Daniel Gherardi represents clients in high-stakes securities and commercial litigation.

Daniel advises public and private companies, global corporations, executives, and boards of directors in highly sensitive matters, including:

  • Securities class actions
  • Shareholder derivative litigation
  • Contract disputes
  • Other complex, high-stakes litigation
  • State and federal government investigations and inquiries
  • Internal investigations

He brings a commercial perspective to critical matters across a range of sectors and technologies, including medical devices, energy and infrastructure, biotechnology, consumer electronics, pharmaceuticals, social media, and SaaS.

Daniel also maintains an active pro bono practice, including successfully securing service-related injury benefits and discharge status upgrades for veterans, obtaining asylum for immigrants, and representing an individual in a wrongful conviction case.

Daniel’s experience includes representing:

  • Meta Platforms in securing dismissal on behalf of the company and members of its board of directors in a shareholder derivative action asserting claims that the company failed to achieve diversity among its board and senior executive leadership
  • Atlassian in securing dismissal with prejudice of securities fraud claims that followed a revision of forward-looking guidance
  • Eargo in securing dismissal with prejudice of a securities lawsuit against the hearing device company that followed a DOJ settlement related to insurance claim submissions, which was then affirmed by the Ninth Circuit
  • NortonLifeLock in securing dismissal on behalf of the company and members of its board of directors in a shareholder derivative action asserting claims that the company failed to achieve sufficient diversity among the board and senior executive leadership
  • Peloton Interactive in a shareholder class action and derivative litigation involving claims regarding the company’s Tread+ product
  • Skillz and its officers and directors in obtaining dismissal (affirmed on appeal) of a deSPAC-related securities class action filed following a deSPAC merger and two short sellers’ reports
  • Restoration Robotics in successfully defending the company and its directors and officers in a series of securities lawsuits in state and federal court, including the first decision outside Delaware to enforce federal forum-selection provisions in IPO-related securities litigation
  • A major technology company and its executive officers and directors in successfully obtaining first-round dismissal with prejudice of a federal securities lawsuit related to executive compensation
  • A major technology company in a derivative lawsuit alleging breach of fiduciary duties by the company’s board of directors and certain officers
  • Enphase Energy in successfully obtaining first-round dismissal with prejudice for the company and its officers and directors in a securities class action and related derivative actions involving alleged improper accounting practices
  • PolarityTE, a medical technology company, in obtaining first-round dismissal with prejudice in a securities fraud class action
  • Extreme Networks and its officers in securing dismissal of a securities fraud class action related to customer demand and forward-looking guidance
  • Fastly and its officers and directors in a securities class action and derivative lawsuits related to lowered revenue projections
  • Ardelyx in:
    • Achieving dismissal with prejudice of all claims in a securities class action related to FDA approval of XPHOZAH, which was then affirmed by the Ninth Circuit
    • Securities class action related to the transitional drug add-on payment adjustment process for XPHOZAH in the District of Massachusetts
  • Akero Therapeutics in securing dismissal with prejudice of securities class action related to clinical trials of an investigational drug for treating liver disease
  • Aimmune Therapeutics in resolving federal securities claims arising out of Aimmune’s merger with Nestlé
  • Starbucks in federal securities class action and related derivative actions in the Western District of Washington
  • Expensify in a federal securities class action and related derivative actions in the District of Oregon
  • Khosla Ventures and affiliated individuals and entities in:
    • Obtaining dismissal of claims in a federal securities class action related to the acquisition of Nextdoor by Khosla Ventures Acquisition Corp. II
    • Defending Khosla-related individuals and entities in the Delaware Court of Chancery in deSPAC litigation related to the acquisition of Nextdoor
  • Neumora Therapeutics in a federal securities class action related to the company’s IPO
  • e.l.f. Beauty in a federal securities class action and related derivative actions

Bar Qualification

  • California

Education

  • JD, University of Southern California Law School, 2017
  • BS, Political Science, Italian, International Studies, Santa Clara University, 2014
    Phi Beta Kappa

Languages Spoken

  • English
  • Italian