Class Actions

Class actions can pose enormous risk to a business. Since each one is unique, cookie-cutter approaches to their defense rarely succeed. Ulmer & Berne aggressively and creatively defends nationwide and statewide class actions. Our class action defense practice provides effective, comprehensive and multifaceted legal representation to major corporations, smaller businesses, institutions and individuals faced with defending class action litigation. The practice’s interdisciplinary approach draws upon the collective and wide-ranging expertise and experience of the Firm’s attorneys across its diverse practice groups to assemble and integrate the substantive and class action experience into a client and case-centered team which comprehensively and efficiently defends the case.   

The attorneys within the class action defense practice have extensive experience litigating class action cases in state and federal courts throughout the country. The group’s attorneys have litigated class action cases on behalf of clients in a wide range of industries, including financial services, pharmaceutical and medical devices, manufacturing and consumer goods and services. 

Our representation encompasses a broad array of substantive legal issues, including securities, investment fraud, mass and toxic torts, employment practices, consumer sales practices and advertising claims, environmental contamination, debtor/creditor rights, insurance coverage and insurance claims practices, real estate issues, ERISA and director and officer (D&O) liability.

Our class action defense practice is also geared to provide advice and counsel to the Firm’s clients on matters relating to class action avoidance and due diligence, landmark cases, proposed or enacted legislation, and emerging trends in class action and complex litigation.  
 

Attorneys
Steven W. Albert
John M. Alten
Thomas L. Anastos
Kenneth F. Berg
Matthew V. Brammer
Joseph A. Castrodale
Tiffany Reece Clark
Jason P. Conte
Paul J. (P.J.) Cosgrove
Maria Del Monaco
Jeffrey S. Dunlap
Christopher P. Fisher
Jeffrey G. Geoppinger
Sharon E. Gronotte
John J. Haggerty
Paul R. Harris
Jessica K. Iwler
Karen E. Jones
Marvin L. Karp
Shannan L. Katz
Rex A. Littrell
Linda E. Maichl
Gregory J. Phillips
Lawrence D. Pollack
Harold (Kip) Reader
Kate E. Ryan
Gina M. Saelinger
Kari C. Samuels
Richik Sarkar
Jeffrey R. Schaefer
Isaac Schulz
Kurt S. Siegfried
Joseph S. Simms
Joseph P. Thomas
Max W. Thomas
Michael N. Ungar
David D. Yeagley

 

Clients

 

Representative Experience

Represented a publicly traded manufacturing company in class action claims under the federal securities laws.

Represented several public companies in class actions in the pharmaceutical, medical device and nutritional supplements industries.

Represented a financial services company in class action claims under the federal securities laws.

Represented numerous employers in class action employment and labor cases, including alleged race and gender discrimination claims (equal pay, promotion and hiring), as well as wage and hour and WARN claims.

Represented a financial services professional in a class action which was tried for several weeks involving contract and fiduciary duty claims.

Represented a major financial institution in class action consumer protection claims involving credit card charges.

Represented various pharmaceutical companies, a major airline and a welding distributor in multidistrict litigation (MDL) proceedings.

Represented the board of directors in shareholder litigation involving a merger between two financial services companies.

Represented a building products wholesaler in class action claims under ERISA.

Represented multiple major corporations in class actions under the consumer sales practices act.

 

Related Practice Areas
Litigation
Banking & Commercial Litigation
Broker-Dealer & Securities
Complex Business
Employment & Labor
ERISA Litigation
Governance Disputes & D&O Litigation
Mass Tort/Occupational Exposure
Product Liability

Business
Corporate Governance

Financial Services
Broker-Dealer Litigation
Securities Litigation

Life Science
Pharmaceutical, Medical Device & Mass Tort Litigation

 

Case Studies

 

Publications

 

News