Michelle Cheng

Michelle is a health care litigation partner in Reed Smith’s Global Commercial Disputes Group. Her practice involves defending and counseling managed health care companies in high-stakes, complex litigation and arbitrations. Michelle focuses her managed care practice on payor/provider disputes and is regularly involved in defending managed care plans against claims relating to breach of contract and out-of-network disputes involving reimbursements and unfair competition.

She also has substantial experience defending medical device and pharmaceutical clients facing complex product liability and mass tort litigation. Michelle has handled actions relating to disputes involving collaboration, co-promotion, and licensing agreements among pharmaceutical and biotech companies.

Michelle is based in Reed Smith’s Los Angeles office. She frequently contributes to pro bono and diversity efforts and currently serves as co-chair of her office’s Women’s Initiative Network.

Representative Matters

• Secured dismissals with prejudice against serial, out-of-network infusion services provider seeking millions of dollars in damages
• Obtained favorable dispositive rulings in complex provider/payor reimbursement disputes that led to their successful conclusions
• Defended health plan and health insurer in complex bad faith, breach of contract, and unfair competition cases arising from benefit payments and/or provider disputes
• Served on a national defense team on behalf of a medical device manufacturer; successfully asserted federal preemption defenses against plaintiffs who had filed hundreds of suits around the country against the manufacturer for allegedly engaging in “off-label” promotion of a spinal fusion device, which is generally used to treat degenerative disc disease
• Represented a leading medical device manufacturer; successfully asserted federal preemption defenses against plaintiffs who had alleged product liability claims with respect to pain infusion pumps, spinal cord stimulators, implantable defibrillator leads, and other Premarket approved Class III medical devices
• Defended leading medical device manufacturer in connection with product liability claims related to Resorbable Graft Containment Plating System, diabetes infusion pumps, and other devices
• Defended leading pharmaceutical company in multi-jurisdictional dispute with collaboration partner regarding launch and commercialization of a new drug; avoided $250 million claim for damages

Honors and Awards

• Chosen as one of Los Angeles Journal’s Leaders of Influence: Minority Attorneys (2022)
• Listed as a Rising Star, Southern California Super Lawyers(2013–2015)
• Immigrants’ Rights – Advocate of the Year Award (Public Counsel)

Clerkships

• State Court of Appeals – California – Honorable Judith Ashmann-Gerst

Professional and Community Affiliations

• Korean American Bar Association (Southern California) – Board of Governors
• Women’s Lawyers of Los Angeles – Board of Governors