Michael Del Negro

Michael Del Negro is a regulatory, compliance, and litigation attorney with more than two decades of experience advising multinational companies on government investigations, product safety, international trade, corporate compliance, and complex litigation. He helps manufacturers, consumer product and technology companies navigate regulatory challenges and manage trade and supply chain risks.

Michael represents companies in investigations and enforcement matters before federal and state agencies, including the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Department of Justice (DOJ), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Federal Trade Commission (FTC). His practice includes product safety and market access, recalls, regulatory reporting, customs and tariffs, forced labor, and sanctions compliance.

Drawing on his experience as both outside counsel and a senior in-house legal and compliance executive, Michael advises clients on corporate compliance programs, internal investigations, enterprise risk management, crisis response, and regulatory due diligence. He also has substantial trial experience defending nationwide product liability, mass tort, and consumer class action litigation, as well as administrative proceedings before the FTC.

Before joining PLG, Michael served as Vice President and Head of Safety, Ethics & Compliance at Peloton Interactive, where he led global compliance and risk management functions and advised executive leadership and the Board on regulatory, governance, and enforcement matters. He previously held senior legal and compliance leadership roles at GE Appliances, a Haier company, and General Electric, overseeing global product safety, regulatory compliance, and government investigations.

Representative Experience

Product Safety & Regulatory Compliance Matters

• Represented consumer product manufacturers in regulatory investigations and enforcement matters before the CPSC, FDA, and EPA, including product safety reporting, recalls, corrective actions, and civil penalty proceedings.
• Advised multinational manufacturers on federal and state product regulatory requirements, including chemical restrictions, environmental and extended producer responsibility (EPR) obligations, and energy-efficiency standards.
• Managed complex product safety investigations and coordinated voluntary recalls across multiple markets, developing regulatory strategies to address safety risks and minimizing business disruption.
• Obtained U.S. EPA SNAP approval of flammable refrigerants for use in residential dehumidifiers.

Government Investigations & Enforcement

• Led the global regulatory response to a major product safety crisis involving a nationwide recall and parallel DOJ, SEC, and CPSC investigations.
• Represented companies and corporate executives in federal grand jury proceedings and regulatory enforcement matters.
• Directed internal investigations and coordinated responses to government inquiries involving product safety and corporate compliance.

International Trade & Supply Chain Risk

• Advised multinational manufacturers on tariff mitigation strategies, including advocacy involving Section 301 tariffs and related U.S. trade measures.
• Managed a voluntary prior disclosure to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), resolving customs compliance issues without civil penalty enforcement.
• Represented an importer in a CBP merchandise detention involving suspected forced labor concerns under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA).

Corporate Compliance & Governance

• Designed and implemented global corporate compliance and ethics programs, including whistleblower systems, internal investigation protocols, and policy frameworks aligned with DOJ guidance.
• Advised executive leadership and boards of directors on corporate governance, regulatory enforcement, and enterprise risk management.
• Counseled companies on pre- and post-merger due diligence and integration involving product liability, regulatory compliance, and governance risks.

Complex Litigation & Consumer Protection

• Successfully defended consumer class actions arising from voluntary recalls.
• Served as trial counsel in nationwide pharmaceutical product liability and mass tort litigation involving thousands of plaintiffs.
• Served as trial counsel in In re Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, an FTC hospital merger proceeding that concluded without divestiture, 2005.