Michael Hidalgo

Michael represents companies and individuals in civil litigation matters, internal investigations, and interactions with criminal and civil regulatory systems at the state and federal level. He has conducted sensitive internal investigations, in particular in cases arising under the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, for multinational companies in more than 25 international jurisdictions. An experienced litigator and trial attorney, he frequently manages complex, high-value civil litigation disputes.

Michael maintains an active pro bono practice. He has obtained a T-visa for an individual who was trafficked to the United States and forced to work without pay, represented 54 tenants of an apartment building in Los Angeles in a slumlord habitability litigation and obtained relief for a class of non-citizens detained for months, and often years, during the pendency of their removal proceedings in a constitutional challenge to the bond setting procedures in immigration proceedings.

Michael has advised clients in multiple industries, including pharmaceutical, life sciences, banking and finance, heavy industry and manufacturing, aviation, oil and gas, and tech.

Investigations, Compliance & Ethics

• Conducted sensitive internal compliance investigations, most frequently in cases arising under the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, for multinational companies in more than 25 international jurisdictions, including Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Colombia, Germany, Guatemala, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Portugal, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Spain, and the United States. 
• Successfully represented California social media company in DOJ investigation into the company’s data sharing practices. 
• Uncovered multimillion dollar fraud, which three prior internal investigations failed to detect, stemming from an undisclosed conflict of interest with a vendor that the spouse of the head of a Latin American subsidiary of a multinational company secretly owned. 
• Represented a Dutch company in an investigation and prosecution involving bribery of the president and vice president of a Latin American country. 
• Represented the founder and former CEO of a California semiconductor company in parallel DOJ and SEC enforcement proceedings. 
• Defended publicly traded California consumer goods company in parallel DOJ and SEC enforcement proceedings.

Litigation

• Defending Hong Kong bank in five federal and state court proceedings arising from Israeli “fintech” startup that bribed a former rogue employee of the bank to verify forged letters of credit as part of an international reinsurance scheme. 
• Obtained dismissal at the demurrer stage on personal jurisdiction grounds in California state court for a Brazilian manufacturer of a sugar cane juicer after a plaintiff who suffered a catastrophic injury cleaning the juicer sued the manufacturer. 
• Led successful appellate briefing for a leading American construction company in a case that clarified the “amount in controversy” requirement needed for removal under the Class Action Fairness Act. 
• Obtained dismissal at motion to dismiss stage for UBS bank in high-value securities litigation involving allegations of spoofing and market manipulation, allowing the client to avoid litigation that has lasted more than four years for the bank’s former co-defendants. 
• Obtained dismissal without leave to amend on the first instance for a developer of a professional licensing exam in a case brought by a disgruntled test taker who repeatedly failed the licensing exam. 
• Member of trial team that obtained USD 159 million judgment for former CEO in Delaware Chancery Court in dispute arising from technology company’s placement of transfer restrictions on the CEO’s shares following the company’s de-SPAC merger. 
• Defended a Grammy-winning EDM artist in a six-week jury trial after a concertgoer who suffered a stroke two weeks after attending the concert sued the artist, who crowdsurfed in her vicinity at the end of his set, for causing her stroke. 
• Represented 54 tenants of an apartment building in Los Angeles in a slumlord habitability case.
• Represented a class of individuals detained in immigration detention facilities in the Central District of California who received new bond hearings that took into account the amount of bond they were able to pay.

• Mexican American Bar Association
• Association of Business Trial Lawyers (ABTL)
• The Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA)