Seltzer one of just three attorneys nationwide recognized in Class Action category
LOS ANGELES (December 16, 2013)—Susman Godfrey attorney Marc Seltzer has been named to Law360’s annual list of legal “MVPs.” Seltzer, head of Susman Godfrey’s Los Angeles office, was one of just three attorneys selected by Law360 for recognition in the Class Action category.
Now in its third year, Law360’s MVPs list “profiles the elite law firm partners whose exemplary work on critical litigation, mammoth deals and first-of-their-kind global matters earned them a spot on this year’s list of MVP award winners,” Law360 wrote in announcing this year’s list of 138 winners from 58 law firms.
Over the years, Seltzer has been appointed by courts on numerous occasions to serve as lead or co-lead counsel for class action plaintiffs. Seltzer’s class-action wins during the previous year included the unprecedented settlement valued at approximately $1.6 billion in the Toyota unintended acceleration lawsuit (In re Toyota Motor Corp. Unintended Acceleration Marketing Sales Practices, and Product Liability Litigation). In May 2010, Seltzer was appointed by the court to serve as co-lead counsel – along with Steve Berman of Hagens Berman Sobel & Shapiro and Frank Pitre of Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy – for the class plaintiffs in what would become the largest-ever monetary settlement involving automotive defects in history.
The historic settlement – on behalf of a class of more than 22 million current and former Toyota owners – included cash payments to class members and non-monetary benefits, including the installation of brake-override systems in 3.25 million Toyota vehicles and an expanded customer-care plan for 15 million Toyota owners.
Seltzer’s other class-action wins during the year included securing $86 million in settlements on behalf of airline passengers who alleged that Korean Air Lines and Asiana Airlines conspired to fix the price of air travel between the United States and Korea (Korean Air Lines Co., LTD., Antitrust Litigation CV 07-05107 SJO), and recovering $6.5 million for investors who were allegedly defrauded into purchasing securities issued by the parent of mortgage lender IndyMac Bank (Michael B. Coady, et al. v. IndyMac Bancorp, Inc., et al., No. CV 8-03812-GW). In both cases, Seltzer was appointed by the court to serve as co-lead counsel for the class plaintiffs.
