Sean Newland focuses his practice on resolving domestic and international environmental and product-related litigation, regulatory enforcements, and compliance issues for product-related businesses.
His litigation practice centers on consumer product defense against false, misleading, or unsubstantiated label and advertising claims, California’s Proposition 65, and consumer class actions. He defends a range of companies, including food and beverage manufacturers, textile businesses, and personal care product brands in lawsuits involving chemicals of concern and related issues. Sean also has experience with high stakes commercial litigation in courts throughout the country and alternative dispute resolution forums, including corporate contractual disputes, trade secrets and employee mobility claims, and business torts.
Sean also counsels manufacturers, distributors, and online and traditional retailers about product safety issues and regulatory compliance, including Consumer Product Safety Commission regulations. He helps companies determine when CPSC should be notified of possible defects and safety issues, navigate recalls, build corrective action plans, and defend enforcement actions. His experience includes home furnishings, household appliances, toys and children's products, electronics, batteries, packaging, and connected (IoT) devices. Sean also has substantial experience navigating other federal and state laws and regulations that impact consumer product companies, including PFAS prohibitions, greenwashing claims, recycling laws (such as Extended Producer Responsibility), and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. He helps clients ascertain and monitor regulatory compliance obligations, implement required certifications, develop testing programs, and handle enforcement actions or litigation under federal and state laws.
Drawing on his international network and experience as a secondee on the legal hardware safety and compliance team at a global technology company, Sean also helps companies selling products abroad understand and act in accordance with complicated regulatory regimes in countries throughout the world, including in Asia, Europe, Africa, the Americas, the Middle East and many other jurisdictions and regions.
Judicial Clerkships
•Hon. Rozella A. Oliver, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, 2015-2016
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