Celeste Brecht

Celeste M. Brecht is an experienced litigator focused on complex civil disputes for clients in the pharmaceutical, healthcare, consumer products, and media and entertainment industries. Celeste has been a member of multiple trial teams in state and federal courts, has successfully argued before the California Courts of Appeal, and has obtained favorable jury verdicts and results in a variety of administrative forums.

She has won numerous dispositive motions in advance of trial, and has managed cases from inception through appeal in commercial business disputes, employment matters, and products and premises liability cases for clients ranging in size from regional business entities to Fortune 50 companies.

Experience :

• Obtained a defense verdict, affirmed on appeal, on behalf of a leading pharmaceutical company in the first California bellwether trial in a judicially coordinated complex proceeding
• Won dismissal, affirmed on appeal, on behalf of a production company that was producing promotional content for a major motion picture, in a highly publicized wrongful death action
• Won motion to dismiss with prejudice in a putative class action alleging that a national pet food company failed to disclose toxic lead and other disease-causing heavy metals in its dog food
• Won an anti-SLAPP motion, affirmed on appeal, on behalf of a high-profile actor, producer, and comedian, defeating allegations of harassment, discrimination, and defamation
• Obtained a defense verdict, affirmed on appeal, for a premises owner in a case involving a large publicly traded international oil and gas company; the case was selected by a widely read publication as one of the top defense verdicts in 2012
• On behalf of a pharmaceutical company, obtained dismissal in a high-profile personal injury case involving a college athlete
• On behalf of a gasket manufacturer, obtained summary judgment in a products liability case by demonstrating plaintiff could not show specific causation
• Resolved numerous disputes arising from California’s Prop 65 environmental regulation on behalf of manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and premises.

Education :

• J.D.cum laudeSouthwestern University School of Law2005
• B.A.with honorsUniversity of Michigan at Ann Arbor2002

Bar Admissions : California

Court Admissions :

• U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California

Professional Memberships :

• Board member, Association of Business Trial Lawyers (ABTL), Los Angeles Chapter
• Member, American Bar Association, Products Liability Section
• Member, Defense Research Institute
• Member, Los Angeles County Bar Association
• Graduate of the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) Trial Academy, an intensive, week-long program designed to develop defense trial advocacy skills.

Community :

• Assists survivors of domestic violence in obtaining temporary restraining orders as part of the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Domestic Violence Project
• Provides legal services for the Inner City Law Center, a nonprofit law firm fighting for justice for low-income tenants, working poor families, immigrants, people who are living with HIV/AIDS or are disabled, and veterans
• Actively involved with Los Angeles Women’s Circle, an organization dedicated to researching and funding programs that benefit the development and well-being of young women in the Los Angeles area.