Carlos Lazatin has extensive experience defending clients against class actions and product liability litigation, including claims for unfair competition and consumer fraud. Carlos represents companies in a variety of industries including automobile, food, and apparel, as well as medical devices and products, through all levels of litigation. Prior to attending law school, Carlos worked in brand management at General Mills, Inc., giving him a deep understanding of how claims about false advertising and deceptive labeling affects his clients’ brands.
Carlos has briefed matters at every level of the federal courts and in state trial and appellate courts in California, Massachusetts, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Florida. Carlos has also argued matters before the Sixth and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeals and various state and federal trial courts.
Carlos was named a “Rising Star” in Consumer Protection law by Law360 and has been recognized by The Legal 500 in the category of “Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action - Automotive/Transport.” Carlos has served as a Fellow on the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), an organization dedicated to creating a truly diverse legal profession. Carlos has tried more than half a dozen misdemeanor criminal trials to verdict as a volunteer prosecutor for the City of Redondo Beach.
- Defending a major consumer products company against a putative national false advertising class action involving buttery spreads
- Defending a pet food manufacturer against a false advertising lawsuit alleging that images of premium “cuts” of food on packaging were misleading to consumers
- Defending a multinational food manufacturer in a purported class action alleging that representations on cereal packaging were false and misleading
- Representing a beverage company in several putative nationwide consumer class actions alleging that products contained misleading health and alcohol content labeling
- Defending a leading Korean automobile maker in a nationwide class action involving allegations that certain vehicles are defective due to the design and placement of the fuel tank.
- Defending Korea’s two largest automobile makers in multiple nationwide class actions alleging they marketed and sold vehicles with defective panoramic sunroofs.
- Defending one of the nation’s leading manufacturers of health care products in:
- Multidistrict products liability litigation involving allegedly defective surgical sutures. Carlos drafted a successful opposition to certification of a nationwide class.
- Nationwide mass tort litigation involving claims that an over-the-counter pain reliever and fever reducer triggered the onset of a rare immunological disorder affecting the skin and mucosal membranes.
- Competitor and consumer class action lawsuits challenging the advertising and marketing of America’s leading brand of no-calorie sweeteners.
- Defending a leading manufacturer of plumbing products in class action litigation involving allegedly defective brass fixtures that were purportedly prone to failure.
- Representing a major manufacturer of athletic shoes in eight class actions across the United States alleging that the advertising for the company’s toning shoes deceptively claimed that the shoes provided certain fitness benefits, including increased muscle activation, increased calorie burn, improved posture, reduced pain in joints and muscles, improved circulation, improved muscle toning, and promoting weight loss and body fat reduction.
Languages
- French
- Spanish
- Tagalog
- German
Admissions
Bar Admissions
- California
Court Admissions
- US District Court, Central, Eastern, Northern, and Southern Districts of California; Eastern District of Michigan; and District of Alaska
- US Court of Appeals, Sixth and Ninth Circuits
Education
- Harvard University, J.D.: cum laude; Winner, Best Brief, 91st Annual Ames Moot Court Competition
- Princeton University, A.B., Public and International Affairs: magna cum laude; Phi Beta Kappa; Lt. John A. Larkin Memorial Prize for best thesis in the field of political economy; R.W. van de Velde Award for outstanding junior independent work
Honors & Awards
- Recognized by The Legal 500 US for Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action - Defense: Automotive/Transport (2017-2023)
- Recognized by The Legal 500 US for Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action - Defense: Consumer Products (Including Tobacco) (2022-2023)
- Recognized by The Legal 500 US for Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action - Defense: Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices (2023)
- Recognized by The Legal 500 US for Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action - Defense: Toxic Tort (2023)
- Named a “Rising Star” in Consumer Protection law by Law360 (2014)
- Recognized as a Southern California “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers and published in Los Angeles magazine (2013)
Professional Activities
Member
- Executive Committee of Litigation Section, Los Angeles County Bar Association
- Board of Governors, Philippine American Bar Association
- Sustaining Member, Product Liability Advisory Council (PLAC)
Author
- “Class Action Settlements,” co-authored with Richard B. Goetz and Esteban Rodriguez, and “Mass Tort Settlement Strategies,” co-authored with Richard B. Goetz, Product Liability Litigation: Current Law, Strategies, and Best Practices, Practising Law Institute (2021)
Speaker
- “Exploring Latest Trends in Defending and Managing Automotive Class Actions,” ACI Legal, Regulatory and Compliance Forum for the Automotive Industry (March 6, 2024)