Paul F. Rugani
Partner
Los Angeles
New York
Seattle
Financial institutions, accounting firms, and public companies turn to Paul Rugani to advise them in connection with their most significant exposures. Paul has helped his clients achieve victories through motion practice, at trial, and on appeal. And his advocacy for clients before government regulators has successfully minimized or avoided potential enforcement action.
Legal 500 touts Paul as a recommended attorney for Securities Litigation, observing that he is “among the most creative and strategic lawyers” who always has “an eye on the end game.” Paul achieved American Lawyer Litigator of the Week recognition as part of a team that achieved a ground-breaking New York Court of Appeals victory that substantially reduced financial exposure in RMBS repurchase litigation. He has been recognized for many years as a Super Lawyers Rising Star for Securities Litigation.
As the leader of the Firm's Securities Litigation practice group, Paul has extensive experience representing clients in securities class actions, shareholder derivative lawsuits, commercial contractual disputes and other complex litigation matters at both the trial and appellate levels, as well as in connection with internal, government and regulatory investigations. Paul also counsels domestic and foreign accounting firms on matters related to state CPA licensing and state board regulation.
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Paul authored a chapter of the Fifth Edition of Business and Commercial Litigation in Federal Courts and is a co-author of the Bloomberg BNA Practice Portfolio "Federal Securities Law Liability of Underwriters, Accountants, and Attorneys."
Paul devotes a portion of his practice to providing pro bono services in civil rights and immigration cases.
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Significant involvement in recent cases includes the following.
- Representation of Barclays, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, Nomura, and Royal Bank of Scotland in state and federal litigations in connection with the banks' underwriting of residential mortgage-backed securities. Paul served as coordinating counsel for more than 60 RMBS lawsuits pending in the New York Supreme Court, Commercial Division.
- Representation of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in various securities lawsuits and regulatory investigations.
- Representation of KPMG LLP in various securities and employment lawsuits.
- Representation of Deloitte Global network firms in securities lawsuits and regulatory investigations.
- Representation of LinkedIn in hiQ anti-scraping lawsuit, which ended with a consent judgment in LinkedIn's favor.
- Representation of UBS in multi-jurisdictional lender disputes.
- Representation of Barclays Capital in litigation over Archstone Holdings, Inc. After an expedited trial in the Southern District of New York, the court found for Barclays on all issues, allowing Barclays and BofA Merrill to dispose of several billion dollars in disputed assets.
- Representation of two UBS entities in a Second Circuit appeal in which the court affirmed the dismissal of a shareholder class action seeking $800 million in damages arising out of a merger break-up.
- Representation of a former officer of Countrywide Financial Corporation in various state and federal securities lawsuits.
- Representation of Microsoft Corporation in multiple consumer and employment class actions.
- Representation of a major motion picture studio in antitrust litigation arising out of alleged employee recruiting and compensation practices.
- Representation of Merix Corporation in securities and derivative class actions.
- Representation of Cell Therapeutics Inc. in securities and False Claims Act litigation.
- Representation of directors of Infospace, Inc., in derivative litigation.
