Class Actions
When a company is hit with a class action, the consequences are swift and far-reaching, and can put its reputation, operations, and financial stability on the line. Clients turn to Arnold & Porter as the “master strategists”, frequently calling on our firm to serve as national coordinating counsel or as lead counsel in multidistrict litigations. Our attorneys are known for developing innovative ways to defeat class actions and extricate clients from inappropriate and unfavorable forums. We have defeated efforts to certify classes based on claims of economic injury by purchasers of harmful products, claims that reliance can be presumed in a fraud case, and the use of public nuisance to aggregate claims without the procedural protections of class action rules. In short, we get the job done where standard strategies fall flat.
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Depth of Experience: Our case strategies draw on extensive experience in substantive legal areas: antitrust, consumer protection, data breaches, environmental, financial services, product liability, and securities.
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Industry Knowledge: Our class action work spans accounting, automotive, banking, chemicals, consumer products and retail, energy, food and beverage, industrial products, pharmaceuticals, retail, transportation, and technology industries.
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Novel Strategies: We don’t just apply playbooks, we rewrite them. Praised as “master strategists” by Chambers USA, our attorneys set new standards in class action defense, from defeating class certification with novel economics to reframing causation and dismantling aggregation theories.
Most Feared in Litigation (2024)
Experience Highlights
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7-Eleven in obtaining dismissal of class action alleging that the labels on snack food products were not in compliance with FDA regulations for food labeling.
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Honeywell in the defense of a consolidated class action and approximately 45 individual toxic tort suits arising out of the presence of PFOA in the groundwater and municipal water supply of Hoosick Falls, New York.
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Hologic and Cynosure in defeating class certification and obtaining summary judgment in a purported class action regarding the efficacy of the SculpSure® device.
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General Electric in securing dismissal of putative class action alleging personal injuries from radiation exposure arising out of the Fukushima nuclear power plant meltdown.
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Carnival Corporation and its subsidiaries as co-lead counsel in defense of multiple class actions and 200+ individual wrongful-death and personal injury claims arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. Obtained dismissal with prejudice or favorable resolution of all actions and established ground-breaking precedents in COVID claims.
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Yelp in successfully defending the company and three of its senior officers in a consolidated securities class action.
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McDonald's Corporation, Coty Inc., and Shiseido America Corp. in securing precedent-setting victories in first PFAS class actions against cosmetic and fast-food companies.
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National oil and gas company in its successful defense against lead pigment public nuisance suits brought by the Rhode Island Attorney General, Ohio Attorney General, and numerous cities and counties in California, Illinois, New Jersey, and Ohio. Disposed of hundreds of cases by motion and prevailed in the four cases tried to verdict.
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Gilead Sciences, HBO, Honeywell, and Tandem Diabetes in obtaining dismissal of putative data breach class actions.
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Samsung Electronics America in obtaining a rare dismissal of a nationwide data breach class action MDL in the District of New Jersey, where plaintiffs asserted class-wide and statutory claims in a 97-count consolidated complaint.
Key Contacts
Related Services
Recognition
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BTI Consulting GroupIntimidating Opponent in Litigation (2025)
Class Action Leaders (2024)
Most Feared in Litigation (2024) -
U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers“Best Law Firms” for Commercial Litigation—Boston, Colorado, Washington, D.C., Houston, National, San Francisco (2025)
“Best Law Firms” for Bet-the-Company Litigation – San Francisco (2025)
“Best Law Firms” for Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendant—National, New York (2025) -
Benchmark LitigationRecommended – Dispute Resolution — California; New York (2025)
Highly Recommended – Dispute Resolution — District of Columbia (2025) -
The Legal 500 USAntitrust: Civil Litigation/Class Actions (2025)
Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action: Consumer Products (including tobacco) (2024)
Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action — Defense: Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices (2025)
Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action — Defense: Toxic Tort (2025)
Securities Litigation: Defense (2025) -
The American LawyerShortlisted - Litigation Department of the Year
Shortlisted - Product Department of the Year
