James W. Johnson

Partner

Overview

James W. Johnson concentrates his practice on complex securities fraud cases. In representing investors who have been victimized by securities fraud and breach of fiduciary responsibility, Jim's advocacy has resulted in record recoveries for wronged investors.

A recognized leader in his field, Jim currently serves as lead or co-lead counsel in high-profile federal securities class actions against Goldman Sachs Group and the Bear Stearns Companies, among others.

In recent years, Jim has successfully litigated a number of complex securities and RICO class actions including: In re Bear Stearns Companies, Inc. Securities Litigation ($275 million settlement with Bear Stearns Companies, plus a $19.9 million settlement with Deloitte & Touche LLP, Bear Stearns’ outside auditor; pending court approval); In re HealthSouth Corp. Securities Litigation ($671 million settlement); Eastwood Enterprises LLC v. Farha et al. (WellCare Securities Litigation) ($200 million settlement); In re Vesta Insurance Group, Inc. Securities Litigation ($79 million settlement); In re Bristol Myers Squibb Co. Securities Litigation ($185 million settlement), in which the Court also approved significant corporate governance reforms and recognized plaintiff's counsel as "extremely skilled and efficient"; and In re National Health Laboratories, Inc. Securities Litigation, which resulted in a recovery of $80 million in the federal action and a related state court derivative action.

In County of Suffolk v. Long Island Lighting Co., Jim represented the plaintiff in a RICO class action, securing a jury verdict after a two-month trial that resulted in a $400 million settlement. The Second Circuit, in awarding attorneys' fees to the plaintiff, quoted the trial judge, Honorable Jack B. Weinstein, as stating "counsel [has] done a superb job [and] tried this case as well as I have ever seen any case tried." On behalf of Native Americans, he also assisted in prosecuting environmental damage claims resulting from the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

He is the co-author of "The Impact of the LaPerrierre Decision: Parent Companies Face Liability," Directors Monthly, February 2009.

Jim is a member of the American Bar Association and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, where he served on the Federal Courts Committee.

Jim has received a rating of AV Preeminent from the publishers of the Martindale-Hubbell directory. He is a Fellow in the Litigation Council of America.