- Northwestern University School of Law (J.D.)
- New York University, Gallatin School of Individualized Study (B.A.)
Jesse-Justin Cuevas represents both plaintiffs and defendants in high stakes, complex commercial litigation across the country. Named a Rising Star of the Plaintiffs Bar by National Law Journal’s Elite Trial Lawyers (2021, ALM) and Trailblazers Plaintiffs’ Lawyers (2022, ALM), Cuevas has tried multiple cases and secured landmark wins and settlements for her diverse portfolio of clients, who range from Fortune 100 companies to small businesses and individuals.
Cuevas’s skillset is versatile as well – she has successfully litigated cases related to insurance, products liability, False Claims Act, cryptocurrency, consumer protection, solar construction, pharmaceutical contracts, and intellectual property law. The common thread among each of Cuevas’s cases is the confidence she instills in her clients and her instinctive and nimble talent for understanding complex subject matters and intelligibly translating them into facts and arguments to judges, juries, and arbitration panels.
HIGH PROFILE LITIGATION
Cuevas served as counsel to the largest political subdivisions in the largest state in the nation—including the University of California system, the California State University system, and the County of Los Angeles—in a landmark suit against the “Big 4” wireless carriers for over-billing the government. In 2020, a deal worth $175 million was struck to settle the matter (award net of fees and expenses to be determined) – this is California’s second largest False Claims Act settlement in state history outside of the healthcare industry. Read more about the case on Law Street Media and Law360* (*subscription required).
Cuevas currently serves as counsel to plaintiffs in a putative consumer fraud class action against Nestle Waters North America, Inc. (now known as BlueTriton Brands) in connection with the company’s unlawful mislabeling of Poland Spring 100% Natural Spring Water. During fact discovery, Cuevas authored and argued several successful motions to compel that ultimately required the defendant to produce critical data and documents in the case. She regularly squared off against multiple, more senior defense attorneys at oral argument. Cuevas also primarily briefed Plaintiffs’ opposition to Nestle’s motion for partial summary judgment, which the Court overwhelmingly denied in 2022, permitting the proposed class to pursue claims and damages dating back to 2003.
Cuevas has gone to trial multiple times, each time directing and cross-examining critical witnesses and eliciting key admissions on behalf of her clients. Most recently, Cuevas represented claimants in a confidential arbitration alleging, among other claims, fraud and breach of contract in connection with a multi-hundred-million-dollar dispute in the renewable energy space. During the 10-day hearing on the merits, Cuevas directed her client’s Chief Operating Officer and cross-examined multiple high-ranking executives for the respondents. The case remains ongoing. In 2022, Cuevas successfully represented claimant in a multi-million-dollar confidential arbitration brought against a main player in the pharmaceutical space for breach of contract. Cuevas and her team prevailed, securing a complete liability ruling, damages, and costs of suit.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Cuevas is a member of the Steering Committee for Just the Beginning (JTB) Foundation’s Los Angeles Summer Legal Institute. JTB’s mission is to encourage students of color and those from other historically underrepresented groups to pursue career and leadership opportunities in the law. The Summer Legal Institute is JTB’s cornerstone youth program, a one-week legal immersion program for high school students across the country, which was recently awarded with California LAW’s 2021 Education Pipeline Award. Cuevas serves as the Committee’s fundraising and mentoring co-chair and also helps plan the curriculum for the annual summer program.
Cuevas is the Ninth Circuit Board Representative for the Federal Bar Association’s Younger Lawyers Division, serving on the Education Committee. She is also Susman Godfrey’s representative in the Association of Business Trial Lawyers’ Young Lawyers Division.
At Susman Godfrey, Cuevas is the founder and co-chair of the firm’s Mentoring Committee, which she established in 2021 when she developed and implemented a successful firm-wide associate mentoring program. Cuevas also helped develop the Susman Godfrey Prize and plays an integral role coordinating the selection, review, and awards process for SG Prize recipients each year. For her work on the Mentoring Committee, Cuevas was named a Finalist as California Legal Awards’ Mentor of the Year in 2022 and a Finalist for Los Angeles Business Journal’s Mentor of the Year in 2021. Click here* to see her feature in California legal publication, The Recorder, in connection with the 2022 awards and here to read about Cuevas’s selection as a finalist in 2021 (*subscription required).
In her spare time, Cuevas serves as a Board Member of Northwestern Law’s Alumni Club of Los Angeles.
Background
Prior to joining Susman Godfrey, Cuevas served as a federal Law Clerk to Judge Albert Diaz of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and Judge Dolly M. Gee of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
Cuevas received her law degree, magna cum laude, from Northwestern University School of Law, where she served as an Executive Editor of the Northwestern University Law Review and was inducted into the Order of the Coif.
A Los Angeles native, Cuevas grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. She currently lives in Culver City with her husband and dog.
Qui Tam & Fraud
Consumer Protection
Product Liability & Personal Injury
Intellectual Property
Insurance
Cryptocurrency
Bar Affiliations
Professional Associations
Community Groups