Justin S. Nematzadeh, Esq. is the Founder and Managing Member of Nematzadeh PLLC.  Through a wealth of experience from practicing at some of the most prestigious law firms in the world, he has amassed a track record of results through first-chair experience, especially in trials, on behalf of asset managers, small businesses, large corporations, entrepreneurs, government entities, public and private institutional investors, and individuals in United States federal and state courts, arbitration, and abroad.  On behalf of plaintiffs, he has played roles in class and individual actions that have collectively resulted in recoveries amounting to over $3.53 billion.

In 2018, Justin was honored as a Rising Star under 40 years of age by Law360® in Class Actions, a prestigious award given to a select few “top litigators and dealmakers practicing at a level usually seen from veteran attorneys,” for which Law360® selected the 5 winners after reviewing more than 1,200 submissions. He has also been honored by Lawyers of Distinction® in securities law, by Marquis Who’s Who® as an honored listee on the America’s Who’s Who, and by Super Lawyers® as a Rising Star in antitrust and securities law.

Justin was a core member of the team in the In re Petrobras Securities Litigation (S.D.N.Y.), arising from a multi-billion-dollar bribery and price-fixing scheme.  In 2018, he helped the team achieve a historic $3 billion settlement for the class, as well as precedent-setting legal rulings. At that time, in terms of securities class actions, this was the largest settlement in a decade, the largest settlement ever involving a foreign issuer, the largest settlement ever achieved by a foreign lead plaintiff, the largest settlement ever that did not involve financial restatements, and in general, the fifth-largest class action settlement ever achieved in the United States. In praising the lawyers who worked on this historic class action, the Honorable Jed S. Rakoff, United States District Court Judge for the Southern District of New York, stated that the “lawyers in this case [are] some of the best lawyers in the United States, if not in the world.”

Justin has represented plaintiffs and defendants in several antitrust actions, such as Alaska Electrical Pension Fund, et al. v. Bank of America, N.A., et al. (S.D.N.Y.), In re Aluminum Warehousing Antitrust Litigation (S.D.N.Y.), In re Foreign Exchange Benchmark Rates Antitrust Litigation (S.D.N.Y.), In re Generic Digoxin and Doxycycline Antitrust Litigation (E.D. Pa.), Hagele, et al. v. Shell Oil Co., et al. (S.D. Tex.), In re LIBOR-Based Financial Instruments Antitrust Litigation (S.D.N.Y.), and In re Treasury Securities Auction Antitrust Litigation (S.D.N.Y.). And Justin currently has leadership roles representing class plaintiffs in Casey’s Distributing, Inc., et al. v. Major League Baseball, et al. (S.D.N.Y.), Casey’s Distributing, Inc., et al. v. National Football League, Inc., et al. (S.D.N.Y.), Dream Big Media, Inc., et al. v. Alphabet Inc., et al. (N.D. Cal.), and Dunham, et al. v. The Sherwin-Williams Company, et al. (N.D.N.Y.).

Justin has played roles in several other actions that resulted in total recoveries amounting to over $530 million for plaintiffs: for example, In re Altair Nanotechnologies Securities Litigation (S.D.N.Y.), recovery of approximately $1.5 million; Carmack, et al. v. Amaya Inc., et al. (D.N.J.), recovery of approximately $5.75 million; Calfo, et al. v. Messina, et al. (S.D.N.Y.), recovery of approximately $1.65 million; Kaplan, et al. v. S.A.C. Capital Advisors, L.P., et al. (S.D.N.Y.), recovery of approximately $135 million; Maleef, et al. v. B Communications Ltd., et al. (S.D.N.Y.), recovery of approximately $1.2 million; Mauss, et al. v. NuVasive, Inc., et al. (S.D. Cal.), recovery of approximately $7.9 million; In re OSG Securities Litigation (S.D.N.Y.), recovery of over $30 million; Perez, et al. v. Higher One Holdings, Inc., et al. (D. Conn.), recovery of approximately $7.5 million; In re Retrophin, Inc. Securities Litigation (S.D.N.Y.), recovery of approximately $3 million; Springer, et al. v. Code Rebel Corporation, et al. (S.D.N.Y.), recovery of approximately $1 million; and In re Yahoo! Inc. Securities Litigation (N.D. Cal.), recovery of approximately $80 million.

Reflecting the diversity of Justin’s practice, he also played a role in litigation against the fashion mogul Peter Nygard on behalf of over a dozen women who are alleged to have been raped by him when they were underage, Does v. Nygard, et al. (S.D.N.Y.).

Prior to predominantly representing plaintiffs, Justin practiced at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and represented defendants in bet-the-company litigation.  Justin’s practice involved U.S. federal and state and international complex litigation, arbitration, and internal and regulatory investigations, with an emphasis on antitrust, breach of fiduciary duty, commodities, contract, fraud, intellectual property, and securities litigation.  Justin played roles in representing defendants in Alaska Electrical Pension Fund, et al. v. Bank of America, N.A., et al. (S.D.N.Y.), Garofalo, et al. v. Revlon, Inc., et al. (D. Del.), In re Foreign Exchange Benchmark Rates Antitrust Litigation (S.D.N.Y.), and In re LIBOR-Based Financial Instruments Antitrust Litigation (S.D.N.Y.).  And Justin played a role on the trial team in iBasis Inc.’s lawsuit against Koninklijke KPN NV in connection with an alleged inadequate tender offer, which settled during trial in 2009 before the Delaware Court of Chancery.  Justin’s zealous advocacy has been demonstrated further through pro bono work that has achieved staggering results for those with disabilities: for example, for his work in representing plaintiffs in Toney-Dick, et al. v. Doar, et al. (S.D.N.Y.), Justin was awarded a 2013 Pro Bono Publico award from The Legal Aid Society.

Education:

Justin earned a J.D. degree, cum laude, from the Fordham University School of Law.  During law school, Justin served as a member of the Fordham Urban Law Journal and as a business editor of the Fordham Dispute Resolution Society. Justin served as a judicial intern to the Honorable Stuart M. Bernstein, then Chief United States Bankruptcy Court Judge for the Southern District of New York.

Justin earned a B.B.A. degree, with distinction, from the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business, with an emphasis in finance and corporate strategy.  During business school, Justin was awarded a University of Michigan Alumnae Council MBNA Scholarship.  Demonstrating Justin’s passion for entrepreneurship, he has launched and managed businesses and investment vehicles. These experiences have heavily influenced Justin to represent businesses of all sizes in litigation and equipped him with a unique perspective that many entrepreneurs have appreciated and admired.

Admissions:

Justin is admitted to practice throughout New York state, and he is admitted to practice in U.S. federal courts throughout the country, including in New York, such as the U.S. District Courts for the Southern District of New York, Eastern District of New York, and Northern District of New York, and in several other states.  Should a matter implicate other state or federal jurisdictions, Justin regularly works with local counsel in jurisdictions across the country.

Justin is a member of the American Bar Association and Antitrust subsection within that association, and he is a member of the New York State Bar Association and Antitrust subsection within that association.