Cory M. Batza

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PROFILE

Ms. Batza is an experienced litigator whose practice focuses on complex civil litigation, as well as internal and white collar criminal investigations. Ms. Batza counsels clients at all stages of litigation, from pre-suit advising to trial. She has successfully negotiated favorable resolutions for her clients and secured significant victories at the early dismissal and summary judgment stages.

Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Batza was a litigation associate at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. She also served as a law clerk to the Honorable John B. Owens of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Honorable Percy Anderson of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Ms. Batza was the Note and Comment Editor of the Pepperdine Law Review and the Co-Chair of Pepperdine’s Interschool Moot Court team. While still a law student, she also successfully briefed and argued a case before the Ninth Circuit.

Ms. Batza is a board member of the Housing Rights Center, the nation’s largest nonprofit, civil rights organization dedicated to promoting and securing fair housing.

Ms. Batza is admitted to practice in California and before the Ninth Circuit and the U.S. District Courts for the Central and Northern Districts of California.

Education

  • Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, J.D., summa cum laude, Valedictorian, Order of the Coif, Order of the Barristers
  • Pepperdine University, B.S. and B.A., summa cum laude
  • Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Certificate in Conflict Management

Representative Cases

Litigation

  • Secured a favorable settlement on behalf of a municipality days after filing for summary judgment in a multi-billion-dollar False Claims Act suit brought by the federal Government alleging misuse of federal housing funds
  • Obtained dismissal under California’s anti-SLAPP statute of a putative class action involving a popular TV series
  • Obtained summary judgment for C-suite executive in a Sarbanes-Oxley retaliation case
  • Represented a consumer products company in multiple putative class action lawsuits across the country based on products liability and false advertising claims 

Investigations

  • Represented a public utility in criminal inquiries arising from wildfires in California
  • Represented a major casino company in a criminal investigation into allegations of money laundering
  • Represented a major retailer in an investigation into allegations of workplace misconduct against a C-suite executive
  • Engaged by a special committee of a resort’s board of directors to conduct an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against C-suite executive
  • Represented a major, multi-national company in a criminal investigation into allegations of exposure to hazardous substances

Clerkships

  • Hon. John B. Owens – U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
  • Hon. Percy Anderson – U.S. District Court, Central District of California

Areas Of Practice