Monica Paladini is an associate in the Orange County office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where she practices in the firm’s Litigation Department and its Labor and Employment, Class Actions, and Trial practice groups.
Monica’s practice focuses on business litigation, with particular emphasis on employment litigation, mass and class actions, and complex commercial disputes. She has litigated a range of labor and employment matters, including defending employers against wage and hour and discrimination actions in federal and state courts, as well as in arbitrations. She has taken and defended depositions, authored and argued motions, negotiated favorable settlements, and prepared and taken witnesses at trial. Monica also dedicates a significant portion of her practice to advising employers with respect to business-model development and a variety of business-related contracts and arbitration agreements.
Monica's representative experience includes:
- Obtained a complete defense verdict in an 8-day jury trial alleging age discrimination, worker misclassification, and violation of the Cal-WARN Act, including novel legal issues related to COVID-19. Monica served as third chair eliciting important testimony from key witnesses.
- Prevailed on class decertification in a state-wide California class action on commonality and predominance grounds after garnering deposition testimony from plaintiff’s witnesses demonstrating that the putative class members’ experiences varied.
- Obtained a full defense victory following a week-long, class action bench trial, successfully arguing that the requirements of California Labor Code section 226 did not apply to the company’s unique bonus structure—a conclusion recently embraced by the California Supreme Court.
- Secured a complete victory after multi-week, bifurcated panel arbitration on behalf of an aerospace engineering manufacturer in a breach of contract dispute related to an environmental remediation indemnity provision.
- Represent a number of gig economy clients in putative class actions, PAGA actions, and government enforcement actions alleging misclassification of workers as independent contractors.
- Presented multiple CLE classes to clients on topics including recent trends in independent contractor classification.
Monica also has a strong commitment to pro bono work and community involvement.
Monica earned her Juris Doctor from the Pepperdine University School of Law, where she graduated magna cum laude and was elected to the Order of the Coif and the Order of the Barristers. She served as the Business Production Editor for the Pepperdine Law Review, a legal writing teaching assistant to Professor Mireille Butler, and a research assistant to Professor Peter T. Wendel. Monica also served as a judicial extern for the Honorable John A. Kronstadt in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Public Address from Liberty University, where she graduated summa cum laude.
Prior to law school, Monica worked in marketing where she taught training seminars on marketing strategies and tools, developed, and implemented digital marketing campaigns for an array of businesses of various industries, and served as the director of marketing for a national manufacturer of building materials. She authored a monthly column in a print magazine focused on emerging technology. She also holds her private pilot license and motorcycle license.
Monica is a member of the State Bar of California and is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
Capabilities
Credentials
Education:
- Pepperdine University - 2019 Juris Doctor
- Liberty University - 2008 Bachelor of Science
Admissions:
- California Bar