Rosemary M. Rivas

Rosemary M. Rivas is a partner in Levi & Korsinsky, LLP’s San Francisco office. She has dedicated her legal career to representing consumers in complex, class action litigation involving false advertising and defective product claims.  Most recently, in a highly competitive application process, Judge Charles R. Breyer appointed Ms. Rivas to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in In re: Volkswagen “Clean Diesel” MDL, Case No. 15-MDL-2672-CRB (JSC), which has resulted in unprecedented settlements exceeding $14 billion dollars.

Ms. Rivas has served in a leadership role in a number of cases, including:

• Lima v. Gateway, Case No. SACV-09-1366 (C.D. Cal.), Co-Lead Class Counsel in nationwide class action involving defective monitor; achieved $195 refund for each monitor purchased
• Pappas v. Naked Juice, Case No. 2:11-cv-08276 (C.D. Cal.), Co-Lead Class Counsel; achieved $9 million settlement and changes to the company’s testing procedures and product labels)
• Garcia v. Allergan, Inc., Case No. 09-cv-7088 PSG (Ex) (C.D. Cal.), Co-Lead Class Counsel; achieved $7.75 million settlement and changes to the company’s training procedures

She has also been instrumental in obtaining favorable appellate decisions on behalf of consumers in the areas of false advertising, federal preemption, and arbitration, such as:

• Lilly v. ConAgra Foods, Inc., 743 F.3d 662 (9th Cir. 2014)
• In re Sony PS3 “Other OS” Litig., 551 Fed. App. 916 (9th Cir. 2014)
• Probst v. Superior Court (Health Net of California), 2012 Cal. LEXIS 4476 (Ct. Appeal, 1st Dist., May 9, 2012)

Ms. Rivas was a recipient of the 2018 California Lawyer of the Year (CLAY) Award. The CLAY awards are given annually to outstanding California practitioners “whose extraordinary work and cases had a major impact on the law.” From 2009-2011, Ms. Rivas was selected as a Rising Star by Law & Politics Magazine, which recognizes the best lawyers 40 years old or under or in practice for ten years or less. In 2015, Bay Area Legal Aid presented her with the Guardian of Justice award, for her work achievements in the law and her role in helping direct cy pres funds to ensure equal access to the civil justice system.

Ms. Rivas has presented at a number of speaking engagements, including: Section 17200: The Fertility of Man’s Invention, 2016 (The Bar Association of San Francisco); Data Privacy Law 101: U.S. Data Privacy and Security Laws 2015 (The Bar Association of San Francisco); Food Labeling and False Advertising Class Actions, 2015 (The Bar Association of San Francisco); and Class Actions: New Developments & Approaches for Strategic Response, 2013 (American Bar Association).

Previously, Ms. Rivas served as a Board Member and Diversity Director of the Barristers Club of the San Francisco Bar Association. Ms. Rivas is fluent in Spanish.

Education:

• University of California, Hastings College of Law, J.D. (2000)
• San Francisco State University, B.A. (1997) Political Science

Admissions:

• United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (2001)
• United States District Court for the Northern District of California (2001)
• United States District Court for the Central District of California (2002)
• United States District Court for the Eastern District of California (2005)
• United States District Court for the Southern District of California (2005)