Meryl Conant Governski⏐Partner

Meryl Conant Governski focuses on high-risk, high-profile commercial litigation with extensive experience serving on trial teams in federal and state courts in cases involving defamation, privacy-related torts, and other matters implicating the First Amendment, as well as breach of contract and an assortment of complex legal claims. Meryl possesses a unique combination of substantive expertise coupled with significant trial experience. Her practice often lands Meryl on both sides of the “v” — she has defended media organizations against claims of defamation while also having represented victims of disinformation in their pursuit of truth and accountability. In addition to providing litigation support, Meryl regularly conducts pre-screening reviews to counsel clients about the risk of publication.

Meryl's high-profile matters include the representation of Blake Lively in her lawsuit against Hollywood director Justin Baldoni and other defendants in connection with claims of sexual harassment during the filming of "It Ends With Us” and subsequent retaliation against Ms. Lively for reporting the on-set misconduct. Meryl contributed to winning the dismissal of Baldoni’s  $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds. Meryl is currently serving as lead counsel for multiple media organizations, including Warner Bros. Discovery, in South Carolina against defamation claims asserted by Buster Murdaugh in connection with multiple documentary films, and she conceived of and executed a successful effort to sever and remove the case from state to federal court. Meryl has served an integral role in multiple multi-week trial successes, including achieving a complete defense victory for Uber Technologies in a $750 million dispute after being retained just six weeks before trial and representing Oracle Corporation in multiple high-stakes intellectual property and contract matters as part of a trial team that secured a $50 million verdict. In December 2023, Meryl secured a landmark $148.1 million jury verdict in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on behalf of Fulton County, Georgia, election workers Ruby Freeman and Wandrea' ArShaye ("Shaye") Moss in their defamation lawsuit against Rudy Giuliani. In subsequent enforcement proceedings, Meryl skillfully cross-examined Mr. Giuliani in connection with a motion to hold him in contempt of court, and the parties settled shortly thereafter. Meryl also successfully negotiated a settlement after years of litigation on behalf of the plaintiff in Rich v. Butowsky, a defamation case challenging viral conspiracy theories surrounding Seth Rich's murder. Meryl’s diverse portfolio also includes challenging an unlawful bid solicitation in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and representing a congressional candidate on financial disclosure compliance and electronic ballot marking device issues in primary elections. 

Prior to attending law school, Meryl spent nearly a decade in the communications field, including as a member of the public relations team at CNN and as an on-air broadcast journalist in Charleston, South Carolina, and Staunton, Virginia. While attending law school in the evenings, she worked as the speechwriter for the president of a local community college.