Attorneys Mark B. DeSanto

Biography

Mark B. DeSanto, a Shareholder in the firm’s Consumer Protection practice group, and has over a decade of class action litigation experience in federal courts throughout the United States, during which he has helped recover over $350 million for his consumer, pension participant, investor, and employee clients in class actions involving false and misleading advertising, defective products, data breaches, ERISA litigation, securities litigation, employee rights, and other consumer protection litigation. Mr. DeSanto has been instrumental in litigating some of the largest and most prominent data breach MDLs in the U.S., including In re MOVEit Customer Data Sec. Breach, No.  1:23-md-03083 (D. Mass.) (data breach affecting over 90 million consumers and involving over 200 defendants), and In Re: Change Healthcare, Inc. Customer Data Sec. Breach Litig., No. 24-md-03108 (D. Minn.) (data breach impacting over 190 million individuals and hundreds of thousands of healthcare providers), and has been appointed to lead counsel positions numerous times.

Every year from 2018-2025, Mr. DeSanto has been named a Rising Star by Pennsylvania Super Lawyers (a distinction reserved for only 2.5% of lawyers in Pennsylvania) based on his professional achievements. Mr. DeSanto was also named to the Legal Intelligencer’s “Lawyers on the Fast Track” list. On numerous occasions, Mr. DeSanto has spoken on panels related to consumer class action litigation. Further, Mr. DeSanto authored a chapter of a course handbook published by the Practising Law Institute for the 23rd Annual Consumer Financial Services Institute, titled Chapter 57: The Impact of Payment Card II on Class Action Litigation & Settlements.

Mr. DeSanto received his Juris Doctor (J.D.), cum laude, from the University of Miami School of Law in 2013, where he was a member of the National Security and Armed Conflict Law Review, earned Dean’s List distinction multiple semesters, earned President’s Honor Roll distinction (4.0 GPA), and honors distinction in Trial & Litigation Skills I and II courses. Prior to attending law school, Mr. DeSanto attended the University of Miami where he earned his Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) in Finance in 2009.

Mr. DeSanto is admitted to practice law in Florida, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

Prominent Judgments and Settlements

  • Washtenaw Emps.’ Ret. Sys. v. Walgreen Co., Civ. No. 1:15-cv-03187 (N.D. Ill.) (settled – $105 million) (represented nationwide class of investors asserting 10b-5 and 20(a) violations against Walgreens);
  • Smallman v. MGM Resorts International, 2:20-cv-00376 (D. Nev.) (preliminary approval granted – $45 million settlement) (represented nationwide class of consumers impacted by MGM data breach);
  • In re St. Jude Medical, Inc. Securities Litigation, Civ. No. 10-0851 (D. Minn.) (settled – $39.25 million) (represented nationwide class of investors asserting 10b-5 and 20(a) violations against medical device company and obtained class certification);
  • Louisiana Municipal Police Employees’ Retirement System v. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. et al., Civ. No. 2:11-cv-00289 (D. Vt.) (settled – $36.5 million) (represented financial institutions in class action lawsuit brought on behalf of all Keurig Green Mountain shareholders, alleging that the company and its executives violated Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934);
  • In re Target Corporation Customer Data Security Breach Litigation, MDL No. 14–2522 (D. Minn.) (settled – $39 million) (represented nationwide class action of card-issuing financial institutions asserting negligence claims arising from the highly-publicized 2013 Target data breach, and was extensively involved in class certification briefing, which resulted in the first-ever certified class of financial institutions asserting tort claims, see In re Target Corp. Customer Data Sec. Breach Litig., 309 F.R.D. 482 (D. Minn. 2015), appeal dismissed(June 23, 2016));
  • Snitzer et al v. The Board of Trustees of the American Federation of Musicians and Employers’ Pension Fund et al, No. 1:17-cv-05361 (S.D.N.Y.) (settled – $26.85 million) (represented participants alleging that trustees violated ERISA by making imprudent investment allocations in illiquid, high-risk “alternative” asset classes, and paid exorbitant fees to active managers, and ERISA’s duty of loyalty by withholding information from pension participants);
  • Lacher et al v. Aramark Corp., 2:19-cv-00687 (E.D. Pa.) (settled – $21 million) (represented a class of Aramark’s current and former managers alleging that Aramark breached its employment contracts by failing to pay bonuses and restricted stock unit compensation to managers nationwide);
  • High St. Rehab., LLC v. Am. Specialty Health Inc., No. 2:12-cv-07243 (E.D. Pa.) (settled – $11.75 million) (represented a class of chiropractors and other similar healthcare practitioners alleging, inter alia, that Cigna and its third-party claims management provider’s use of utilization management review (“UMR”) when evaluating out-of-network claims for chiropractic services performed on individuals who participated in employer-sponsored health benefits Plans that Cigna insured and/or for which Cigna administered benefits claims violated ERISA);
  • Lietz v. Cigna Corp. (In re Cigna-American Specialty Health Admin. Fee Litig.), No. 2:16-cv-03967 (E.D. Pa.) (settled – $8.25 million) (represented insureds alleging that Cigna violated ERISA by charging an elevated amount for services that included an administrative fee charged by Cigna’s third-party claims management provider, and only passing on a small portion of the elevated amount charged to the doctor, while knowingly hiding this fee from insureds);
  • In re Wawa, Inc. Data Security Litig., Lead Case No. 2:19-cv-06019-GEKP (E.D. Pa) ($12 million proposed settlement pending preliminary approval) (representing a class of consumers whose personal information was compromised in the highly-publicized Wawa data breach);
  • Smith v. ComplyRight, Inc., No. 1:18-cv-4990 (N.D. Ill.) (settled – $3 million) (represented a class of consumers whose personal information was maintained on ComplyRight’s website during a data breach that occurred from at least April 20, 2018 through May 22, 2018).
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Education

Law School
University of Miami School of Law, J.D., cum laude (2013)

Undergraduate
University of Miami, B.B.A. in Finance (2009)

Honors & Awards

  • The Legal Intelligencer “Lawyers on the Fast Track” Winner – 2023
  • Super Lawyers Rising Star – 2018-2023

Publications

Practicing Law Institute’s 23rd Annual Consumer Financial Services Institute – Chapter 57: The Impact of Payment Card II on Class Action Litigation & Settlements

  • Published: March 2018
  • ISBN No.: 9781402431005
  • Accessible at: https://www.pli.edu/Content/CourseHandbook/23rd_Annual_Consumer_Financial_ Services_Institue/_/N-4mZ1z100wt?ID=320969)

Admissions

  • Member – Florida State Bar – 2013
  • Member – Pennsylvania State Bar – 2015
  • Member – New Jersey State Bar – 2015
  • Admitted – United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
  • Admitted – United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
  • Admitted – United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • Admitted – United States District Court for the District of Colorado
  • Admitted – United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida