In almost 20 years of practice, Sabita J. Soneji has developed extensive experience in litigation and legal policy at both the federal and state level and a passion for fighting consumer fraud. Now a Partner in Tycko & Zavareei’s Oakland office, she focuses on consumer protection class actions and whistleblower litigation. In addition to her success with novel Telephone Consumer Protection cases, False Claims Act cases involving insurance fraud, and deceptive and false advertising cases, Ms. Soneji serves in leadership on multi-district litigation against Juul, for its manufacture and marketing to youth of an addictive nicotine product. Ms. Soneji also successfully represents consumers harmed by massive data breaches and by corporate practices that collect and monetize user data without consent. She serves as head of the firm’s Privacy and Data Breach Group.
Ms. Soneji began that work during her time with the United States Department of Justice, as Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General. In that role, she oversaw civil and criminal prosecution of various forms of financial fraud that arose in the wake of the 2008 recession. For that work, Ms. Soneji partnered with other federal agencies, state attorneys’ general, and consumer advocacy groups. Beyond that affirmative work, Ms. Soneji worked to defend various federal programs, including the Affordable Care Act in nationwide litigation.
Ms. Soneji has extensive civil litigation experience from her four years with international law firm, her work as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of California, and from serving as Deputy County Counsel for Santa Clara County, handling civil litigation on behalf of the County including regulatory, civil rights, and employment matters. She has successfully argued motions and conducted trials in both state and federal court and negotiated settlements in complex multi-party disputes.
Early in her career, Ms. Soneji clerked for the Honorable Gladys Kessler on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, during which she assisted the judge in overseeing the largest civil case in American history, United States v. Phillip Morris, et al., a civil RICO case brought against major tobacco manufacturers for fraud in the marketing, sale, and design of cigarettes. The opinion in that case paved the way for Congress to authorize FDA regulation of cigarettes and inspired the rest of her career.
Appointed as Co-Lead Counsel representing plaintiffs in NationsBenefits data breach consolidated class action.
Named as the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee representative for the California statutory claims in this class action representing consumers who were harmed by the password manager LastPass’s data breach.
Named as one of the Chairs of Law and Briefing in this multidistrict litigation (MDL) challenging Samsung’s failure to maintain its customers’ data securely and notify its customers of a data breach timely.
Named to leadership in the T-Mobile Data Breach multidistrict litigation (MDL), challenging T-Mobile’s failure to keep confidential the personally identifying information of millions of its customers.
A current Tycko & Zavareei LLP matter litigating the dangerous marketing practices of e-cigarette manufacturer JUUL Labs
This class action was a complex TCPA case involving real estate brokerages calling consumers in violation of TCPA.
Represented a whistleblower in a California Insurance Fraud Prevention Act qui tam lawsuit.
Litigation included defending the Affordable Care Act