Overview
Sonja Arndt-Johnson is a member of Steptoe's White Collar and Commercial Litigation practices where she handles a variety of complex litigation matters. Sonja specializes in Data Privacy and assists various domestic and international businesses with U.S. privacy and data breach compliance. Sonja has successfully defended clients against CPRA/CCPA, BIPA, and wiretap allegations, while drafting complex multi-jurisdictional privacy policies, terms of use and service agreements, DMCA policies, and prohibited content policies. As a former Assistant US Attorney, Sonja also defends clients subject to white collar investigations, assisting clients from pre-indictment through to sentencing.
Sonja has extensive courtroom and trial experience through her prior government service. She practiced in the criminal section of the United State Attorney's Office in Washington, DC, where she ran complex investigations, presented cases before grand juries, and successfully took cases through trial and sentencing. While at the USAO-DC Sonja also worked in the Appellate Section, successfully handing appeals in D.C. and federal courts. Before joining the US Attorney's Office, Sonja began her legal career as a Deputy District Attorney in the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office in California.
During law school, Sonja externed full-time at the Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and the Office of International Affairs (OIA) of the DOJ in Washington, DC. While at CCIPS, Sonja worked on extraterritorial disputes, notice requirements associated with click bait disclosures, cyber-crimes investigations, and assisted in drafting data breach legislation.
Prior to practicing law, Sonja was a Congressional Aide on Military and Veteran Affairs and Director of a Congressional satellite office where she advised members of Congress on matters involving regulatory issues, investigations, legal compliance, and federal appropriations.
- California
- J.D., University of California, Hastings College of Law, 2018, Editor in Chief, Hastings Women’s Law Journal; Winner Best Oralist, Appellate Advocacy Moot Court
- Leader Development Certificate, US Army War College, 2015
- B.A., University of California, Santa Cruz, Chapter Founder, U.C. Santa Cruz Global Microfinance Brigades; Chancellor’s Achievement Award for Diversity on behalf of Global Bridges, Business Management Economics and Politics majors
Areas of Work
Representative Matters
White-Collar Criminal Allegations
- Represented a Texas oil investor against wire fraud allegations.
- Represented a San Francisco businessman against wire fraud allegations.
- Represented multiple medical doctors against fraud allegations.
- Represented a politician against embezzlement and perjury allegations.
- Represented a group of California businessmen against international import crimes.
Investigations
- Represented clients facing California Greenwashing Taskforce investigations.
- Represented a China-based client facing a Department of Defense (DoD) investigation.
- Represented a China-based client facing a Department of Justice (DoJ) investigation.
- Represented a non-profit client on an internal theft investigation.
- Represented both for-profit and non-profit clients facing FTC investigations and production requests.
Class Actions
- Represented a retail client facing an Unlawful Trade Practice Act (UTPA) class action before the Oregon Supreme Court.
- Represented a client facing an ERISA class action before the Second Circuit as it relates to a jury demand.
- Represented a university facing Title IX class action in San Francisco.
- Represented a retail client in summary judgment proceedings related to a Washington Consumer Protection Act (CPA) class action;
- Represented retail clients facing class action wiretap allegation as it relates to Chatbots and session replay software.
Judgement Enforcement
- Represented Korean-based client on an arbitration clause enforcement issue.
- Represented Bitcoin client on judgment enforcement issue related to commodities fraud.
Other Experience
- Represented a telecommunications company on an emergency cease and desist letter as it related to state wiretap violations.
- Secondee to assist a technology company’s in-house counsel on legal policy matters.
- Represented retail clients in filing mediation briefs for pending federal cases before the Eastern District of Michigan.
- Represented clients in California state court on foreign-country judgment actions.
- Represented retail clients to ensure multi-state data breach reporting and notification compliance, federal health breach notification compliance, and contractual obligations under the Payment Card Industry (PCI) guidelines. Represented over a dozen retail companies (pet food companies, footwear companies, clothing companies, and sporting goods companies), law firms, and tech startups, in drafting multi-jurisdiction compliant privacy policies.
- Represent sporting goods client in responding to state AG consumer complaints.
- Represented an international CEO facing fraud allegations by the Office of Institutional Integrity (OII).
News & Publications
Press Releases
October 30, 2023
StepTechToe
Courts Pump Brakes on Privacy Rights; California AG Responds with Investigative Sweep
July 21, 2023
By: Tod Cohen, Alan Cohn, Anne-Gabrielle Haie, Sonja Arndt-Johnson
First Tuesday Update
Second Circuit Might Reconsider Forum Non Conveniens and Foreign Arbitration Awards
December 6, 2022
By: Steven K. Davidson, Michael J. Baratz, Molly Bruder Fox, Sonja Arndt-Johnson
Publications
Tidal Wave of New Session-Replay and Chatbot Claims Hits the Retail Industry
October 7, 2022