Overview
Krysta Pachman represents plaintiffs and defendants in high-stakes commercial litigation, including class actions, patent cases, trademark & copyright matters, and other disputes. Ms. Pachman has scored massive trial wins, favorable settlements, and arbitration victories for her clients, who range from small businesses and individuals to Fortune 500 companies. In the last twelve months alone, Pachman has won more than $1.3 billion at trial.
In 2023, Pachman obtained one of the biggest trial wins in the country, a $330 million Final Award for her client after completing a full arbitration hearing. Pachman cross-examined the key witness at trial and was instrumental to obtaining a complete victory on behalf of her client, one of the largest independent power producers in the country.
“Krysta absorbed a lot of technical information, digested it, and helped the team understand the challenges with our case. [She] developed and recommended strategies and stood [her] ground when the other side and their expert tried to bully [her]. Krysta’s professionalism and skill was essential to the outcome we received from the panel.”
Denise M. Buffington, Director, Federal Regulatory Affairs & Corporate Counsel, Kansas City Power & Light Company
LANDMARK CLASS ACTION LITIGATION
Ms. Pachman has obtained hundreds of millions of dollars and impactful injunctive relief for plaintiffs in class action settlements thanks to her strategic focus, tireless work ethic, and ability to synthesize huge volumes of information into succinct, comprehensive facts and arguments.
Ms. Pachman previously secured a $100 million deal to resolve all claims in a class action relating to Pattern Energy’s $6.1 billion sale to the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, which is one of the largest Section 14(a) settlements in history. The complaint alleged that Pattern Energy omitted key details relating to the valuation of the company in the proxy statement and failed to disclose conflicts of interest to the detriment of shareholders. Read more.
In addition, Pachman previously secured class certification on behalf of victims of sex trafficking in a class action against MindGeek, the parent company of Pornhub (now Aylo). The complaint alleges that MindGeek unlawfully has received and distributed child pornography under Section 2255 and financially benefitted from sex trafficking under Section 1595.
Ms. Pachman is court-appointed co-lead counsel in the widely followed Blackbaud Data Breach Class Action, which relates to a massive data breach. Blackbaud, a cloud computing provider, maintains consumer data on behalf of thousands of non-profit corporations, hospitals, and educational institutions. The complaint alleges that Blackbaud did not maintain adequate security measures, which led to a ransomware attack. The stolen data included bank account information, social security numbers, health care data, usernames, and/or passwords. Read more.
In the landmark copyright action, Ferrick, et al. v. Spotify USA, Ms. Pachman was an integral part of a trial team that secured a settlement valued at more than $100 million dollars, including a $43.45 million cash settlement fund and an agreement to pay future royalties to settle a class-action lawsuit with Spotify brought on behalf of music copyright owners. This case made national news, receiving press from Billboard, Forbes, and Reuters.
Ms. Pachman was also part of a team that secured a $40 million settlement for a class of derivatives traders in Timber Hill v. Pershing Square Capital Management, L.P., et al. Timber Hill alleged Defendants violated federal securities laws through their illicit insider trading and front-running scheme that damaged Timber Hill and other investors by artificially deflating the value of options and equity forwards traded by Timber Hill and Class Members. This is the largest ever stand-alone options settlement and the largest ever Section 20A options settlement.
Ms. Pachman played a key role in Schulein, et al. v. Petroleum Development Corp., representing a class of more than 7,000 limited partners who invested in 12 oil and gas limited partnerships, who alleged the defendants made false and misleading statements and omitted material information regarding the value of the assets held by the partnerships in proxy statements used to solicit votes in favor of mergers that caused the investors to be cashed out of their investments. Ms. Pachman took key depositions, wrote the opposition to defendants’ motion for summary judgment, and wrote the successful opposition to defendants’ motion to decertify the class. The case was settled for $37.5 million in March 2015, with the class receiving approximately $24 million.
RECOGNITION
For these wins and more, Ms. Pachman has been recognized by the nation’s leading legal publications. She has been named among the nation’s Top 250 Woman Lawyers by Benchmark Litigation (2023, 2024) and was included on its 40 and Under Hot List four years in a row (2021-2023). Law360 has called her a Class Action Rising Star (2023) and Lawdragon recognized her on both their 500X list – a compilation of the “next generation of leading lawyers” (2023, 2024) and among its top 500 Leading Litigations (2022 – 2023). Ms. Pachman is also recognized as a Top Woman Lawyer in California by The Daily Journal (ALM, 2022) and a Rising Star of the Plaintiffs Bar by National Law Journal’s Elite Trial Lawyers (ALM, 2021). The Recorder named her a California Trailblazer in (ALM, 2020), and Best Lawyers called her “One to Watch, Commercial Litigation” (Woodward White, Inc., 2021).
Prior to joining Susman Godfrey, Ms. Pachman served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Philip S. Gutierrez in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. She also serves on the Board of Governors for the Women Lawyers’ Association of Los Angeles and serves on the Board of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers
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Notable Representations
- Confidential Energy Industry Arbitration. Obtained one of the biggest trial wins in the country – a $330 million Final Award – for one of the largest independent power producers in the country after completing a full arbitration hearing. In a turbo-charged case that went to trial less than six months after filing the complaint, Ms. Pachman took an active role in trial, taking numerous witnesses, including the respondent’s CEO.
- Kansas City Power & Light (KCPL). Played a key role in this confidential arbitration on behalf of KCPL, delivering the opening statement, putting up her client’s expert, crossing the other side’s expert, and handling all depositions and pre-and post-hearing briefing. The panel unanimously ruled in KCPL’s favor, awarding full damages.
- Ferrick et al. v. Spotify USA (S.D.N.Y.). Secured both a $43.45 million cash fund and an agreement to pay future royalties to settle a copyright class-action lawsuit with Spotify brought on behalf of music copyright owners. This ground-breaking case gained national media attention, receiving press from Billboard, Forbes, and Reuters. Fees and expenses have not yet been determined.
- ZiiLabs v. Apple and Samsung (E.D. Tex.) Represented ZiiLabs, a subsidiary of the Singapore-based media company Creative Technologies, Ltd. Ziilabs brought claims for patent infringement of its patents related to graphics processing technology developed originally by 3DLabs. Pachman took and defended key depositions in this matter, prepared and argued key motions in limine, defeated summary judgment and successfully opposed Daubert motions. The case settled on the eve of trial after Apple had taken a license.
- Sentius v. Microsoft (N.D. Cal.) Represented Sentius against Microsoft in a patent infringement suit involving automated database technology. Pachman handled the Daubert motions in this matter. The case settled on highly favorable terms within 24 hours of the court issuing orders on those motions.
- Westmoor v. Ganga (C.D. Cal.) Represented Westmoor in this copyright and trademark infringement suit. Ms. Pachman briefed cross-motions for summary judgment in this case, which settled on favorable terms shortly after motion for summary judgment briefing
- In Re Blackbaud, Inc., Customer Data Security Breach Litigation (D.S.C.). Appointed co-lead counsel in this multi-district litigation, which relates to a massive data breach. Blackbaud, a cloud computing provider, maintains consumer data on behalf of thousands of non-profit corporations, hospitals, and educational institutions. The complaint alleges that Blackbaud did not maintain adequate security measures, which led to a ransomware attack. The stolen data included bank account information, social security numbers, health care data, usernames, and/or passwords. Read more.
- Jane Doe v. MindGeek USA Incorporated et al. (C.D. Cal.) Filed a class action against PornHub parent company, MindGeek, alleging MindGeek has violated federal sex trafficking and child pornography laws by knowingly profiting from thousands of pornographic videos featuring persons under the age of 18. Ms. Pachman obtained class certification of a class of tens of thousands of victims who were depicted in CSAM on MindGeek’s websites. Read more.
- In re Pattern Energy Group Inc. Stockholders Litigation (D. Del.) Secured a $100 million deal on behalf of plaintiffs in a class action relating to Pattern Energy’s $6.1 billion sale to the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. The complaint alleged that Pattern Energy omitted key details relating to the valuation of the company in the proxy statement and failed to disclose conflicts of interest to the detriment of shareholders.
- Timber Hill v. Pershing Square Capital Management, L.P., et al.(C.D. Cal.) Secured a $40 million settlement for a class of derivatives traders in Timber Hill v. Pershing Square Capital Management, L.P., et al. Timber Hill alleged Defendants violated federal securities laws through their illicit insider trading and front-running scheme that damaged Timber Hill and other investors by artificially deflating the value of options and equity forwards traded by Timber Hill and Class Members. This is the largest ever stand-alone options settlement and the largest ever Section 20A options settlement.
- Pino v. Grant Cardone & Cardone Capital (C.D. Cal.) Prevailed at the Ninth Circuit on defendants’ motion to dismiss on behalf of a class of investor plaintiffs who invested in real estate syndication business, Cardone Capital. This is the first case to analyze whether social media posts, considered “test the waters” communications under federal securities laws, can give rise to Section 12 liability for purposes of a Regulation A+ offering.
- Schulein, et al. v. Petroleum Development Corp., et al. (C.D. Cal). Represented plaintiffs in this class action litigation on behalf of more than 7,000 limited partners who invested in 12 oil and gas limited partnerships. Plaintiffs alleged the defendants made false and misleading statements and omitted material information regarding the value of the assets held by the partnerships in proxy statements used to solicit votes in favor of mergers that caused the investors to be cashed out of their investments. On the eve of trial, after three years of hard fought litigation the case was settled for $37.5 million, with the class receiving approximately $24 million.
- In re Qualcomm Antitrust Litigation (N.D. Cal.) Serve as counsel for one of the largest-ever certified consumer classes, which encompasses nearly all U.S. cellular phone purchasers, all of whom have been impacted by Qualcomm’s anti-competitive conduct.
- Lithium Ion Batteries Antitrust Litigation (N.D. Cal.) Defended more than twenty depositions in this nationwide antitrust class action brought against the world’s largest manufacturers of lithium ion batteries, which power virtually every laptop computer, cell phone, smartphone, digital music player (e.g., iPods), tablet device (e.g., iPads), digital camera and camcorder, and cordless power tool used today. The suit alleges that the defendants engaged in a long-running conspiracy over more than a decade to unlawfully fix, raise and stabilize prices of lithium ion batteries.
- North American COI (S.D. Iowa) Secured a settlement on the eve of trial for benefits totaling $61.3 million, including $59 million in monetary payments to class members (before fees and expenses), in an insurance breach of contract class action on behalf of a class of policy holders against North American Life and Health Insurance Company.
- General Motors LLC Ignition Switch Litigation (SD.N.Y.) Represented plaintiffs in this massive class action against General Motors, hundreds of suits were consolidated into a federal multidistrict litigation in New York over an ignition switch defect in GM vehicles, which causes the engine to switch off during use and disable the car’s air bags. Pachman worked with a team of Susman Godfrey lawyers on the sixth personal injury bellwether case, which settled favorably on eve of trial. This case received substantial press from outlets such as The Wall Street Journal.
- Taylor v. Shippers Transport Express (C.D. Cal.) Served as counsel to Shippers Transport Express and SSA Marine in a misclassification case. Susman Godfrey was retained to assist with trial preparation, and the case settled on favorable terms just before trial.
Honors & Distinctions
Honors and Awards
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyer (2024)
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigator (2022, 2023, 2024)
- Litigation Star, Benchmark Litigation (2025)
- Top 250 Women in Litigation, Benchmark Litigation (2023, 2024 Euromoney)
- 40 and Under Hot List, Benchmark Litigation (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Euromoney)
- Lawdragon 500X - The Next Generation of Leading Lawyers (2023)
- Class Action Litigation Rising Star, Law360 (2023)
- Rising Star of the Plaintiff’s Bar, National Law Journal (2023, ALM)
- Top Woman Lawyer, Daily Journal (2022, Daily Journal Corp.)
- Future Star, Benchmark Litigation (2022, 2023 Euromoney)
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
- One to Watch, Commercial Litigation Best Lawyers (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 Woodward White, Inc.)
- Top 40 Under 40, Daily Journal (2021, Daily Journal Corp.)
- Rising Star of the Plaintiffs Bar, National Law Journal’s Elite Trial Lawyers (2021, 2023 ALM)
- California Trailblazer, The Recorder (2020, ALM)
- Recommended Lawyer, Dispute Resolution: General Commercial Disputes, The Legal 500, (2019, Legal 500)
- Next Generation Woman Leader in Tech Law, The Recorder (2018, ALM)
- Southern California Rising Star, Super Lawyers (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024; Thomson Reuters)
- UCLA Law Review, Chief Comments Editor, Vol. 58
Clerkships
- Honorable Philip S. Gutierrez, United States District Court for the Central District of California
Education
Education
- UCLA School of Law (J.D.)
- Northwestern University (B.A., Political Science and Communication Studies, magna cum laude)
Admissions
Admissions
Bar Admissions
- California
Publications
Articles
- The Music Modernization Act’s Impact on Pre-1972 Works, The Daily Journal, April 2019
Speaking Engagements
- The Notable Recent & Pending Cases in the 9th Circuit and SCOTUS, Bridgeport Continuing Legal Education, July 2, 2021
- Gender Issues in the Practice of Law, Bridgeport Continuing Legal Education, January 29, 2021
- Class Actions 2020: State vs. Federal Filing Considerations, Bridgeport Continuing Legal Education, September 11, 2020
Leadership & Professional Memberships
Associations
- Board of Governors, Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles
