Jonathan Gardner

Overview

Jonathan Gardner serves as the Managing Partner of Labaton Sucharow LLP, as a member of its Executive Committee, and as Head of Litigation.  He is based in the Firm’s New York office.  Jonathan helps direct the growth and management of the Firm. 

With more than 30 years of experience, Jonathan oversees all of the Firm's litigation matters, including prosecuting complex securities fraud cases on behalf of institutional investors.  Jonathan has played an integral role in developing the Firm's groundbreaking ADR Practice. 

A Benchmark Litigation “Star” acknowledged by his peers as “engaged and strategic,” Jonathan has also been named an MVP by Law360 for securing hard-earned successes in high-stakes litigation and complex global matters.  He is ranked by Chambers & Partners USA describing him as “an outstanding lawyer who knows how to get results” and recommended by The Legal 500, whose sources remarked on Jonathan’s ability to “understand the unique nature of complex securities litigation and strive for practical yet results-driven outcomes” and his “considerable expertise and litigation skill and practical experience that helps achieve terrific results for clients.”  Jonathan is also recognized by Lawdragon as one of the country's Leading Lawyers, Leading Litigators in America, and Plaintiff Financial Lawyers.

Jonathan has played an integral role in securing some of the largest class action recoveries against corporate offenders since the global financial crisis.  He led the Firm's team in the investigation and prosecution of In re Barrick Gold Securities Litigation, which resulted in a $140 million recovery.  He has also served as the lead attorney in several cases resulting in significant recoveries for injured class members, including: In re Hewlett-Packard Company Securities Litigation, resulting in a $57 million recovery; Public Employees' Retirement System of Mississippi v. Endo International PLC, resulting in $50 million recovery; Medoff v. CVS Caremark Corporation, resulting in a $48 million recovery; In re Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc., Securities Litigation, resulting in a $47 million recovery; In re Intuitive Surgical Securities Litigation, resulting in a $42.5 million recovery; In re Carter's Inc. Securities Litigation, resulting in a $23.3 million recovery against Carter's and certain of its officers as well as PricewaterhouseCoopers, its auditing firm; In re Aeropostale Inc. Securities Litigation, resulting in a $15 million recovery; In re Lender Processing Services Inc., involving claims of fraudulent mortgage processing which resulted in a $13.1 million recovery; and In re K-12, Inc. Securities Litigation, resulting in a $6.75 million recovery.

Recommended and described by The Legal 500 as having the "ability to master the nuances of securities class actions," Jonathan has led the Firm's representation of investors in many recent high-profile cases including Rubin v. MF Global Ltd., which involved allegations of material misstatements and omissions in a Registration Statement and Prospectus issued in connection with MF Global's IPO in 2007.  In November 2011, the case resulted in a recovery of $90 million for investors.  Jonathan also represented lead plaintiff City of Edinburgh Council as Administering Authority of the Lothian Pension Fund in In re Lehman Brothers Equity/Debt Securities Litigation, which resulted in settlements exceeding $600 million against Lehman Brothers' former officers and directors, Lehman's former public accounting firm, as well the banks that underwrote Lehman Brothers' offerings.  In representing lead plaintiff Massachusetts Bricklayers and Masons Trust Funds in an action against Deutsche Bank, Jonathan secured a $32.5 million recovery for a class of investors injured by the bank's conduct in connection with certain residential mortgage-backed securities.

Jonathan has also been responsible for prosecuting several of the Firm's options backdating cases, including In re Monster Worldwide, Inc. Securities Litigation ($47.5 million settlement); In re SafeNet, Inc. Securities Litigation ($25 million settlement); In re Semtech Securities Litigation ($20 million settlement); and In re MRV Communications, Inc. Securities Litigation ($10 million settlement).  He also was instrumental in In re Mercury Interactive Corp. Securities Litigation, which settled for $117.5 million, one of the largest settlements or judgments in a securities fraud litigation based on options backdating.  Jonathan also represented the Successor Liquidating Trustee of Lipper Convertibles, a convertible bond hedge fund, in actions against the fund's former independent auditor and a member of the fund's general partner as well as numerous former limited partners who received excess distributions.  He successfully recovered over $5.2 million for the Successor Liquidating Trustee from the limited partners and $29.9 million from the former auditor.

Jonathan is a member of the Federal Bar Council, New York State Bar Association, and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.

Jonathan earned his Juris Doctor from St. John’s University School of Law.  He received his bachelor's degree from American University.