Apalla Chopra

LOS ANGELES - Apalla Chopra serves as co-chair of O’Melveny’s litigation department, co-chair of the labor and employment group, and chair of the colleges and universities industry group. In addition to her firm leadership roles, she handles complex multi-plaintiff and class action litigation and counseling work across a swath of industries. Colleges and universities turn to her for their most complex and high-profile legal challenges, including Title IX and Clery Act investigations and follow-on litigation into their handling of sexual assault allegations.

“Some of the most compelling work I continue to do involves systemic issues employers face– ranging from litigating about the legality of an employer’s business model (e.g., employee v. independent contractor) to conducting neutral investigations which reveal issues that require change and improvement,” she wrote in an email.

Recent matters include an internal investigation conducted for Syracuse University into student allegations of misconduct by the coaching staff of a women’s basketball program. Chopra led an investigation team that conducted more than 55 witness interviews with students, coaches and school administrators. The team made recommendations to improve the program’s environment and culture, including ways the university could improve systems to identify, escalate or address concerns from student athletes.

She also helped negotiate a resolution to a concurrent Title IX investigation by the Department of Justice’s civil rights division and the U.S. attorney’s office for the Northern District. The investigation related to allegations of sexual misconduct committed by San Jose State University’s former director of sports medicine and head athletic trainer. San Jose State agreed to pay $1.6 million to individuals who were sexually harassed and to implement improved policies and procedures for responding to future complaints of sexual harassment. Chopra also represented the California State University’s board of trustees in civil litigation filed by students and two employees who allege they were retaliated against for raising issues related to the former athletic trainer.

An evolving legal issue regularly at the forefront of Chopra’s work, she wrote, is the enforceability of arbitration agreements. In light of the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Viking River Cruises, Inc. v. Moriana, 20-1573 (U.S. Sup. Ct.), companies may have to consider whether current arbitration agreements need updating, or whether such agreements should be implemented to take advantage of the Court’s ruling.

“At this point, many employers have implemented arbitration agreements to provide a fast and fair dispute resolution process. With California’s continued hostility towards arbitration, despite consistent pushback from the U.S. Supreme Court, I expect this to continue to evolve and be the subject of litigation,” she wrote.

--Jennifer Chung Klam