation “Rising Star.”
Jason has successfully defended corporations in trial and appellate courts across the country. He routinely counsels Fortune 100 companies in class actions involving hundreds of millions or billions of dollars’ worth of claims. His clients have included the largest food and beverage manufacturers, consumer products retailers, investment and retail banks, private equity firms, international airlines, radio and communications providers, energy companies and government contractors in the world.
Jason’s recent significant client engagements include, among others:
- Representing major food and beverage companies in more than fifty class actions in federal courts across the country challenging product labeling as false or misleading under state and federal consumer protection laws.
- Representing issuer and underwriter defendants in more than a dozen securities class and individual actions in state and federal courts across the country involving more than $30 billion in securities.
- Representing a leading consumer products retailer in a class action challenging corporate social responsibility statements as false or misleading under state consumer protection laws.
- Consulting for numerous public companies regarding litigation risks pertaining to corporate social responsibility statements, including regularly conducting reviews of proposed ESG and Sustainability reports.
- Representing a leading consumer products retailer as co-lead counsel in a multidistrict litigation involving fourteen class actions challenging an alleged failure to disclose potential risks in connection with products.
A sample of Jason’s recent successes include:
- Winning an arbitration trial as lead trial counsel, following Jason’s successful examination of six key witnesses, including cross-examining the claimant for four hours.
- Winning a unanimous jury verdict in a mass tort class action trial in federal court, following Jason’s successful cross examination of plaintiffs’ expert on issues relating to their negligence claims.
- Winning summary judgment in a consumer products class action asserting more than $500 million in claimed damages, based on deposition testimony Jason elicited from one of the named plaintiffs.
- Securing dismissal with prejudice of five consolidated class actions challenging “natural” labeling on consumer products as false or misleading.
- Securing dismissal with prejudice of six consolidated class actions challenging flavor labeling on consumer products as false or misleading.
- Securing dismissal of a mass tort class action against some of the nation’s largest retailers.
- Securing dismissal of a securities class action involving more than $5 billion in mortgage-backed securities.
- Securing dismissal of shareholder derivative litigation against a leading defense contractor and its corporate officers and successfully defending the decision on appeal.
- Securing dismissal of securities fraud claims against a leading defense contractor.
- Successfully opposing class certification in a securities class action involving more than $20 billion in securities and successfully defending the decision on appeal.
- Convincing plaintiffs’ counsel to refrain from filing numerous consumer products class actions pertaining to hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of products.
Recent examples of Jason’s speaking engagements include:
- “Combatting New And Creative Plaintiffs’ Bar Tactics In Consumer Products Class Actions” – CLE Presentation – ACI Advanced Forum On Defending FDA-Regulated Consumer Products Class Actions (October 2023)
- “Litigation Risks Relating To ‘Green’ Claims” – Board.Org ESG and CSR Board (September 2023)
- “Corporate Citizenship Statements – Understanding and Minimizing Risks” – The Conference Board ESG Center (Februrary 2023)
- “Navigating the MDL (Multidistrict Litigation) Process” – CLE Presentation, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP (October 2022)
- “ESG Statements – Maximizing Opportunities While Understanding And Minimizing Risks” – CLE Presentation, Client In-House Legal and Marketing Departments (February 2021)
- “Trying A Mass Tort Class Action To Verdict” – CLE Presentation, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP (March 2018)
- “Hot Topics In Securities And Governance” – CLE Presentation, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP (June 2016)
- “Corporate Social Responsibility Statements: Litigation Developments And Minimizing Risks” – CLE Presentation, Association of Corporate Counsel (April 2016)
- “Effectively Responding To Discovery Requests” – Presentation, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP (July 2014)
- “Securities Litigation Developments” – CLE Presentation, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP (February 2014)
- “Significant Developments in Class Actions – 2012-2013” – CLE Presentation, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP (April 2013)
Jason received his B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania in 2002, and his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2005. He is admitted to practice in New York and the District of Columbia.
Capabilities
- Litigation
- Antitrust and Competition
- Class Actions
- Consumer Protection
- Consumer and Retail
- ESG: Risk, Litigation, and Reporting
- Environmental Litigation and Mass Tort
- Securities Litigation
- Transnational Litigation
- Trials
Credentials
Education:
- University of Pennsylvania - 2005 Juris Doctor
- University of Pennsylvania - 2002 Bachelor of Arts
Admissions:
- District of Columbia Bar
- New York Bar