Amanda Karl represents consumers, employees and others who have been harmed by corporations. She has prosecuted a wide range of complex cases, including product defect, failure-to-warn, wage and hour, data breach, sexual assault, and securities cases, within a variety of industries. In addition, Amanda is committed to fighting voter suppression—she spearheads Gibbs Law Group’s Voting Rights Task Force.
Amanda is a 2014 graduate (Order of the Coif) of the University of California at Berkeley School of Law, where she served as the Managing Editor of the California Law Review and Director of the Workers’ Rights Disability Law Clinic. During law school, she worked as a Clinical Law Student at the East Bay Community Law Center, assisting with litigation targeting criminal record reporting violations, and as a law clerk at Equal Rights Advocates, working on women’s employment issues. Following graduation from law school, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Richard A. Paez, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and to the Honorable Claudia Wilken, Northern District of California. Amanda received her undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, in Sociology and Human Rights from Columbia University in 2009.
Outside of work, Amanda serves on the Board of Directors of the East Bay Community Law Center, a legal nonprofit organization that is both the largest provider of free legal services in the East Bay Area and Berkeley Law’s largest clinical offering. She also enjoys reading, strength training, and exploring new places and foods with her husband and son.
Litigation Highlights
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Hamilton v. American Income Life
Represented a class of insurance agents and trainees in employment litigation alleging that they were misclassified as independent contractors, not paid properly while training, and not reimbursed for expenses. The case culminated in a $5.75 million settlement for class members.
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A.B. v. Regents of the University of California
Represents former patients of ex-UCLA OB-GYN Dr. James Heaps in a class action lawsuit alleging Title IX violations and sexual harassment against both Heaps and UCLA. Amanda is a key member of the team that achieved a $73 million dollar settlement, which will compensate over 5,500 women who received treatment from Dr. Heaps. Amanda was involved in nearly all aspects of the litigation, and, among other things, was the primary drafter of the final settlement approval brief; final settlement approval was granted on July 12, 2021.
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Pote v. Handy Technologies
In prosecuting a case for alleged Labor Code violations, Amanda spearheaded briefing and argued before the California Court of Appeal that an order denying a motion to compel arbitration should be affirmed. The court ruled unanimously in Plaintiff’s favor, affirming the trial court’s ruling.
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Washington State Voting Rights Lawsuit
Represents Latino voters and community organizations challenging alleged discrimination and wrongful rejection of mail-in ballots in Washington's Benton, Yakima and Chelan counties.
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Deora v. NantHealth
Represented a certified class of investors in litigation alleging multiple violations of federal securities laws related to the healthcare technology company’s initial public offering in 2016. Amanda was a member of the team that achieved a $16.5 million dollar settlement in favor of NantHealth investors.