Esra A. Hudson

Esra Hudson is the leader of Manatt’s employment and labor practice.

Esra focuses her practice on all aspects of employment law and related litigation. Her practice is client centered and cutting edge. She has saved clients hundreds of millions of dollars in high-stakes cases by developing creative and effective litigation strategies. Esra has particular experience handling Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) representative actions and class action defense. She also represents companies in state and federal courts, defending claims of discrimination, harassment, whistleblowing, wrongful discharge and related tort claims, breach of contract, trade secrets, unfair competition, and all other employment-related matters. Esra has represented employers in proceedings before state and federal agencies, including the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement and the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She has also successfully defended broad-ranging classification audits by the California Employment Development Department. Esra’s litigation practice also includes extensive experience in alternative dispute resolution, including managing and trying dozens of simultaneous arbitration matters following the enforcement of class action waivers in arbitration agreements.

In addition to her litigation practice, Esra is a trusted advisor to her clients on a variety of employment, personnel management and operational issues. She has expertise in crisis management and media relations, including in sensitive matters involving executives and high-profile individuals. Esra also provides a wide array of management training on a variety of employment-related subjects, including sexual harassment and discrimination prevention. She develops employment manuals and policies, as well as executive employment and severance agreements.

Esra provides services for companies in a diverse group of industries, including entertainment, financial services, healthcare, transportation, insurance, manufacturing, the service industry and nonprofits.

Partner

Esra A. Hudson

Los Angeles

310.312.4381

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Employment and Labor

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Los Angeles

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Bio

Esra A. Hudson

Esra Hudson is the leader of Manatt’s employment and labor practice.

Esra focuses her practice on all aspects of employment law and related litigation. Her practice is client centered and cutting edge. She has saved clients hundreds of millions of dollars in high-stakes cases by developing creative and effective litigation strategies. Esra has particular experience handling Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) representative actions and class action defense. She also represents companies in state and federal courts, defending claims of discrimination, harassment, whistleblowing, wrongful discharge and related tort claims, breach of contract, trade secrets, unfair competition, and all other employment-related matters. Esra has represented employers in proceedings before state and federal agencies, including the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement and the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She has also successfully defended broad-ranging classification audits by the California Employment Development Department. Esra’s litigation practice also includes extensive experience in alternative dispute resolution, including managing and trying dozens of simultaneous arbitration matters following the enforcement of class action waivers in arbitration agreements.

In addition to her litigation practice, Esra is a trusted advisor to her clients on a variety of employment, personnel management and operational issues. She has expertise in crisis management and media relations, including in sensitive matters involving executives and high-profile individuals. Esra also provides a wide array of management training on a variety of employment-related subjects, including sexual harassment and discrimination prevention. She develops employment manuals and policies, as well as executive employment and severance agreements.

Esra provides services for companies in a diverse group of industries, including entertainment, financial services, healthcare, transportation, insurance, manufacturing, the service industry and nonprofits.

Education

University of California Los Angeles School of Law, J.D., 1999
Member and Symposium Editor, UCLA Law Review

University of Wisconsin-Madison, B.A., with distinction, 1991

Honors & Awards

500 Leading U.S. Corporate Employment Lawyers, Lawdragon, 2020–2025

Leaders of Influence: Labor & Employment Attorneys, Los Angeles Business Journal, 2023 and 2024

Top Labor & Employment Lawyers, Daily Journal, 2023 and 2024

The Legal 500 United States’ Leading Lawyer for Labor and Employment Disputes (Including Collective Actions): Defense, 2022–2024

Chambers USA Top-Ranked Attorney, Labor & Employment (California), 2022–2024

The Best Lawyers in America, 2022–2025

Voted a Southern California “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers magazine, 2007–2009

Invited Member, American Employment Law Council

Accomplishments

Speaker, “HR for 2024,” C-Sweet HR Roundtable, September 26, 2023.

Speaker, “Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace: What L&E Lawyers and Neutrals Need to Know,” Los Angeles County Bar Association, September 7, 2023.

Speaker, “Employees Returning to the Office: A Legal Lens & COVID-19 Resources,” Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce Health Care Council, October 13, 2021.

Speaker, "Work and Weed: What Lawyers Need to Know About Cannabis in the Workplace," California Lawyers Association Webinar, September 3, 2020.

Speaker, "Return to Workplace Webinar Series: Legal and Regulatory Considerations,” ABD Insurance and Financial Services, June 11, 2020.

Speaker, "2012 Entertainment Labor Law Symposium," Los Angeles County Bar Association, February 9, 2012.

Featured, “Litigator of the (Past) Week Runners-Up and Shout-Outs,” Litigation Daily, June 17,  2025. 

Featured, “Law360’s Legal Lions Of The Week,” Law360, June 13, 2025. 

Featured, Judge dismisses Justin Baldoni’s $400 Million lawsuit against Blake Lively,” Good Morning America, June 10, 2025.

Quoted, “AB 5 Challenges Unlikely After Justices Decline Review,” Law360, October 17, 2024.

Quoted, “Calif. Justices Save Prop. 22, But Legislature Could Still Act,” Law360, July 25, 2024.

Quoted, “9th Circ.'s AB 5 Ruling Leaves Less Hope for Striking Law,” Law360, June 11, 2024.

Quoted, “Court Finds Arbitration Agreement Not Valid for Delivery Drivers,” SHRM, August 31, 2023.

Quoted, “Calif. Justices To Mull Voters' Wage Power In Prop 22 Case,” Law360, July 13, 2023.

Co-author, “Calif. Independent Contractor Lessons From Grubhub Suit,” Law360, May 11, 2023.

Co-author, “Top 5 Issues For Employers If Their Bank Suddenly Fails,” Law360, April 11, 2023.

Quoted, “4 Takeaways As Tesla, Black Worker Battle Over Damages,” Law360, March 29, 2023.

Quoted, “Employment Attorneys Say FTC Noncompete Ban Is Likely. Here’s How To Prepare.,” Inside Radio, February 13, 2023.

Co-author, “What artists, influencers and brands need to know,” Daily Journal, September 26, 2022.

Quoted, “Vaccine Exemption Bids for Health-Care Workers to Spark Lawsuits,” Bloomberg Law, November 30, 2021.

Quoted, “California’s Workplace COVID-19 Standards Require Strict Protocols,” SHRM, January 8, 2021.

Co-author, “Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Two New Forms of Job-Protected Paid Leave To Be Enacted,” Westlaw Journal Employment, March 24, 2020.

Quoted, “California Adds Resources for Employers and Workers Affected by Coronavirus,” SHRM, March 23, 2020.

Quoted, “Many Employers Must Offer Paid Leave Under Coronavirus Relief Law,” SHRM, March 19, 2020.

Co-author, “Coronavirus: Top 10 issues for employers,” Daily Journal, March 13, 2020.

Co-author, "Avoiding Social Networking Land Mines for Employers," Inside Counsel, November 4, 2010.

Admitted to practice in California; admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, and the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals

Board of Directors, California Women’s Law Center

Board of Trustees, Laurence School, 2008–2014

Member, American Employment Law Council

Member, American Bar Association

Member, Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles

Provides pro bono adoption services for Public Counsel and Alliance for Children’s Rights

California

Experience

  • Defeated the certification of a 1,000-employee class action suit in an off-the-clock overtime and meal and rest break case for a specialty finance provider.
  • Represented one of the largest health plans in California as plaintiff in a highly publicized action against a former senior-level employee who misappropriated confidential and privileged information.
  • Defended a major entertainment company against an employee who alleged age and sexual orientation discrimination; achieved full voluntary dismissal of the case with prejudice following the plaintiff’s deposition.
  • Developed a creative defense strategy for a national insurance company in a statewide class misclassification wage-and-hour action on behalf of thousands of insurance agents, resulting in full dismissal and no liability.
  • Secured an important victory that reduced liability by millions of dollars for a specialty finance provider in a PAGA representative action.
  • Obtained summary judgment for a major entertainment company in a wrongful termination case brought by an alleged whistleblower. The judgment was later upheld on appeal.
  • Defeated various crucial discovery challenges and ultimately secured dismissal on a successful motion for summary judgment for a large medical facility in a whistleblower wrongful termination action.
  • Represented a major entertainment company in two mediations of claims brought by former employees. The final settlements were less than the severance offers provided to the employees at the time of their separation.
  • Successfully resolved a complex trade secret misappropriation case involving allegations of destruction of evidence, obtaining a substantial settlement for the client.
  • Represented a mortgage lender in a trial of a pregnancy discrimination/wrongful termination case and obtained a full defense verdict on seven claims.
  • During jury trial, obtained full dismissal of plaintiff’s national origin discrimination/wrongful termination case in a motion for judgment of nonsuit.
  • In federal court, obtained full dismissal of sexual harassment/wrongful termination claims against a national bank on the first day of trial as a terminating sanction for plaintiff’s discovery misconduct.
  • In private arbitration, obtained full dismissal of assault/battery and wrongful termination claims against a textile machinery company as a terminating sanction for discovery abuses and evidence tampering by plaintiff and his counsel.
  • Settled a multimillion-dollar class action for a large healthcare provider for pennies on the dollar.
  • Secured plaintiff’s voluntary dismissal of all claims against the client for a waiver of costs only in a sexual harassment/wrongful termination case.
  • Obtained dismissal of numerous contract, fraud, harassment, discrimination, wrongful termination and other employment claims on summary judgment.
  • Represented the petitioner in Hairston v. Office of Personnel Management, 318 F.3d 1127 (Fed. Cir. 2003), a pro bono case that created new law in the area of federal employee benefits. ​

Related Practices

Services

Venture Capital / Emerging Companies

Litigation

Class Actions

Digital Media Litigation

Employment and Labor

Industries

Manatt Entertainment

Manatt Health

Manatt Financial Services

Hospitality and Leisure

Artificial Intelligence

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