Lawrence Deutsch

Biography

Mr. Deutsch has been involved in numerous major class action cases on behalf of shareholders and consumers over his 35-year career.

He has served as lead counsel in the Delaware Chancery Court and other courts across the country on behalf of shareholders in various corporate governance litigations. Most recently he was one of lead counsel in the trial in Delaware Chancery Court against Carl Icahn and CVRR (resulting in $78 million for the class of shareholders). Similarly, he was sole lead counsel in a case against the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, the Exchange’s Board of Trustees, and six major Wall Street investment firms. The case settled for $99 million (including post-settlement arguments before the Delaware Supreme Court). Characteristic of the efforts Mr. Deutsch applies to all his cases, Chancellor Chandler described the intensity of the litigation when he had approved the settlement, “All I can tell you, from someone who has only been doing this for roughly 22 years, is that I have yet to see a more fiercely and intensely litigated case than this case. Never in 22 years have I seen counsel going at it, hammer and tong like they have gone at it in this case.” Mr. Deutsch also served as court-appointed lead counsel in In Re Inergy LP Unitholder Litigation (Del. Ch. No. 5816-VCP) ($8 million settlement).

In another corporate governance case that went to trial (and post-trial appeals), Mr. Deutsch was one of the trial counsel for plaintiffs in Potok v. Floorgraphics, Inc., et al. (Phila Co. CCP 080200944 and Phila Co. CCP 090303768) resulting in an $8 million judgment against the directors and officers of the company for breach of fiduciary duty.

Over his numerous years working in federal securities fraud class action litigation, Mr. Deutsch has been a lead attorney on many substantial matters across the country: as one of the lead counsel in the In Re Sunbeam Securities Litigation class action concerning “Chainsaw” Al Dunlap (recovery of over $142 million for the class); as counsel on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, Dusek. v. Mattel Inc., et al. (recovery of $122 million for the class). NECA-IBEW Pension Trust Fund. v. Precision Castparts Corp. United States District Court of Oregon (Civil Case No. 3:16-cv-01756-YY) ($22 million settlement); Fox. v. Prime Group Realty Trust, et al., United States District Court Northern District of Illinois (Civil Case No. 1:12-cv-09350) ($8.25 million settlement). Lead counsel for a class of investors in Scudder/Deutsche Bank mutual funds in the nationwide Mutual Funds Market Timing cases. Mr. Deutsch served on the Plaintiffs’ Omnibus Steering Committee for the consortium of all cases. These cases recovered over $300 million for mutual fund purchasers and holders against various participants in widespread schemes to “market time” and late trade mutual funds, including $14 million recovered for Scudder/Deutsche Bank mutual fund shareholders.

Mr. Deutsch has led and litigated numerous nationwide defective building product cases:  In Re: CertainTeed Fiber Cement Siding Litigation, United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, MDL No. 11-2270 ($103.9 million settlement); George v. Uponor, Inc., et al., United States District Court, District of Minnesota, Case No. 12-cv-249 (ADM/JJK) ($21 million settlement); Cole. v NIBCO, Inc., United States District Court, District of New Jersey, Case No. 13-7871 ($43 million settlement).

He also led a series of cases against Nissan motor company addressing its CVT transmissions in numerous models:  Batista v. Nissan North America, Inc., United States District Court, Southern District of Florida, Miami Division, Case No 1:14-cv-24728 (settlement valued at $65,335,970); Martinez v. Nissan North America, Inc., United States District Court, Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville Division, Case No. 3:22-cv-00354 (settlement valued at $290 million); Stringer v. Nissan N.A., United States District Court, Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville Division, Case No. 3:21-cv-00099 (settlement valued at $354,101,000); Weckwerth v. Nissan N.A., United States District Court, Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville Division, Case No. 3:18-cv-00588 (settlement valued at $477,445,000); Norman v. Nissan N. Am., Inc., United States District Court, Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville Division, Case No. 3:18-cv-00534 (settlement valued at $19,929,000).

Prior to joining the Firm, Mr. Deutsch served in the Peace Corps from 1973-1976, serving in Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, and Belize. He then worked for ten years at the United States General Services Administration.

Mr. Deutsch is a graduate of Boston University (B.A. 1973), George Washington University’s School of Government and Business Administration (M.S.A. 1979), and Temple University’s School of Law (J.D. 1985). He became a member of the Pennsylvania Bar in 1986 and the New Jersey Bar in 1987. He has also been admitted to practice in Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the First Circuit Court of Appeals, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, as well as numerous jurisdictions across the country for specific cases.