Matthew Benedetto is a senior associate in the Litigation/Controversy and Securities Departments, and a member of the Securities Litigation and Enforcement Practice Group. He is also a member of the firm's False Claims Act Group. He joined the firm in 2008.
Practice
Mr. Benedetto’s practice focuses on complex civil litigation and government investigations. Before joining WilmerHale, Mr. Benedetto was an associate at another firm in Los Angeles, where he was a member of a trial team in a four-week federal jury trial involving allegations of fraud against a major insurance company in violation of the False Claims Act. While in law school, Mr. Benedetto clerked for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, San Fernando Branch, where he shadowed the lead prosecutor in a third-strike assault trial. He also was a Teaching Assistant for the Legal Writing and Advocacy Program at USC Law School. After graduating from Dartmouth, Mr. Benedetto taught English at Phillips Academy, Andover.
In his pro bono practice, Mr. Benedetto recently argued an appeal before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of a California state prisoner in a federal challenge to his conditions of confinement. He currently represents a disabled, gay Army veteran in a federal challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act, which seeks disability compensation for her same-sex spouse.
Mr. Benedetto serves on the Firmwide Pro Bono and Public Service Committee.
Professional Activities
Mr. Benedetto serves as an elected member of the Board of Governors of the Los Angeles Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association (LGLA), an affinity group of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He is also an elected member of the Young Professional Council (YPC), an educational outreach, fundraising and advisory group to the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center.