Laura Offenbacher Aradi is a counsel in Crowell & Moring's Mass Tort, Product, and Consumer Litigation and Labor & Employment groups.
Laura has significant litigation experience, ranging from pre-suit risk assessment to dispositive motion practice to trial and appeal. Laura has had a lead role in complex litigation, managing discovery and fact investigation, working with expert witnesses, as well as preparing dispositive motions.
In the torts and products liability realm, Laura currently represents a federal contractor in a defamation case arising from false statements made anonymously by a competitor’s employee. Laura regularly writes about internet defamation, the First Amendment rights of anonymous speakers, anti-SLAPP statutes, and protecting reputations online. Laura also represents a medical device manufacturer in product liability cases nationwide, defending against a range of claims including design and manufacturing defects.
On the employment side, Laura applies her litigation background to counseling private employers and government contractors that aim to avoid litigation. Laura has addressed workplace issues relating to Title VII, the Equal Pay Act, FMLA, and FLSA, as well as state anti-discrimination, leave, and wage and hour laws. Laura also advises employers and federal contractors about pay equity analyses, affirmative action programs, and compliance with Office of Federal Contractor Compliance Programs requirements. Prior to joining Crowell & Moring, Laura practiced employee benefits litigation and arbitration, including handling withdrawal liability and fiduciary issues arising under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, as amended by the Multiemployer Pension Plan Amendments Act.
Laura's courtroom experience includes:
- Regularly arguing motions on discovery and substantive issues relating to anonymous defamation and the scope of a defamer’s First Amendment rights.
- First-chairing an evidentiary hearing in a highly-contested dispute regarding the novel issue of whether any portion of a debtor’s $78 million withdrawal liability under ERISA is entitled to administrative priority under the Bankruptcy Code.
- Participating in a two-week bench trial before a federal district court in Arizona representing an Indian tribe in a land dispute, which resulted in successfully preventing an individual from commercially developing a parcel landlocked within the reservation.
Laura graduated from the University of Texas School of Law, with honors, in 2004. At Texas, Laura was an associate editor for The Review of Litigation. Laura also attended Texas for her undergraduate degree, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She earned her B.A. in government with a minor in journalism, with high honors, in 2000.
Affiliations
Admitted to practice: District of Columbia, Texas
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Highlights, News & Knowledge
Speeches & Presentations
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"Cyber Reputation Defense: Protecting Your Online Reputation," Crowell & Moring Webinar
(October 10, 2017).
Presenters: Clifford J. Zatz, Joseph L. Meadows, Laura Offenbacher Aradi and Chalana N. Williams.
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"Third Thursday--C&M's September Labor & Employment Update: Internet Disparagement: Protecting Your Reputation When a Disgruntled Employee Trashes Your Company Online," Crowell & Moring Webinar
(September 28, 2017).
Presenters: Thomas P. Gies, Laura Offenbacher Aradi, and Jillian Ambrose.
Publications
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"OFCCP Launches Three New Initiatives Impacting Its Relationship With Contractors," Pratt's Government Contracting Law
(May 2019).
Authors: Rebecca L. Springer, Kris D. Meade, and Laura Offenbacher Aradi.
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"Can You Copyright Infringe Anonymously? Revisited." Crowell & Moring's Data Law Insights
(December 1, 2017).
Authors: Joseph L. Meadows and Laura Offenbacher Aradi.
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"How State High Courts Are Reshaping Anti-SLAPP Laws," Law360
(July 31, 2017).
Authors: Clifford J. Zatz, Joseph L. Meadows, and Laura Offenbacher Aradi.
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"Recent IoT Device Cases," Crowell & Moring's Data Law Insights
(July 10, 2017).
Authors: Clifford J. Zatz, Joseph L. Meadows, Laura Offenbacher Aradi and Paul Mathis.
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"Trolls and Tall Tales: How to Protect Your Company’s Online Reputation," Crowell & Moring's Retail & Consumer Products Law Observer
(May 31, 2017).
Authors: Carolyn W. Wagner and Laura Offenbacher Aradi.
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"What's Next For Federal Anti-SLAPP Legislation," Law360
(April 19, 2017).
Authors: Clifford J. Zatz, Joseph L. Meadows, and Laura Offenbacher Aradi.
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"Six Steps to Protecting Your Reputation Online," Corporate Counsel
(February 17, 2017).
Authors: Clifford J. Zatz, Joseph L. Meadows, and Laura Offenbacher Aradi.
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