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Mr. Grantham chairs the firm's Insurance and Financial Services Litigation Practice Group and has a national practice focusing on the defense of complex claims against the insurance and financial services industry, as well as the defense of consumer class-action and commercial litigation in other industries, including health care and retail. He has been recognized by his peers in The Best Lawyers in America in Insurance Law and by his clients as a B71 Client Service AllStar. Mr. Grantham has been retained in matters pending in the states of Alabama, California, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and West Virginia. Representative Cases: Current Matters: Serves as national counsel to the second largest video retailer in the United States, with over three thousand stores throughout the U. S. and Canada. Defending bonus annuity class actions in federal courts in Tennessee. Recently obtained first outright dismissal under 12(b)(6) of bonus annuity class action in New Jersey and New York. Defending annuity sales practice cases in state and federal courts. Defending unearned premium class action in federal courts in Georgia and New Hampshire. Defending hospital pricing class action in state court in Alabama. Recent Matters: Served as lead counsel in the defense of competing nationwide consumer class-action lawsuits against retail company. Ultimately negotiated a settlement valued at over $60 million and successfully defended this settlement in competing jurisdictions. Defended race-based class action litigation in federal court in South Carolina. Court denied class certification of claims. Retained as trial counsel for a financial services company in mass tort sales practice litigation pending in West Virginia. Ultimately negotiated the settlement of over 2,000 lawsuits. Defended a financial services company in opt-out litigation from a nationwide industrial life class action settlement brought by thousands of claimants across the Southeast. Established an MDL proceeding for these claims and ultimately negotiated the settlement of over 10,000 claims in this mass tort litigation. Served as national trial counsel for a financial services company’s sales practice class action opt-out litigation, including the defense of several cases pending in Madison County, Illinois. Represented both plaintiffs and defendants in complex, commercial cases before trial and appellate courts. Benetton Spa v. Benedot, 642 So. 2d 394 (Ala. 1994) (obtaining a $2.5 million jury verdict on behalf of plaintiffs in a three week commercial fraud trial and upholding the verdict before the Alabama Supreme Court) and Westgreen Holdings v. MGA, Inc., 234 F. 3d 30 (5th Cir. 2000) (obtaining summary judgment in an $85 million franchise dispute in Texas and successfully upholding the summary judgment before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals). Speaking Engagements: Mr. Grantham is a frequent lecturer on trial and class action practice, as well as insurance-related topics. He recently spoke at the ABA/TIPS Midwinter Conference on recent trends in class actions in the life insurance industry and at the ABA/TIPS Conference The Future of Class Action in America on the Rule 23(b)(2)/(b)(3) hybrid class actions.
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