Esteban Rodriguez is an experienced litigator whose diverse practice focuses on defending consumer products and life science companies in complex litigation matters and government investigations alleging product liability, false advertising, unfair competition, and other consumer fraud claims. For nearly the past decade, Esteban has played a key role representing Johnson & Johnson in nationwide litigation concerning its opioid medications. In 2019, he was a critical member of the trial team that defended Johnson & Johnson in opioid litigation brought by the State of Oklahoma. Esteban also provides life sciences law compliance advice to pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
Esteban has also represented clients in a wide range of high-stakes commercial litigation matters, including consumer class actions, mass tort cases, unfair competition, business torts, fraud, and contract disputes. He has litigated such matters for clients across a broad spectrum of industries, including food and beverage, consumer products, health care, financial services, and entertainment.
In addition, Esteban has substantial experience advising and representing Latin American companies and US companies that operate in Latin America. In 2017, Esteban practiced as a visiting attorney in the Mexico City office of Solórzano, Carvajal, González, y Pérez-Correa, S.C., a top-tier Mexican law firm. There, Esteban worked on various adversarial matters including international arbitrations and commercial litigation.
Esteban is a recipient of the 2019 O’Melveny Warren Christopher Values Award, which recognizes attorneys who embody the firm’s values of excellence, leadership, and citizenship. He is the Hiring Partner for O’Melveny’s Los Angeles office, co-chaired O’Melveny’s Firmwide Associates and Counsel Advisory Committee, and served as the head of O’Melveny’s Latino/a Attorneys employee network. Esteban also devotes significant time to immigration-related pro bono matters, and he has tried multiple criminal jury trials and argued appellate matters as part of the firm’s pro bono Trial Advocacy Prosecution Program.
Outside of O’Melveny, Esteban serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County, one of the largest and most prominent public interest law offices in California. Esteban also serves on the Board of Directors of ScholarMatch, an organization that helps first-generation college students apply to and graduate with little debt from college.
In 2022, the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) recognized Esteban with the 2022 “Top Lawyers Under 40 Award.” The prestigious award honors lawyers who have demonstrated professional excellence, integrity, leadership, commitment to the Hispanic community, and dedication to improving the legal profession. Esteban was also named to Latino Leaders Magazine’s “Top Latino Lawyers” in 2022, which honors 50 lawyers annually nationwide who have established an impressive career track, including leadership in the community.
- Representing Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals in state and federal multi-district litigation and state attorneys general investigations relating to the marketing of prescription opioid pain medications.
- Representing a leading financial technology company in threatened mass arbitration.
- Represented Sempra Energy and Southern California Gas Company in mass tort litigation relating to the Aliso Canyon gas leak in Porter Ranch, California.
- Represented Amylin Pharmaceuticals, an AstraZeneca company, in nationwide product liability litigation over the diabetes drug Byetta®, including in securing the dismissal with prejudice of certain claims in McElroy v. Amylin Pharms., Inc., 573 F. App’x 545 (6th Cir. 2014).
- Represented a subsidiary of Endo Pharmaceuticals in state and federal multidistrict litigation relating to transvaginal polypropylene mesh products.
- Represented boxing promoter Top Rank, Inc., Manny Pacquiao, HBO, and other defendants in securing the dismissal with prejudice of nationwide class action litigation asserting claims related to Pacquiao’s “Fight of the Century” against Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in In re Pacquiao-Mayweather Boxing Match Pay-Per-View Litig., 942 F.3d 1160 (9th Cir. 2019).
- Represented a leading maker of fitness shoes in a nationwide class action involving false advertising, unfair competition, and other consumer fraud claims.
- Represented a leading food company in class actions challenging the marketing and sale of probiotic yogurt.
- Represented a leading manufacturer of kombucha tea products in class actions over labeling claims.
- Represented a beverage company in several class actions alleging violations of state consumer protection statutes and California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Proposition 65).
- Represented Exportadora de Sal, S.A. de C.V., a Mexican State-owned enterprise and the world’s largest producer of sea salt, in securing the dismissal of multi-billion dollar lawsuits in US Federal Court in Packsys v. Exportadora de Sal, S.A. de C.V., 899 F.3d 1081 (9th Cir. 2018).
- Advised an international luxury hospitality company in an anti-corruption investigation relating to its hotel resorts in Mexico.
- Represented a former CFO of a public company in a civil lawsuit brought by the US Securities and Exchange Commission alleging purported violations of securities laws.
Languages
- Spanish
Admissions
Bar Admissions
- California
Court Admissions
- US District Court, Central and Southern Districts of California
- US Court of Appeals, Sixth and Ninth Circuits
Education
- Stanford University, J.D.: Editor, Stanford Law & Policy Review; Co-President, Stanford Latino Law Students Association
- University of California at Irvine, B.A., Criminology: cum laude; Phi Beta Kappa
Honors & Awards
- Recommended by The Legal 500 US for Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action - Defense: Consumer Products (Including Tobacco) (2022, 2023)
- Recommended by The Legal 500 US for Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action - Defense: Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices (2022, 2023)
- Recommended by The Legal 500 US for Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action - Defense: Automotive/Transport (2023)
- Recommended by The Legal 500 US for Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action - Defense: Toxic Tort (2023)
- Recipient of the 2022 Hispanic National Bar Association’s “Top Lawyers Under 40 Award”
- Recipient of Latino Leaders Magazine’s “Top Latino Lawyers” (2022)
- Recipient of the 2019 O’Melveny Warren Christopher Values Award
- Co-recipient of “Litigators of the Week” award by The American Lawyer (Aug. 2017)
Professional Activities
Professional Memberships
- International Association of Defense Counsel
- American Health Law Association
- Hispanic National Bar Association (Southern California Deputy Regional President; Health and Life Sciences Law Committee, Vice Chair)
- Mexican American Bar Association
- Los Angeles County Bar Association (Diversity in the Profession Executive Committee, Secretary)
Author
- “Class Action Settlements” (Ch. 21) and “Mass Tort Settlement Strategies” (Ch. 22), Product Liability Litigation: Current Law, Strategies and Best Practices, Practicing Law Institute, co-authored with Richard B. Goetz and Carlos M. Lazatin (last updated 2023)
- “Winner’s Playbook: Behind the Scenes of the Pacquiao Case,” Law360, co-authored with Daniel Petrocelli, Jeffrey Barker, and David Marroso (May 2020)
Speaking Engagements
- Panelist, “Mass Arbitration: Preventive and Responsive Defense Strategies,” HNBA 2023 Corporate Counsel Conference (Mar. 2023)
- Panelist, “Expanding Influence of Artificial Intelligence: Trends and Recent Developments,” HNBA 2023 Corporate Counsel Conference (Mar. 2023)
- Co-Host, “Career Journeys of Latino/Latina Health Law Leaders” Podcast, American Health Law Association and Hispanic National Bar Association (Oct. 2022)
- Panelist, "Multidistrict Litigation: Nuts & Bolts, Trends, and Diversity in MDL Leadership," Hispanic National Bar Association 2022 Annual Convention (Sept. 2022)
- Panelist, “State AG Enforcement & Litigation Trends: Antitrust, Product Liability, & Workers’ Rights,” Hispanic National Bar Association 2022 Corporate Counsel Conference (Mar. 2022)
- Speaker, “State AG Litigation Trends,” Hispanic National Bar Association Health and Life Sciences Law Committee, Quarterly Meeting (Nov. 2021)
- Panelist, “State AG Enforcement Trends and What to Expect Next,” Hispanic National Bar Association 2021 Annual Convention, Health and Life Sciences Law Section (Sept. 2021)