Amanda Groves

Practice Areas by Industry

Financial Services:

Amanda’s financial services practice focuses on claims challenging banking practices and policies, particularly in the following areas:

• Credit and Mortgage Practices Challenges—Regularly defends credit card and mortgage companies in class actions challenging mortgage origination practices, add-on products, and collection policies and practices, including claims under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), and California’s Rosenthal FDCPA.

• Defending claims of systemic bias in banking and lending practices and processes. Note that these cases frequently include counseling clients facing media and, in some cases, Congressional scrutiny.

• Ponzi Scheme and Customer Fraud Cases—Regularly defends banks against damage claims by alleged victims of a bank customer’s fraud.
• Retail Fees and Banking Practices—Regularly defends consumer class actions alleging improper fee collection or improper/inadequate consumer policies at retail banking outlets.

In addition to successfully resolving class actions for financial institutions, Amanda also represents banks and other corporate clients in vendor litigation, business to business contract disputes, and successor liability suits.

Food and Beverage:

Amanda is a leading practitioner in labeling cases, and recently has defended the following brands, among others, in false advertising class actions brought under state consumer protection laws: Costco’s Kirkland Signature products; an American packaged food brand’s culinary walnuts; a major food processing company’s distilled white vinegar; an international manufacturer’s potato chips; Pacific Foods’ soy milk products; Jim Beam whiskey; Maker’s Mark bourbon; Pretzel Crisps; Pacific Foods; Breckenridge Bourbon; Pop Secret Popcorn; and certain nutritional supplements of a major herbal supplement manufacturer, including St. John’s wort, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, and echinacea.

Amanda has also defended companies in cases alleging contamination and safety issues, including:

• A class action resulting from an employee at a national pizza chain contracting hepatitis A;
• Class and individual claims following recalls;
• A walnut oil product distributed in Europe allegedly contaminated with mineral oil; and
• The inclusion of partially hydrogenated oil (PHO) in microwave popcorn.

National Retailers, Technology and Manufacturing Companies:

Amanda also defends class actions for national retailers, technology, and manufacturing companies. She has recently served as lead counsel in the defense of major national retailers and an herbal supplement manufacturer in dozens of class actions alleging false advertising and related state law claims across the country.

Amanda has also advised and litigated on other-high stake disputes for companies in these industries, including:

• Defending a manufacturing company in US$20 million breach of fiduciary duty and alter ego litigation arising out of stock sales by minority shareholders.

• Litigating a variety of complex real-estate disputes including long-term lease issues, real estate finance disputes, and LLC disputes related to real-estate project management.

• Defending and prosecuting commercial disputes with suppliers and customers related to product quality and performance, delivery issues, and contract termination.
• Enforcing arbitration provisions and class action waivers in state and federal courts.