Over the past 20 years, Williams Mullen’s Class Action Litigation Team has represented clients nationwide in federal and state class action litigation. Our clients include an array of businesses and individuals involved as plaintiffs and defendants in class actions charging consumer law violations, unfair or deceptive trade practices, employment law claims, product liability claims, discrimination claims, energy law and regulatory violations, telecommunications law violations, as well as violations of other business and industry laws and regulations.
Over the past 20 years, Williams Mullen’s Class Action Litigation Team has represented clients nationwide in federal and state class action litigation. Our clients include an array of businesses and individuals involved as plaintiffs and defendants in class actions charging consumer law violations, unfair or deceptive trade practices, employment law claims, product liability claims, discrimination claims, energy law and regulatory violations, telecommunications law violations, as well as violations of other business and industry laws and regulations. Our class action litigators have valuable knowledge in prosecuting and defending class action litigation for both plaintiffs and defendants.
Class Action Attorneys for State and Federal Matters
Our class action attorneys are knowledgeable about the special rules and procedures governing the maintenance and prosecution of class action proceedings, both in federal and state courts, and how they apply to any given set of claims. Williams Mullen’s class action litigators have successfully represented plaintiffs in motions to certify a class, and opposed such motions on behalf of defendants. We have engaged in discovery of facts necessary to maintain or oppose a class action and have given the requisite notices of class action claims and opposed inadequate notices. Additionally, our class action attorneys, have gained judicial approval for proposed class settlements that we have initiated, and successfully opposed efforts to derail such settlements.
A Component of Class Action Success: Cutting-Edge Technology
Our state-of-the-art hardware and software systems make us particularly adept at retrieval, management and use of the large volume of documents typically involved in class action litigation. Of special note is our extensive knowledge, ability and experience in the retention, retrieval, management and use of electronically stored information (ESI). Preservation, organization, production and effective use of ESI is a necessary component of success for any large case, and especially for class actions.
Experience in All Areas of Class Action Matters
Our experience in class action matters has given our class action attorneys the tools and knowledge to effectively structure and administer settlements for our clients. This experience ranges from relatively small, single state class actions to large, national class actions governed by CAFA (Class Action Fairness Act). An effective settlement structure provides defendants with an end to the distraction, cost and threat of further exposure relative to the class action claims.
Additionally, our experience provides our clients with knowledgeable advocates who are able to develop and execute effective strategies for trial should that be the necessary alternative for resolution of class claims.
Consumer Class Actions
- Serve as national consumer fraud class action counsel to a major electronics retailer. Presently defending the client in two unrelated consumer class actions pending in federal court in Massachusetts and Florida, where plaintiffs are seeking to certify national classes based on contract and quasi contract claims alleging violations of the terms and conditions of their purchase agreements.
- Represented a national law firm in a Fair Debt Collection Practice Act class claim pending in federal court.
- Represented a financial services client in defense of a Fair Credit Reporting Act class action involving consumer protection issues.
- Represented a financial institution in a class action filed in South Carolina for violation of the Telephone Communications Protection Act by placing unsolicited telephone marketing calls to a nationwide group of alleged victims.
- Represented a provider of myriad training devices in a Telephone Communications Protection Act class action pending in Philadelphia.
- Represented a major clothing retailer in a series of consumer class action proceedings in California state court regarding the terms and conditions under which gift cards were sold, including a coordinated proceeding that included over 40 different retailer defendants.
- Represented another major clothing retailer in a consumer class action in California alleging that the retailer’s sales practices violated consumers’ privacy rights.
- Represented insurance companies in class actions involving reserve calculations benefit payments and provider payments.
- Represented companies in class action involving claims by consumers and local governments for alleged violations of state sales and use taxes.
Employment Law and Discrimination Class Actions
- Represented a publicly-held national retailer in FLSA representative actions in California and Oregon, and work with the retailer regarding threatened FLSA representative actions in several other jurisdictions.
- Represented a retailer in an ongoing FLSA collective action matter in Mississippi.
- Represented another retailer in FLSA representative actions in Alabama and California.
- Represented a food service company in a class action proceeding in the District of Columbia alleging that services to patrons were provided in a discriminatory fashion.
- Represented a local governmental entity in a FLSA class action alleging that the client had not paid paratransit drivers overtime and, in some instances, minimum wage.
- Represented governmental entity in a representative action under the ADEA charging client with age discrimination in a reduction in force.
Telecommunications//Energy/ Regulatory Class Actions
- Represented class of landowners in Virginia and North Carolina against an electric utility in a multi-million dollar class action to recoup payment for the telecommunications use of their land by the utility.
- Represented corporate client in major antitrust class action brought on behalf of tobacco growers in seven states.
- Represented a Virginia locality in state court litigation brought under the Virginia Multiple Claimants Litigation Act, the state equivalent of the federal class action, by more than 200 women claiming to have suffered adverse reproductive outcomes as a result of contaminated drinking water.
- Represented a major oil company in a class action proceeding in Philadelphia brought by a class of terminated franchised dealers.
- Represented an insurance industry client in an antitrust class action proceeding challenging various insurance industry practices.
- Represented a drug company in a civil conspiracy class action for alleged price fixing.
News
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12.12.2012
Williams Mullen Adds Labor and Employment Attorney Michael Steele in Hampton Roads
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09.13.2012
Banks Face Billions in Liability Exposure
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11.29.2011
2011: A Sea Change for Class Actions?
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10.11.2011
James M. Burns Quoted in Pharmaceutical Law & Industry Report
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08.31.2011
Arbitration Provisions Containing Class Action Waivers: Avoiding Financial Risk and Cost
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08.31.2011
Avoiding Contempt: Responding to Non-Party Subpoenas
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07.15.2011
Class Dismissed: Supreme Court Rejects Title VII Class Certification in Wal-Mart v. Dukes and Provides Guidance on Important Class Action Issues
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07.11.2011
Talk America, Inc. v. Michigan Bell Telephone Co.
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06.20.2011
Supreme Court Clarifies Limits on Federal Courts' Ability to Enjoin State Court Class Actions
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09.15.2010
Williams Mullen has 47 first-tier metropolitan rankings in Best Lawyers and U.S. News Media Group's Best Law Firms inaugural publication
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09.01.2010
Recent Development In Arbitration Case Law From The United States Supreme Court
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05.11.2010
Class Action Exposure Post-Shady Grove v. Allstate
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05.01.2010
Companies Face Increased Exposure to Class Actions in the Wake of Shady Grove v. Allstate
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04.12.2010
Seventh Circuit Holds that a District Court Must Conduct a Daubert Analysis Prior to Class Certification
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02.28.2009
Class Actions: Be Sure Any Settlement Is Really The End
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01.28.2009
Turner A. Broughton Installed as Chair of Virginia Bar Association Young Lawyers Division
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04.08.2008
Six Williams Mullen Lawyers Included in Inaugural Issue of "Super Lawyers, Corporate Counsel Edition"
Events
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Kevin W. Benedict
Partner Raleigh, NC- Phone:919.981.4044
- Email:Email
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Eric S. Berman
Partner Washington, D.C.- Phone:202.327.5087
- Email:Email
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Beth Hirsch Berman
- Phone:757.629.0604
- Email:Email
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Turner A. Broughton
Partner Richmond, VA- Phone:804.420.6926
- Email:Email
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John D. Burns
Partner Raleigh, NC- Phone:919.325.4859
- Email:Email
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Calvin W. "Woody" Fowler, Jr.
Partner Richmond, VA- Phone:804.420.6442
- Email:Email
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M. Keith Kapp
Partner Raleigh, NC- Phone:919.981.4024
- Email:Email
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James V. Meath
Partner Richmond, VA- Phone:804.420.6412
- Email:Email
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Joseph R. Pope
Associate Richmond, VA- Phone:804.420.6560
- Email:Email
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Michael B. Steele
- Phone:757.473.5316
- Email:Email