Halley Josephs 

Halley Josephs represents clients in complex business disputes and high-stakes litigation. Her experience covers a wide range of practice areas, such as breach of contract, consumer protection, intellectual property, and False Claims Act litigation.

In addition to taking multiple cases to trial, the Susman Godfrey LLP partner has argued multiple federal appeals and dispositive motions, secured key victories such as class certification and summary judgment, and settled cases for hundreds of millions of dollars.

Josephs recently secured a major victory for her client, Capitol Hill Group (CHG), in a long-running complex breach of contract case. After a bench trial in which Josephs examined multiple witnesses, the court ruled in CHG’s favor on its contract claims and awarded attorneys’ fees and expenses along with a take-nothing judgment on the defendants’ $18 million counterclaim against CHG — which had posed a significant threat to CHG’s business. Capitol Hill Group v. DCA Capitol Hill LTAC, LLC et al., No. 2015 CA 008166 B (D.C. Superior Ct., filed Oct. 22, 2015).

Since 2021, Josephs has played a key role in the firm’s pro bono involvement in several housing-related legal matters defending against repeated landlord challenges to COVID-19 eviction measures enacted by local governments. Through these efforts, Josephs and her team have helped approximately 800,000 Californians keep their homes during the pandemic. Along with Public Counsel, Legal Aid Foundation of LA, and Neighborhood Legal Services of LA, Josephs represents tenant advocacy organizations in a lawsuit that GHP Management Corporation brought against the city of Los Angeles. GHP Management Corp. v. City of Los Angeles, 21-CV-06311 (C.D., Cal., filed Aug. 4, 2021).

“We were granted permission to intervene in that case,” Josephs said. “I led the efforts. The court granted our motion over the opposition of the landlords and has allowed our tenant group clients to have a voice in defending the constitutionality of the city’s eviction protections … the court granted our motion to dismiss, along with the city’s motion, and we’re now defending that ruling in the Ninth Circuit.”

In a separate case, Josephs won an appeal before the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in a matter where she represents retired NYPD officers in a putative class action. The case involves hundreds of thousands of New York City employees and retirees who allege the employees’ health insurer violated New York’s consumer protection laws. Plavin v. Group Health, 3:17-CV-1462, (M.D. Pa., filed June 22, 2018, appeal win 2021).

“When the district court dismissed our complaint, I was trusted with arguing the appeal to try to get that decision reversed,” Josephs explained. “I enjoyed the challenge in bringing our case back to life, and it was very rewarding to get such a decisive victory in a case affecting so many people.”

–Devon Belcher