AZA’s commercial litigation, trial experience, and appellate expertise set it apart from the typical mass/class action firms in this sector. Our lawyers have handled cases from sign up, through class briefing, screening, discovery, trial, and all aspects of the appellate process. We have also developed case specific allocation methodologies to ensure each client’s individual circumstances, when appropriate, are considered in the allocation of common funds.

We also have extensive experience defending class and collective actions, including putative collective actions brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act, in federal courts across the county. Unlike many defense firms, we fight class certification with targeted discovery at the outset of a case to narrow the scope of the class as much as possible. This approach has resulted in favorable rulings and, and a result, early settlements that are significantly less than the total exposure. We also consult with clients to revamp their employment agreements and Master Services Agreements to reduce the risk of future wage and hour class and collective actions.

Principal members of the group are Kevin Leyendecker, David Warden, Foster Johnson, Joe Ahmad, Sammy Ford IV and Nathan Campbell.

Current Mass/Class Actions

• Multiple data privacy class actions in Massachusetts, Louisiana, Missouri, and California on behalf of patients whose personal health information was shared with Facebook in violation of state and federal law.
• More than 120 clients whose homes were flooded during Hurricane Harvey because of government action at the Addicks Barker dams.

Past Wins for members of this team:

• Defeated certification in a Texas class that sought in excess of $5 billion in statutory damages under Texas’ civil barratry statute.
• Recovered $900+ million on behalf of nationwide class of homeowners whose homes had defective plumbing systems.
• Recovered $450+ million on behalf of nationwide class of investors in the Courtyard, Fairfield Inn, and Residence Inn limited partnerships.
• Recovered $425+ million on behalf of individuals who underwent unnecessary heart valve surgeries.
• Recovered $100+ million on behalf of investors in limited partnerships sponsored by a major investment firm.
• Recovered $45+ million on behalf of children who underwent unnecessary dental procedures.
• Recovered $100+ million on behalf of children who were unnecessarily hospitalized in psychiatric hospitals and kept until their insurance ran out.
• Recovered $50+ million on behalf of limited partnerships sponsored by a major investment firm.