Los Angeles Partner Krysta Pachman has been appointed by U.S. District Judge J. Michelle Childs to be part of what is being called one of the most diverse leadership teams to lead a multidistrict litigation. At just 34, Pachman is one of the youngest attorneys ever appointed to a co-lead counsel role in an MDL.
Pachman, along with seven women and four men, including lawyers of color, will lead a class action brought over a data breach involving cloud management software firm Blackbaud. Pachman represents a class of plaintiffs who are suing Blackbaud for negligence, invasion of privacy, and breach of contract, as well as violations of California’s Consumer Privacy Act and other state law statutes.
Making History
The team’s diversity, a watershed moment in the legal industry, has been covered by National Law Journal. Representing the leadership class, Pachman is quoted in the article saying, “Not only did Judge Childs note her conscious effort to avoid implicit bias and not overlook candidates based on race, color, gender, sexual orientation, age or geography, but she also indicated in her case management order that she expected counsel to perform their duties in a way that is free of discrimination and bias, including choosing a diverse slate of vendors. She selected what is arguably the most diverse leadership team ever in an MDL to the benefit of the class.”
Class Action Talent
Signaling a significant talent for class action litigation, Pachman has secured hundreds of millions of dollars for plaintiffs in class action settlements, including a deal valued at over $112 million for a class of music copyright owners in Ferrick v. Spotify, a $40 million settlement for a class of derivative investors in Allergan Inc. Proxy Violation Derivatives Litigation, and a deal worth $37.5 million on behalf of a class of more than 7,000 limited partners who invested in 12 oil & gas limited partnerships in the securities and insider trading class action, Schulein v. Petroleum Development Corp.
