OVERVIEW
Experience
Bonny is co-chair of the firm’s antitrust practice group and a member of the firm’s Management Committee. She has specialized in antitrust litigation for more than 20 years, representing clients in price-fixing, monopolization, Robinson-Patman Act and tying cases. She has played a leading role in major antitrust litigation, including serving as co-lead counsel in a sprawling litigation against the world’s largest credit card companies, representing investors and banking customers in multiple cases against the largest banks in the world, and trying three antitrust class actions to jury verdict. Several of Bonny’s cases have resulted in landmark court decisions that have helped shape United States antitrust law. In addition to her work in antitrust, Bonny also litigates consumer fraud class actions and represents clients in commercial litigation. Bonny also has an active pro bono practice.
Clients
Bonny has represented a diverse array of clients including institutional and individual investors, NCAA coaches, NCAA student-athletes, professional athletes, farmers, consumers, and businesses and individuals who purchased products at prices inflated by anticompetitive conduct.
EDUCATION
Case Western Reserve University School of Law, J.D., summa cum laude, Editor, Law Review, Member, Order of the Coif
Cornell University, M.A.
Beijing Language Institute, Chinese Language Certificate
Whittier College, B.A.
BAR ADMISSIONS
California
Massachusetts
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals
United States Supreme Court
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
AFFILIATIONS
Appointed Member, American Bar Association, Antitrust Law Section Long Range & Strategic Planning Committee (2021-22)
Appointed Member, American Bar Association, Antitrust Law Section Nominating Committee (2021-22)
Appointed Member, Special Ops Team: Imagining Antitrust Law Section 2.0, ABA Section of Antitrust Law (2020-2021)
Appointed Member, Presidential Transition Task Force, ABA Section of Antitrust Law (2020)
Co-Chair, Trial Practice Committee, ABA Section of Antitrust Law (2018-Present)
Advisory Board member, MLex (2018-Present)
Advisory Board Member of the Institute for Consumer Antitrust Studies, Loyola University (2009-Present)
Advisory Board Member of the American Antitrust Institute (2004-Present)
Adjunct Professor, University of San Diego School of Law (Sports and the Law) (2018)
Vice-Chair, Trial Practice Committee, ABA Section of Antitrust Law (2015-2017)
Former Chair of the Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law Section of the State Bar of California
NEWS
EVENTS
- "Opportunity or Risk? A Discussion Among Experts on Bringing Private Monopolization Cases," American Antitrust Institute 14th Annual Private Enforcement Virtual Conference (Nov. 2020)
- "Antitrust Trials: Lessons from the Battlefield," Bar Association of San Francisco (Sept. 2019)
- "Strengthening Antitrust Enforcement," American Antitrust Institute 20th Annual Policy Conference (June 2019)
- "Antitrust 'Markman' Hearings: Cartel Class Certification Battles," ABA Antitrust Section, 2019 Spring Meeting (March 2019)
- "Celebrating Women in Competition Law," California Lawyers' Association (March 2019)
- "Antitrust and Silicon Valley: New Themes and Direction in Competition Law and Policy," Santa Clara University School of Law Review (March 2019)
- "ACPERA in Civil Cases" ABA Section of Antitrust Law’s 66th Spring Meeting (April 2018), Panelist
- "A Fresh Look at the Role of Economics in Antitrust Analysis," The American Antitrust Institute 17th Annual Conference (June 2016)
- ABA Antitrust Masters Course (Sept. 2016), Faculty Member
- Mock Trial, ABA Section of Antitrust Law, Spring Meeting (April 2015), Participant
- Mock Trial, George Washington University (Sept. 2015), Panelist
- "Litigation in the Aftermath of Criminal Prosecution," ABA Antitrust Section, Spring Meeting (March 2014)
- ABA Antitrust Masters Course (Sept. 2014), Faculty Member
- ABA/IBA International Cartel Workshop (Feb. 2014), Faculty Member
- "Comcasting a Wider Net? A Real-Life Study of Comcast Corp. v. Behrend's Application and Effect at Class Certification," ABA 2013 Class Action National Institute (Oct. 2013)
- "Recent Developments in California Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law" (June 2013)
- "Judgment Sharing Agreements: The Plaintiff’s Perspective," ABA Antitrust Section 2013 Spring Meeting (Apr. 2013)
- "Antitrust and Sports Law," Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference (Aug. 2012)
- "Joint Comments of the American Bar Association Section of Antitrust Law and Section of International Law to the Department for Business Innovation & Skills' Consultation on Options for Reform of Private Actions in Competition Law" (July 2012), Contributor
- ABA/IBA International Cartel Workshop, (Feb. 2012)
- "Clayworth v. Pfizer," Los Angeles County Bar Association, Antitrust Section (Mar. 2011), Faculty Member
- ABA/IBA International Cartel Workshop (Feb. 2010), Faculty Member
- "Hydrogen Peroxide Will Clear It up Right Away: Developments in the Law of Class Certification," ABA Section of Litigation, 13th Annual National Institute on Class Actions (Oct.-Nov. 2009)
- "The Future of Privacy Advocacy Conference," (May 2009)
- "Re-Energizing Section 2 of the Sherman Act," American Antitrust Institute’s 10th Annual Conference (June 2008)
- "Plaintiffs' Strategies for Pursuing Private Damage Claims," ABA Antitrust Section, 2008 International Cartel Workshop (Jan. 2008)
- "Recent Developments in Class Action Litigation," PLI program (March 2007)
- "An Overview of Section 2 Enforcement and Developments," University of Wisconsin Law School Colloquium (Nov. 2007)
- ABA Antitrust Section, The Antitrust Litigation Course (Oct. 2007), Plaintiffs' Trial Team
- "An Overview of Section 2 Enforcement and Developments," American Antitrust Institute (June 2007)
- "Consumer Litigation (Bus. & Prof. C. §17200, Class Actions, CLRA)," Rutter Group program (March 2006)
- "Recent Developments in 17200 Litigation," Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law Section (Dec. 2006)
- "Arbitration in the Class Action Context," CLE International program (Feb. 2006)
- "Financial Services and Insurance Industry Litigation," ALI-ABA program (March 2005)
- "Recent Developments in Antitrust Law," Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law Section (Jan. 2005)
- "Market Competitiveness: Does State Antitrust Law Need to be Updated?" Testimony, California Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Anti-Competitive Conduct and Market Competitiveness (Aug. 2005)
- "Introduction to California Antitrust Law," Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law Section (Oct. 2004)
- "Trying the Antitrust Case," Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law Section (Apr. 2004)
- "Implications of Proposition 64: Changes to the UCL, Bus. & Prof. Code §§17200 et seq. Imposed by Prop. 64," Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law Section (Nov. 2004)
- "The Nuts and Bolts of 17200," Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law Section, (Mar. 2003)
- "Nuts and Bolts of a 17200 Action," Section Educational Institute (Jan. 2003)
- "The Unfair Competition Law," San Diego County Bar Association program (July 2003)
- "Financial Privacy Law," National Council of Higher Education program (March 2000)
- KSDO radio Legal Affairs program devoted to financial privacy issues (Feb. 2000), Guest speaker
PUBLICATIONS
Publications:
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- "The Next Antitrust Agenda: The American Antitrust Institute’s Transition Report on Competition Policy to the 45th President of the United States," American Antitrust Institute (2017), Contributing Author
- "Antitrust Law Developments (Eighth)," ABA Section of Antitrust Law (2017), Contributing Author
- "Earning ACPERA’s Civil Benefits," 29 Antitrust Magazine 37 (Summer 2015), Author
- "Defining Antitrust Violations in the United States," Private Enforcement of Antitrust Law in the United States: A Handbook (Albert A. Foer and Randy M. Stutz, eds.) (Elgar, 2012), Author
- "Defining Antitrust Violations in the US," The International Handbook on Private Enforcement of Competition Law (Albert A. Foer and Jonathan W. Cuneo, eds.) (Elgar, 2010), Author
- "State Common Law Torts," Business Torts and Unfair Competition Law, Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law Treatise (4th ed., 2010), Co-Author
- "The Next Antitrust Agenda: The American Antitrust Institute's Transition Report on Competition Policy to the 44th President of the United States," (Albert A. Foer, ed. 2008), Co-Author
- "The ‘Federalization’ of the Cartwright Act," 17 COMPETITION 139 (Fall 2008), Author
- "An Overview of Section 2 Enforcement and Developments," 2008 Wis. L. Rev. 231 (2008), Author
- "Market Competitiveness: Does State Antitrust Law Need to be Updated?" Statement Before California Senate Judiciary Committee, 14 COMPETITION (Spring/Summer 2005), Author
Press:
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- "Plaintiffs Bar Perspective: Hausfeld’s Bonny Sweeney," Law360 (June 5, 2017)
- "Annual List of 100 Leading Women Lawyers in California," Daily Journal (May 7, 2014)
- "Litigator of the Week," Global Competition Review (Oct. 1, 2014)
WHAT OTHERS SAY
American Bar Association
- Recipient of the Antitrust Law Section's Women.Connected 'Hall of Fame-inism' Award in 2020.
Benchmark Litigation
- California Litigation Star, Antitrust/Competition in 2021
- Local Litigation Star, Antitrust/Competition in 2021
Best Lawyers
- Best Lawyer, Litigation - Antitrust since 2018
Lawdragon
- Leading Lawyer in America since 2019
- Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyer since 2019
Legal 500
- Recommended Lawyer, Antitrust - Civil Litigation/Class Actions: Plaintiff since 2019
Super Lawyers
- Super Lawyer, Antitrust Litigation in San Francisco since 2007
Other
- Top 100 Leading Women Lawyers in California by The Daily Journal in 2014
- Litigator of the Week by Global Competition Review in 2014
- Outstanding Women in Antitrust/Competition by Law360 in 2007
- Wiley M. Manuel Pro Bono Services Award in 2003
- Distinguished Service Award by The San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program in 2003