Elizabeth C. Pritzker

• 415.981.4800
• ecp@girardgibbs.com
• DOWNLOAD VCARD

Education
• J.D., University of San Francisco School of Law, 1989
• B.A., McGill University, 1983

Admissions
• California;
• United States Supreme Court;
• United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit;
• United States District Courts for the District of Colorado and the Northern, Central, Southern, and Eastern Districts of California

Memberships
• Association of Trial Lawyers of America;
• Trial Lawyers for Public Justice;
• California Women Lawyers;
• Consumer Attorneys of California;
• Bar Association of San Francisco;
• San Mateo Bar Association;
• Alameda County Bar Association

Elizabeth C. Pritzker is a seasoned litigation and trial attorney with broad experience in complex litigation matters, including the prosecution of consumer, product liability, and securities class actions.

Ms. Pritzker’s consumer and product liability experience extends to new and emerging technologies. She served as co-lead counsel in a multi-district class action alleging that SONY BMG Music Entertainment had violated the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act by placing digital rights management software on music CDs distributed to the public (In re SONY BMG Technologies Litigation, S.D.N.Y. Case No. 1:05-cv-09575 (NRB)), and as co-lead counsel in a California state-court class action against Apple, Inc., alleging that Apple had made material misrepresentations and omissions with respect to the battery life of its early-generation iPod music players (In Re iPod Cases, J.C.C.P. No. 4335).

Ms. Pritzker currently serves as lead counsel in In Re General Motors Cases, JCCP No. 4396, a certified state court class action against General Motors alleging violations of California’s “Secret Warranty” law, California Civil Code § 1794.90 et seq. She serves by judicial appointment as Liaison Counsel for the Direct Purchaser Plaintiffs in In Re TFT-LCD (Flat Panel) Antitrust Litigation, MDL No. 1897, N.D.Cal. Master File No. C-07-1827-SI (multi-district class action alleging price-fixing by foreign and domestic manufacturers of Thin Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Display (TFT-LCD) products). She also an ongoing and active role in several complex litigation matters, including: In Re Natural Gas Antitrust Cases I, II, III and IV, J.C.C.P. No. 4221 (coordinated antitrust class action litigation against numerous natural gas companies for manipulating the market for natural gas in California); and Nordberg v. Trilegiant Corporation et al., N.D. Cal. Case No. C-05-3246 (MHP) (federal class action alleging that Trilegiant’s practice of placing consumers into the company’s membership service programs, and billing them for “membership fees,” without consumers’ valid authorization violates federal and state consumer laws).

Ms. Pritzker contributed to the firm’s participation in CalSTRS v. Qwest Communications et al., an opt-out securities fraud case that resulted in a precedent-setting $46.5 million settlement for California school teachers. Prior to joining the firm, she served as counsel for the San Francisco Unified School District in a False Claim Act suit against Progress Energy Corp., and its subsidiary Progress Energy Solutions, Inc., that resulted in a $43 million settlement for the District.

Ms. Pritzker also represents working journalists, print and broadcast media, and not-for-profit organizations in First Amendment-related litigation. She served as a lead attorney for the publishers of Consumer Reports in Sharper Image v. Consumers Union of the United States, Inc., (N.D.Cal. 2004) 2004 U.S.Dist. LEXIS 24484, which resulted in a complete dismissal of a libel action stemming from a product review of the Sharper Image “Ionic Breeze” line of products. In 1992, Ms. Pritzker co-founded the First Amendment Project, a nonprofit, public interest law firm devoted exclusively to First Amendment-related litigation. From 1992 to 1999, she served as the Project's Executive Director and Chief Staff Attorney. Over her seven-year tenure, she successfully litigated matters involving defamation law, copyright and trademark enforcement, licensing, privacy law, Internet law, and enforcement of state and federal right-to-know laws. In 2000, she was honored by the Society of Professional Journalists with the prestigious James Madison Freedom of Information Award for her legal work on behalf of journalists and media.

Prior to joining Girard Gibbs, Ms. Pritzker was a principal at the law firm of Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, where she specialized in consumer fraud, product liability, securities, construction fraud, and First Amendment-related litigation. Ms. Pritzker has served as a Lecturer in Mass Communications Law in the Department of Journalism at San Francisco State University. She formerly served as a Supervising Attorney in the Civil Law and Motion Departments of the Alameda County Superior Court, and as a judicial extern to Judge Marilyn Hall Patel of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

Ms. Pritzker is a frequent speaker on civil litigation matters, including discovery, pre-trial and class action procedures, for the Continuing Education of the Bar, the State Bar of California, and other professional attorney groups. Ms. Pritzker is a 1989 graduate of the University of San Francisco School of Law. She received her undergraduate degree in Economics from McGill University in 1983.

Ms. Pritzker is a member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, California Women Lawyers, Consumer Attorneys of California, the Bar Association of San Francisco, the San Mateo Bar Association, and the Alameda County Bar Association. Ms. Pritzker is admitted to the California Bar. She is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the United State Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the United States District Courts for the District of Colorado and the Northern, Central, Southern, and Eastern Districts of California.

Ms. Pritzker is a Board Member for the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County.