Benchmark Names Three BLB&G Partners to Its "40 & Under Hot List"

August 2018

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Three BLB&G partners – Michael Blatchley, Katherine Sinderson, and Adam Wierzbowski – have been named to the fourth annual edition of its “40 & Under Hot List” (formerly the “Under 40 Hot List”).  This recognition commemorates “the most notable up-and-coming litigation attorneys in the United States” who have “proven their eligibility,” “had a hand in some of their firms’ most noteworthy recent cases and have earned praise from clients and peers regarding the quality of their work.”

In its review, Benchmark selected Mr. Blatchley in part for his work as a senior member of the trial team in In re Allergan, Inc. Proxy Violation Securities Litigation that recovered $250 million for Allergan, Inc. investors. The “headline-making case” alleged an unprecedented insider trading scheme involving billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, his Pershing Square Capital Management fund and Valeant Pharmaceuticals ahead of a Valeant’s hostile bid for Allergan, another drugmaker.  Benchmark’s profile of Ms. Sinderson highlights her work in several major securities matters, including her most recent success in recovering $210 million for investors (pending Court approval) in litigation against Wilmington Trust, which alleges that the bank’s executives gave misleading information about the state of its financial status.  “I have nothing but high praise for her,” commends one of her peers, saying she is “an extremely smart and diligent attorney.”

Mr. Wierzbowski was also recognized by Benchmark for his success in reaching “a record-breaking $480 million recovery, one of the largest of its kind in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in a securities class action over the fake account scandal at Wells Fargo.”  He was also praised for his work in Amedisys, a case arising from allegations that the home healthcare provider defrauded Medicare by overcharging the government for medical service, and for recovering nearly $44 million for investors after a successful appeal before the Fifth Circuit. In its ruling, the Fifth Circuit entered a new investor-friendly standard for pleading “loss causation” and affirmed that Amedisys’ stock price dropped as a result of disclosures regarding the alleged fraud. Benchmark notes that “the case led to the ruling that ‘the district court erred in imposing an overly rigid rule that government investigations can never constitute a corrective disclosure in the absence of a discovery of actual fraud.’”

This ranking is compiled following rigorous research performed by Benchmark editors that includes a review of the attorneys’ recent case work, peer review, and client feedback on their performances.  According to Benchmark, attorneys on this list “though young, have established themselves in their respective fields and are set to enjoy bright futures.”