Securities Fraud

PDF

Kessler Topaz has a sophisticated client base comprised of over 350 institutional investors —including more than 175 public pension funds—as well as Taft-Hartley pension and Health & Welfare funds, mutual fund managers, asset managers, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, hedge funds and other large investors from around the world. Our clients have come to rely upon us not just for our abilities as litigators, but also as trusted counsel to analyze cases, provide guidance on how to best recover damages, how to design and implement securities litigation policies, and how to implement systems for portfolio monitoring and claims filing.

We have been representing these institutional investors in many of the largest and most significant securities fraud cases for over 30 years and have successfully obtained numerous groundbreaking and record setting results. Our securities fraud litigators are regularly recognized as leaders in the field individually and our firm is both feared and respected among the defense bar and the insurance bar.

Impactful Litigation

As an international leader in securities fraud litigation, we handle the cases that are important to institutional investors. In this respect, Kessler Topaz was a leader in representing classes in litigation related to the massive IPO allocation scandal during the dot.com bubble, brought dozens of options backdating cases, was appointed to leadership roles in connection with the global subprime financial crisis, and is currently litigating numerous matters in the most recent price fixing scandal in the pharmaceutical sector. We have recovered almost $11 billion overall for our clients, which includes nearly $5 billion for our clients in the subprime financial crisis alone. In the process, we faced off against some of the biggest names in financial services, including Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, UBS, Morgan Stanley, Lehman Brothers, Countrywide, Wachovia and Citigroup. In addition, our lawyers are currently representing lead plaintiffs in securities fraud cases against such household names as Goldman Sachs, Kraft Heinz, Walgreens, General Electric, Celgene, Teva Pharmaceuticals, and more. Unlike many firms that litigate complex class action securities cases, we don’t shy away from the courtroom. Opponents know we have the experience and resources to see a matter through to trial, and few are willing to put us to the test.

Some of our most prominent recoveries in securities class actions include:

Tyco International Ltd. Shareholder Litigation ($3.2 billion recovery)
Bank of America/Merrill Lynch Merger Litigation ($2.425 billion recovery)
Citigroup Inc. Bondholder Litigation ($730 million recovery)
Wachovia Preferred Securities Litigation ($627 million recovery)
Lehman Brothers Shareholder Litigation ($616 million recovery)

Choose the Right Battles

Because litigation is a commitment for both lawyer and client, we ensure that our clients choose their battles with care. Before taking on any matter, we take the time to understand our client’s goals and expectations by thoroughly analyzing each case to ensure it has the right mix of facts, law and potential recovery to be worth pursuing for the client and not just the lawyers.