One of the country’s leading plaintiffs lawyers, Elizabeth Cabraser has won billions over the years in litigation against Big Tobacco, Big Pharma and Big Oil. In 2016 she’s taking aim at Big Auto—with a particular focus on Volkswagen. The Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein partner is also eyeing Tyson Foods v. Bouaphakeo, a Supreme Court case that threatens to further limit how plaintiffs use statistics to support class claims.
Tell me about your biggest wins in 2015. One that we were really excited about here as part of our pro bono practice was a case called Lusardi v. Secretary of the Army, on behalf of Tamara Lusardi, who was a transgender employee who transitioned from male to female while she was working as a civilian employee for the Department of the Army. We were able to demonstrate that she was subject to disparate treatment and harassment based on sex, a violation of federal law, and were able to get that straightened out.
