The top 100 women in law
Bradley/Grombacher LLP
Kiley L. Grombacher cofounded Bradley/Grombacher LLP in 2017 with law partner Marcus J. Bradley to focus on personal injury claims, employment law cases and consumer class actions.
“We'd worked together at a previous firm, but what was missing was a platform for consumer cases and other more complex matters,” she said.
Grombacher grew up on rock ‘n’ roll tour busses with her father, Myron Grombacher, the drummer for Pat Benatar’s band. Last year, the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Los Angeles.
“Pat Benatar is a really strong woman, and I think that translated to me,” Grombacher said. She added that the music was a perfect backdrop for a plaintiff-side lawyer. “You know, rock ‘n’ roll, stick it to the man, never afraid to speak my mind.”
She won a scholarship to Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law. “Then I landed at a class action firm and I knew I'd found my spot.”
Grombacher served as lead counsel in a class action that ended in a claims-made settlement over consumer products containing undisclosed benzene, a carcinogen. Those who purchased the lotion products Neutrogena, Ultra Sheer, Dry-Touch Water Resistant Sunscreen Lotion and others by Johnson & Jonson are eligible to receive vouchers worth $10.58.
Grombacher said the defendant has paid more than $10 million to date, plus $2.6 million in fees and costs. In re Johnson & Johnson Aerosol Sunscreen Marketing, Sales Practices and Product Liability Litigation, 0:21-md-3015 (S.D. Fla., filed May 26, 2021).
In an ongoing class action, iPhone users allege that Facebook and Instagram parent Meta Platforms, Inc. records their activity through their devices even when they have opted out of tracking. That is a violation of the Invasion of Privacy Act and the Wiretap Act, the complaint alleges. Larch-Miller v. Meta Platforms Inc., 3:22-cv-05426 (N.D. Cal, filed Sept. 22,2022).
“Theres a motion to dismiss pending, but we like our chances,” Grombacher said.
Her cases have become more centered on women and children since she gave birth to a daughter, Grombacher said, because she realized that women and children continue to be disproportionally impacted in her practice areas.
In one current class action, the allegation is that Amazon.com Services LLC fails to comply with state and federally-mandated accommodations for female employees who have returned from maternity leave but must pump breast milk to bottle feed their babies. Torres et al. v. Amazon.com Services LLC, 5:22-cv-01326 (C.D. Cal, filed July 28, 2022).
“We had to lose our lead plaintiff due to some problems she had, but we're refiling with a new plaintiff Grombacher said. “The problem remains, and we don't give up.”
- John Roemer
