Ari Ruben

Ari Ruben represents plaintiffs and defendants in high-stakes, complex commercial litigation across the United States. Ruben advocates for his clients — which range from multinational banks and Fortune 500 Companies to individuals and their families — with passion, persistence, and poise.  The outstanding results he has helped achieve speak for themselves.

LANDMARK RESULTS

Ruben was instrumental in 2020’s historic Cellco settlements, where he represented the University of California system, the County of Los Angeles, and dozens of other California political subdivisions alleging fraudulent overbilling by telecom’s “Big Four.”  For over a year, he traversed the country to take key depositions of Verizon and AT&T witnesses, where he obtained critical admissions that helped lead to landmark settlements worth $175 million.

Ruben represented a proposed class of insurance policy owners against John Hancock Life Insurance Company over allegations of breach of contract and false illustrations. Ruben deposed several John Hancock witnesses, including its President & CEO; defended class representatives’ depositions; and led nearly every other aspect of discovery. Ruben’s efforts helped secure a class-wide settlement, before fees and expenses, for $93 million in cash plus non-cash benefits valued at up to $50.48 million.  When granting final approval, SDNY Judge Alvin Hellerstein held that the settlement provided an “absolutely extraordinary” recovery rate for the class, and lauded Ruben’s team’s “extraordinary work.”

Ruben has scored nine-figure victories on the other side of the “v” as well. Ruben’s team successfully defended Rushmore Resource Partners (“RRP”), an exploration and production company, from a $200 million+ breach-of-contract claim in Harris County, Texas. Ruben handled numerous aspects of the case, elicited key deposition admissions, and helped obtain a confidential settlement. Ruben also helped obtain a complete dismissal by Delaware Chancery Court of a shareholder’s contract claims against Pzena Investment Company that threatened its $168 million go-private merger. Read more on this case here (subscription required).

BACKGROUND

Before joining Susman Godfrey, Ruben practiced commercial litigation at a multi-national Vault 10 firm.  During that time, he represented an AIG affiliate that brought RICO, fraud, and contract claims valued at over $1 billion against defendants who purchased life insurance policies and sold them at inflated prices.  After a two-month bench trial in the SDNY, the parties reached a confidential settlement.

Ruben graduated cum laude from both Harvard Law School and Harvard College.  At Harvard, he earned the Thomas T. Hoopes Prize, an award for top honors theses in the College. Ruben finessed his writing, research, and analytical skills clerking for Judge Bruce M. Selya of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and for Judge Richard J. Sullivan, then of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Outside of his practice, Ruben is a member of UJA-Federation of New York’s Lawyers Division Council and its Shared Society Committee. Ruben and his wife are raising their daughter, son, and goldendoodle on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

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