Partners Matt Hellman and Lindsay Harrison earned the prestigious title of Litigators of the Week from The American Lawyer for their second Fourth Circuit victory on behalf of Marriott.
PROFILE FEATURE IN THE AMERICAN LAWYER:
Matt highlighted the exceptional stakes: "Not only were the classes at issue huge, but they were bellwether classes. Whatever happened here was going to affect an even larger number of claims down the line."
Lindsay emphasized the broader business implications: "If [the plaintiffs' theory] were upheld, it would put companies in a terrible position. And given how many class actions are filed today, this could have been disastrous for businesses... A defendant facing an onslaught of class action litigation shouldn't have to prove dozens of times that the class waiver its customers agreed to is enforceable."
THE DETAILS: The Fourth Circuit ruled twice for Marriott, decertifying classes representing over 133 million potential claimants in what would have been the largest class action arising from a data security incident in US history.
WHY IT MATTERS: The double victory establishes that standard litigation coordination cannot be weaponized to circumvent contractual protections—a precedent that protects companies nationwide when class action stakes have never been higher.
Matt and Lindsay were honored alongside a team of lawyers at Kirkland & Ellis representing Accenture in the consolidated Maldini v. Marriott International, Inc. and Maldini v. Accenture LLP appeals.
In addition to Matt and Lindsay, the Jenner team included Partner Elizabeth Deutsch, Associates Mary Marshall and Emanuel Powell III, Paralegal Supervisor Cheryl Olson, and Executive Assistant Beth Gulden.
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