Consumer Protection

Representative cases and settlements include:

• Having secured a watershed Ninth Circuit victory for consumers in Kater v. Churchill Downs Inc., 886 F.3d 784 (9th Cir. 2018), we are now pursuing consumer claims against more than a dozen gambling companies for allegedly profiting off of illegal internet casinos. Settlements in several of these cases total $200 million.
• Prosecuted over 100 cases alleging that unauthorized charges for mobile content were placed on consumer cell phone bills. Cases collectively settled for over $100 million. See, e.g., McFerren v. AT&T Mobility LLC, No. 08-cv-151322 (Sup. Ct. Fulton Cty., Ga.); Paluzzi et al. v. mBlox, Inc., et al., No. 2007-CH-37213, (Cir. Ct. Cook Cty., Ill.); Williams et al. v. Motricity, Inc. et al., No. 2009-CH-19089 (Cir. Ct. Cook Cty., Ill.).
• Edelson PC v. Christopher Bandas, et al., No. 1:16-cv-11057 (N.D. Ill.): Filed groundbreaking lawsuit seeking to hold professional objectors and their law firms responsible for, among other things, alleged practice of objecting to class action settlements in order to extort payments for themselves, and the unauthorized practice of law. After several years of litigation and discovery, secured first of its kind permanent injunction against the objector and his law firm, which, inter alia, barred them from practicing in Illinois or asserting objections to class action settlements in any jurisdiction absent meeting certain criteria.
• Brought numerous cases alleging that defendants deceptively designed and marketed computer repair software. Cases collectively settled for over $45 million. Beaton v. SpeedyPC Software, 907 F.3d 1018 (7th Cir. 2018).
• McCormick, et al. v. Adtalem Glob. Educ., Inc., et al., No. 2018-CH- 04872 (Cir. Ct. Cook Cty., Ill): After students at one of the country’s largest for-profit colleges, DeVry University, successfully advanced their claims that the school allegedly induced them to enroll and charged a premium based on inflated job placement statistics, the parties agreed to a $45 million settlement—the largest private settlement DeVry has entered into regarding the claims.
• 1050 W. Columbia Condo. Ass’n v. CSC ServiceWorks, Inc., No. 2019-CH-07319 (Cir. Ct. Cook Cty., Ill): Representing a class of landlords in securing a multifaceted settlement—including a cash component of up to $30 million—with a laundry service provider over claims that the provider charged fees that were allegedly not permitted in the parties’ contracts. The settlement’s unique structure allows class members to choose repayment in the near term, or to lock in more favorable rates for the next decade.
• Dickey v. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., No. 15-cv-4922 (N.D. Cal.): Lead counsel in a complex consumer class action alleging AMD falsely advertised computer chips to consumers as “eight-core” processors that were, in reality, disguised four-core processors. The case settled for $12.1 million.
• Barrett v. RC2 Corp., No. 2007 CH 20924 (Cir. Ct. Cook Cty., Ill.): Co-lead counsel in lead paint recall case involving Thomas the Tank toy trains. Settlement was valued at over $30 million and provided class with full cash refunds and reimbursement of certain costs related to blood testing.
• In re Pet Food Prods. Liability Litig., No. 07-cv-2867 (D.N.J.): Part of mediation team in class action involving largest pet food recall in United States history. Settlement provided $24 million common fund and $8 million in charge backs.