Wesley M. Griffith is a Partner and the California Managing Partner at Almeida Law Group.

Experience in Trial Law and Litigation

Wes is an accomplished litigator. Like many attorneys at the firm, Wes developed extensive experience as a defense attorney, spending a decade at two of the nation’s top defense firms, where he represented some of the world’s largest companies in class actions and complex litigation. Wes now leverages his big law experience to advocate vigorously for everyday Americans in trial and appellate courts across the country.

Practice Areas

Wes’s practice focuses primarily on consumer class actions, focusing on junk fees, false and deceptive advertising, forever chemical contamination, and complex commercial disputes. He has represented clients in significant federal court actions (including before the United States Supreme Court), multidistrict litigation, and other complex actions across the country.

Wes grew up in a small mining and lumber town outside of Yosemite. He’s seen firsthand how large corporations can abuse their power and take advantage of the public trust. His goal as a lawyer is to give everyday Americans a chance to stand up for what is right in Court in the face of corporate abuses.

When not practicing law, Wes enjoys hiking with his dog in the Sierra Nevada and refining his negotiation skills with his two young children.

Notable Cases and Legal Representation

Wes’s notable current matters include:

• Reserve California Camping Junk Fees Class Action
• Greystar Junk Fee Class Action
• School Lunch Fees Class Action
• Avis and Budget Rental Car Junk Fees

Prior class action experience includes:

• Beaver v. Tarsadia Hotels, 2017 WL 4310707 (S.D. Cal. Sept. 28, 2017) (granting final approval to a class action settlement of over $50 million in a real estate development dispute)
• Weller v. HSBC Fin. Corp., 2015 WL 6123195 (D. Colo. Oct. 19, 2015)
• West v. HSBC Mortgage Corp., South Carolina Court of Common Pleas (August 2015)
• In re HSBC Bank, USA, N.A., Debit Card Overdraft Fee Litig., Supreme Court of the State of New York (2015)
• In re HSBC Bank, USA, N.A., Debit Card Overdraft Fee Litig., 99 F. Supp. 3d 288 (E.D.N.Y. 2015)
• Vasquez v. California School of Culinary Arts, Inc., 230 Cal. App. 4th 35 (Cal. App. 2d Dist. 2014)
• Diaz v. HSBC USA, N.A., 2014 WL 5488161 (S.D. Fla. 2014)
• In re HSBC Mortg. Corp. Force-Placed Hazard Ins. Litig., 959 F. Supp. 2d 1370 (J.P.M.L. 2013)
• Davis v. Chase Bank USA, N.A., Central District of California (2013)

Wes has successfully litigated and settled numerous high-profile class actions, including settlements valued at over $100 million.

Cases in the News

Wes’ cases often involve important public rights. Recent news coverage on Wes’ cases includes:

• Camping at a state park can require a tough reservation — and extra fees. Are they legal?, San Diego Union-Tribune, May 16, 2025
• California State Parks Website Contractor Adds Illegal Junk Fees, Lawsuit Claims, Fresno Bee, May 10, 2025
• California Campers Accuse Software Giant of Illegal ‘Drip Pricing, SFGate, May 9, 2025
• California State Parks Website Contractor Adds Illegal Junk Fees, Lawsuit Claims, Sacramento Bee, May 8, 2025
• Apartment Manager Greystar Faces More ‘Junk Fee’ Lawsuits After FTC Case, Reuters, April 30, 2025
• ‘Must Be Stopped’: New Nationwide Class Action Targets ‘Junk Fees,’ Law.com, November 1, 2024
• Why did former Save Mart manager work for more than 20 years then sue? ‘A breaking point,’ The Modesto Bee, November 8, 2024
• School Lunch Payment Processor Hit With Junk Fee Class Action, Bloomberg Law, October 31, 2024
• Former Save Mart Manager Files Wage Theft Class Action Lawsuit, The Sacramento Bee, October 24, 2024
• Hotel and Airline Junk Fees Are Easier to Spot–and You’ll Keep Paying, The Wall Street Journal, September 16, 2024
• Junk Fees Radio Interview, KNX in Los Angeles, July 27, 2024
• Class Action Lawsuit Alleging Discrimination Filed Against Navy Federal, December 19, 2023
• National Park Visits Are Surging, and One Firm Is Making Unexpected Millions, The Wall Street Journal, April 6, 2023

Publications and Presentations

Wes is frequently invited to speak and lecture on legal topics. Recent presentations and publications include:

• “Federal Civil Procedure for the Real World,” Consumer Attorneys of California Napa Seminar, March 2025
• “Legal Writing You’ll Actually Do as a Practicing Attorney,” Guest lectures at the University of California Law San Francisco and University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, February 2025, and November 2024
• “Drip and Partition Pricing Under State UDAP Laws,” National Association of Consumer Advocates and National Consumer Law Center Conference, October 2024
• “Dealing with Defendants and Defense Counsel,” National Association of Consumer Advocates Workshop, April 2024

Commitment to Public Service

Wes is committed to public service and civil rights. Wes maintains an active pro bono practice representing clients in civil rights cases. He serves on the pro bono panels for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Eastern District of California.

Bar Admissions and Credentials

Wes is admitted to practice law in:

• California
• U.S. District Courts for the Central, Eastern, Northern, and Southern Districts of California
• U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation
• U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second, Ninth, and Eleventh Circuits
• Supreme Court of the United States