Robert J. Berg - White Plains, NY

Overview

In 2009, Bob was trial counsel for plaintiffs, the Auto Body Association of Connecticut and several Connecticut independent auto body shops, against a leading auto insurer. Following a rare two-month long jury trial of a class action, the jury returned a verdict awarding plaintiffs compensatory damages of $14.85 million. The jury found that the insurer had violated Connecticut's Unfair Trade Practices Act by illegally suppressing the labor rates paid to the auto body shops in the State of Connecticut. The judge in the case is presently considering plaintiffs' request for punitive damages and injunctive relief.

Bob has served as sole lead or co-lead counsel for plaintiffs on many landmark securities and consumer class action cases. In a nationwide class action against AT&T alleging consumer fraud in connection with the sale of a top-selling business telephone system, Bob achieved the then-largest settlement of a consumer class action in New Jersey history - a settlement which the court valued at over $90 million. Bob has obtained innovative settlements in consumer class actions against Volvo (valued at over $30 million) and Saab ($4.75 million) where the low-profile tires on certain automobile models blew out prematurely, causing tire and rim damage.

While a partner at another leading plaintiffs' class action firm, Bob was co-lead counsel in a securities fraud class action against Deutsche Telekom AG, where he obtained a settlement of $120 million for certain purchasers of Deutsche Telekom stock on the U.S. stock exchange. Bob also was a co-lead counsel for selling shareholders of Bankers Trust in a securities fraud class action against Deutsche Bank which settled for $58 million just days before trial. In the largest and most complex consolidated securities fraud class action ever litigated - the Initial Public Offerings Securities Litigation, consisting of 309 separate class actions - Bob was a member of Plaintiffs' Executive Committee and a court-appointed Liaison Counsel. That action settled for $586 million in cash. Bob was also co-trial counsel for plaintiff in a significant age and sex discrimination and wrongful discharge arbitration proceeding against a major investment bank, reaching a settlement after three days of trial.

Prior to joining the firm, Bob maintained his own firm for two years, specializing in prosecuting unfair trade practice class actions. He had been a partner for many years at a major plaintiffs' class action firm in New York City. Earlier in his career, Bob was a litigator with two leading corporate law firms, Skadden Arps, LLP and Dewey LeBoeuf, LLP.

Bob is the Secretary, and Executive Board Member of the Scarsdale Forum and a Director and former President of the Crane-Berkeley Neighborhood Association. Bob is a U.S. Coast Guard licensed captain and is a former International Game Fishing Association world record holder.