As a premier class action defense firm, we handle class actions related to consumer protection/false advertising, antitrust, product liability, securities, distributor disputes, and environmental matters, among other areas. We draw on the full litigation resources of our firm, including a deep bench of experienced class action attorneys, to litigate in state and federal courts throughout the United States. We also have substantial experience with the intersection of class action claims and arbitration clauses.
Our clients include such leading firms as ARCO/BP, Bank of America, GEICO, General Electric, GlaxoSmithKline, Honeywell, Kmart, Monsanto, Philip Morris, Roche, VeriSign, Visa, Wyeth, and many others.
Representing defendants in class action litigation demands a level of resources, strategic skill, and legal acumen that is the hallmark of our firm. We have devised many innovative ways to defeat class actions, advancing new legal theories to bar or limit plaintiffs' legal claims, extricating clients from inappropriate and unfavorable forums, and highlighting conflicts between class members.
In many class actions, the decision on class certification is pivotal, and we have succeeded in extraordinary victories. In one case alleging consumer fraud by a major retailer, Arnold & Porter came into an ongoing case and succeeded in having a class decertified. On behalf of Philip Morris, we have prevailed against class certification repeatedly, for example, defeating certification of a statewide class of smokers of "light" cigarettes in Oregon and a putative nationwide class in New York for purposes of assessing damages. We prevented class certification in suits charging an insurance company with consumer fraud, as well as in product liability and toxic tort cases.