- California
Eric Gibbs
Eric has successfully prosecuted hundreds of class, mass, and other complex matters in 30 years of practice and has recovered more than a billion dollars for his clients. And after having grown and managed two firms, including his current firm for over twelve years, he has now put his focus on building the future of the plaintiffs’ bar. He has expanded the pipeline to leadership opportunities at his firm and beyond, including launching a premier fellowship program for law students with a coalition of leading plaintiff-side firms, the Mason Gibbs Plaintiffs’ Pathway Fellowship.
Class counsel skillfully presented Class members' claims while opposed by a sophisticated company represented by experienced litigators.
- U.S. Magistrate Judge, Western District of Missouri
admissions−
awards+
Top Ranked for Nationwide Product Liability: Plaintiffs, Chambers USA, 2022-2025
Best Lawyers, 2012-2026
Recognized by Best Lawyers for his work in mass tort litigation, class actions, and privacy and data security law
David S. Shrager President's Award, American Association for Justice, 2025
Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyer, Lawdragon, 2020-2026
Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyer, Lawdragon, 2019-2025
Lawyer of the Year Award – Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions in Oakland, CA, Best Lawyers, 2022
Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar, Law360, 2019
California Lawyer Attorney of the Year (CLAY) Award, Daily Journal and California Lawyer Magazine, 2019
Top Plaintiff Lawyers in California, Daily Journal, 2020, 2019, 2016
Cybersecurity & Privacy MVP, Law360, 2018
Consumer Protection MVP, Law360, 2016
Consumer Attorneys of California
Finalist for 2013 Consumer Attorney of the Year
Super Lawyers, 2010-2025
Top 100 Lawyers in Northern California
AV-Preeminent
Named among the highest class of attorneys for professional ethics and legal skills by Martindale Hubbell
education+
- J.D., Seattle University School of Law, 1995
- B.A., San Francisco State University, 1992
memberships+
American Association for Justice
American Bar Foundation, Fellow
Consumer Attorneys of California, Former Board Member
Equal Justice Society, Board Member
National Association of Consumer Advocates
National Consumer Law Center, Partners Council
National Plaintiffs' Law Association, Advisory Board Member
Public Justice Foundation, Former Member, Class Action Preservation Project Committee
San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association
Association of Business Trial Lawyers
American Bar Association
Presentations & Articles+
Broadening the Pathway: Implementing Hiring Efforts to Reach Underserved Communities
NCLC Consumer Rights Litigation Conference and Class Action Symposium
October 2024
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
American Association for Justice Annual Convention
July 2023
How to Combat Biases in Your Office
American Association for Justice Annual Convention
July 2023
“Attorney’s Fees,” and “Cross Pollination: Diversifying Your Case Garden,” Co-Chair & Presenter
HB Litigation Conferences, Consumer Class Actions
May 2016
Best Practices for Class Action Settlements
American Conference Institute Defending and Managing Class Action Seminar
April 2016
Ethical Considerations in Class Action Settlements
ABA National Symposium on Class Action Litigation in America
March 2016
Consumer Privacy and Data Breach Litigation Group Meeting, Co-Chair & Presenter
American Association for Justice Winter Convention
February 2016
Lessons from Recent Automotive Industry Class Actions
Law Seminars International, Global Auto Defect Class Action Seminar
December 2015
Volkswagen Class Action and MDL Seminar – Diesel Emissions Scandal
Bridgeport Continuing Education
November 2015
Employment Cases from A to Z
Consumer Attorneys of California 54th Annual Convention
November 2015
Insights and Legal Remedies in Lumber Liquidators Litigation
HB Litigation Conferences
May 2015
Consumer Privacy and Data Breach Litigation Group Meeting, Co-Chair
American Association for Justice Winter Convention
February 2015
New and Developing Practice Areas- Riding the Wave in Pharmaceutical, Employment, Privacy and ERISA Litigation
Consumer Attorneys of California Annual Convention
November 2014
Getting Your Settlement Approved
Bridgeport Continuing Education 2014 Class Action Litigation & Management Conference
September 2014
Beyond the Mass Tort: Class Action Cases Arising from Big Pharmaceutical Wrongdoing
Consumer Attorneys of California Hawaii Seminar
December 2013
When Settlement Became a Dirty Word: What To Do If You Actually Want to Settle a Case in the Ninth Circuit
Consumer Attorneys of California Annual Convention
November 2013
Complex Fee Issues in the Class Action Settlement Process
National Association of Legal Fee Analysis 2013 Attorneys Fees Conference
October 2013
Class Certification Developments in Consumer Litigation
American Association for Justice 2013 Annual Convention
July 2013
Consumer Class Actions in the Wake of Daughty v. American Honda Motor Company
CAOC Forum Magazine
January 2009
Leadership in Litigation and the Plaintiffs’ Bar
Eric has been appointed by the courts to leadership positions in a diverse array of cases involving consumer, investor, and employee rights, data breach and privacy, and automobile defects. He has negotiated groundbreaking settlements that have reformed business practices and favorably impacted plaintiffs’ legal rights. His leadership positions have included In re Equifax, Inc. Customer Data Security Breach Litigation, In re Anthem, Inc. Data Breach Litigation, In re Adobe Systems Inc. Privacy Litigation, In re Chase Bank U.S.A., N.A. “Check Loan” Contract Litigation, In re Wells Fargo Auto Insurance Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation, and In re Hyundai and Kia Horsepower Litigation.
Eric has served in many leadership positions in American Association for Justice, the national trial lawyer association committed to strengthening the civil justice system. In 2025, Eric was honored with AAJ’s David S. Shrager President’s Award in recognition of his dedicated advocacy and leadership. Eric has served on AAJ’s Board of Governors, helped form its 300+ member Class Action Section, co-founded its Consumer Privacy and Data Breach Litigation Group, and served as an active member of its Law School Committee. Eric was also an early signed of the AAJ Member Firm’s Pledge to Act, a commitment to fostering racial equity.
Eric has been committed to mentorship and fostering relationships both within the plaintiffs bar as well as between litigators and other advocates for social justice. He is a board member of Equal Justice Society, a national civil rights legal association dedicated to civil justice, and on the Partners Council of the National Consumer Law Center. He is also an advisory board member of the law student-run National Plaintiffs’ Law Association (NPLA), which has transformed the conversation on public interest careers at law school campuses around the country.
Building the Future
As part of his work expanding the pipeline for young public interest lawyers, he helped launch the Mason Gibbs Plaintiffs’ Pathway Fellowship, a highly selective, paid fellowship that exposes outstanding law students with a broad range of backgrounds and experiences to litigation at leading plaintiff-side firms. Co-led by Danielle Ward Mason of Singleton Schreiber, the fellowship mentors students in working with consumers, workers, investors and survivors on a variety of high impact matters.
Reputation and Recognition by the Courts
Eric has been widely recognized for his professional achievements. He has been ranked by Chambers USA for Product Liability: Plaintiffs for the past three years. In 2026, Eric was selected to Best Lawyers for his work in mass tort litigation and class actions, and he was selected by Lawdragon to their 500 Leading Plaintiff Lawyers lists for both consumer protection and financial fraud. He has previously received Lawyer of the Year Award from Best Lawyers in 2022, “Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar” from Law360 in 2019, as well as a California Lawyer Attorney of the Year (CLAY) Award for his work in the Anthem Data Breach Litigation in 2019.
Eric has a distinguished reputation with his peers and the judiciary for his ability to work efficiently and cooperatively with co-counsel, and professionally with opposing counsel in class action litigation.
[Mr. Gibbs] efficiently managed the requests from well over 20 different law firms and effectively represented the interests of Non-Settling Plaintiffs throughout this litigation.
Judge Wu, In re Hyundai & Kia Fuel Economy Litigation (C.D. Cal)
The attorneys who handled the case were particularly skilled by virtue of their ability and experience.
Judge Debevoise, In re: Mercedes-Benz Teleaid Contract Litigation (D.N.J.)
They are experienced and knowledgeable counsel and have significant breadth of experience in terms of consumer class actions.
Judge Sabraw, Mitchell v. American Fair Credit Association (Alameda County Superior Court)
Representation was professional and competent; in the Court’s opinion, counsel obtained an excellent result for the class.
Judge Fogel, Sugarman v. Ducati North America (N.D. Cal)
Litigation Highlights
In re Anthem, Inc. Data Breach Privacy Litigation
Served as a court-appointed member of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee representing the interests of plaintiffs and putative class members following a massive data breach of approximately 80 million personal records. The lawsuit settled in August 2018 for $115 million, the largest data breach settlement in history at the time.
In re Chase Bank U.S.A., N.A. “Check Loan” Contract Litigation
Multidistrict litigation that alleged Chase Bank wronged consumers by offering long-term fixed-rate loans, only to later more than double the required loan payments. Eric helped lead negotiations in the case, which resulted in a $100 million settlement with Chase eight weeks prior to trial.
In re Adobe Systems Inc. Privacy Litigation
As court-appointed lead counsel, Eric and his team reversed a long line of decisions adverse to consumers whose personal information was stolen in data breaches. Judge Koh issued a 41-page decision in plaintiffs’ favor and Eric negotiated a comprehensive reform of Adobe’s data security practices. The court’s landmark decision on Article III standing in this case marked a sea change and has been cited favorably in over twenty cases in the year since it was issued.
In re Hyundai & Kia Fuel Econ. Litigation
As court-appointed liaison counsel, Eric reconciled the plaintiffs’ interests and coordinated discovery and settlement negotiations. He helped finalize a settlement with an estimated value of up to $210 million.
Skold v. Intel Corp.
After more than a decade of litigation, Eric as lead counsel achieved a nationwide class action settlement on behalf of approximately 5 million consumers of Intel Pentium 4 processors. The lawsuit changed Intel’s benchmarking practices and Intel agreed to a cash settlement for the class, along with $4 million in charitable donations.
Parkinson v. Hyundai Motor America
Eric served as class counsel in this lawsuit alleging that the flywheel and clutch system in certain Hyundai vehicles was defective. After achieving nationwide class certification, Hyundai agreed to a settlement that provided for 50-100% reimbursements to class members for their repairs and full reimbursement for rental vehicle expenses.
De La Cruz v. Masco Retail Cabinet Group
Eric served as lead attorney litigating the collective claims of dozens of misclassified account representatives for overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Successfully certified a class of current and former Masco account representatives and personally arbitrated the case to judgment obtaining full recovery for the class.
In re Providian Credit Card Cases
Eric played a prominent role in this nationwide class action suit brought on behalf of Providian credit card holders alleging that Providian engaged in unlawful and fraudulent business practices in connection with the marketing and fee assessments for its credit cards. The Honorable Stuart Pollack approved a $105 million settlement, plus injunctive relief—one of the largest class action recoveries in the United States arising out of consumer credit card litigation.