Sarah M. Gragert

Partner

Washington, D.C.
sarah.gragert@lw.com
+1.202.637.3368

PRACTICES

  • Complex Commercial Litigation
  • Entertainment, Sports & Media
  • Litigation & Trial
  • White Collar Defense & Investigations

INDUSTRIES

  • Energy & Infrastructure
  • Entertainment, Sports & Media
  • Healthcare & Life Sciences
  • Retail & Consumer Products
  • Technology

BAR QUALIFICATIONS

  • District of Columbia
  • Maryland

EDUCATION

  • JD, Cornell Law School, 2007
    magna cum laude
  • BA, Georgetown University, 2002
    magna cum laude

PROFILE

Sarah Gragert represents clients in their highest stakes complex commercial litigation and arbitration matters across the United States.

Sarah efficiently drives large-scale litigations through skilled project management and leverages cutting-edge technology and resources in commercial and corporate disputes relating to:

  • Sports litigation
  • Sexual abuse and discrimination allegations, as well as other employer liability cases
  • Breach of contract
  • Trade-secret misappropriation and business torts
  • Insurance recovery

She draws on a broad diversity of case and investigation experience to devise creative, successful litigation strategies for clients. Leveraging her background as a US Senate deputy press secretary, Sarah understands the importance of a coordinated media strategy to accompany high-profile litigation and works closely with clients to manage the public narrative alongside courtroom messaging.

A recognized leader at the firm, Sarah has served on the Training and Career Enhancement Committee, Technology Committee, and Mentoring Committee.

She is a founder and President of Washington Area Women Trial Attorneys, an association established to develop a community for, and mentorship of, female trial attorneys in the region.

Before law school, Sarah worked as a deputy press secretary in US Senator Debbie Stabenow's office, where she drafted the Senator's speeches, periodical columns, and media advisories. She previously worked as a press assistant and radio producer for Senator Tom Daschle's Democratic Communications Committee.

EXPERIENCE

Sarah’s experience includes representing:

Sports Litigation

  • The US Soccer Federation in its summary judgment win against the US Women’s National Team players in litigation relating to equal pay and working conditions discrimination
  • The NCAA in cutting-edge lawsuits pertaining to concussions in intercollegiate sports, including a wrongful death matter
  • The NFL Players Association in its widely publicized lawsuit against the National Football League in connection with the 2011 NFL labor lockout, in which the court ruled in the players’ favor, which Sports Illustrated declared a “major victory”
  • The NFL Players Association in a licensing dispute against former NFL players

Sexual Abuse Allegations

  • Clients in multiple litigations in which dozens of children, through their parents, sued a large religious organization in connection with child sexual abuse committed by members of the religion
  • The NCAA in several litigation matters arising from the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal, including a lawsuit brought by late Coach Joe Paterno’s estate, as well as related claims of breach of contract and tortious interference
  • Gibbons, as special counsel to Seton Hall University, on conducting an independent investigation into allegations that, while serving as Archbishop of Newark from 1986 to 2000, former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick engaged in sexual misconduct with seminarians studying at the school

Trade-Secret Misappropriation, Contract, and Business Torts

  • LG Energy Solutions in securing a US$1.8 billion settlement in its trade secrets dispute with SK Innovation regarding electric vehicle batteries, after obtaining a complete victory in the International Trade Commission
  • Peloton in securing dismissal of a patent infringement suit filed by competitor Mad Dogg Athletics
  • A client sued for breach of contract related to the manufacture of certain equipment in related matters pending in China and the United States, for which the client successfully counterclaimed that the contract would unlawfully misappropriate trade secrets
  • A pharmaceuticals company in a trade libel matter for defamatory articles written in a trade journal about a long-lasting analgesic
  • Vistra in securing a favorable settlement that fully resolved several breach of contract arbitration matters regarding transportation of coal
  • A software development company in two litigation matters against a competitor and former employees for trade-secret misappropriation and breach of contract regarding the theft of proprietary financial services software
  • An outdoor sports equipment store in successfully settling several litigation matters regarding trade secrets and enforcing employee restrictive covenants
  • A data company in various matters enforcing employee restrictive covenants
  • A refined products and crude oil company in obtaining complete recovery in a breach of contract matter regarding defendant’s failure to pay amounts owed related to the transportation of natural gas
  • A direct marketing company in a series of large-scale litigations, including a class action, a mass action, and a variety of spin-off individual actions, as well as a related government investigation, related to claims of injury caused by a hair product
  • A marketing company in a class action regarding the Telephone Consumer Protections Act in connection with a mass-text message advertising effort

Insurance Recovery

  • Northland, a real estate investment, management, and development company, in litigation against its insurers, who had refused to fully fund litigation or sought to rescind policies that would otherwise cover litigation related to a class action and several individual suits relating to Northland's ownership and development of a property in New Haven, Connecticut
  • A manufacturing client in successfully obtaining large insurance recoveries relating to multiple denied claims arising from disruptions at its overseas manufacturing plants