Cari Dawson is the chair of the Class Action Practice Team for the Litigation & Trial Practice Group. She concentrates her practice on complex litigation matters, with particular focus on class action defense. Ms. Dawson serves as lead counsel in class actions for numerous Fortune 500 companies nationwide. Currently, Ms. Dawson serves as lead counsel for the economic loss class actions in one of the largest automobile product liability MDLs in the country. Ms. Dawson’s practice also includes business tort litigation, client counseling and strategic planning. She has an established track record of successfully defending clients as lead counsel in high-profile enterprise litigation throughout the United States.
In 2013, The National Law Journal named Ms. Dawson one of the “100 Most Influential Lawyers in America” and for the past several years, Chambers USA has named her to the list of “The Best Lawyers in America” in the area of commercial litigation. In 2012, the John M. Langston Bar Association named her “Corporate Counsel of the Year” and in 2011, she was named to the “45 Under 45” list of remarkable women lawyers by The American Lawyer. Ms. Dawson is a frequent lecturer and author on the defense of class actions and commercial litigation.
- Serves as lead class action defense counsel for one of the world’s top automobile manufacturers in one of the largest multidistrict litigations in U.S. history following widely publicized vehicle recalls.
- Defended hundreds of class actions in virtually every state in the country and across a variety of industries involving claims of fraud, breach of warranty, RICO, breach of contract, consumer protection, unfair and deceptive trade practices, and all varieties of state and federal statutory claims.
- Serves as relationship partner and national class action counsel for two of the world’s largest insurance companies and in that capacity represents them in all varieties of complex litigation matters, including, but not limited to, class actions, regulatory matters, coverage disputes and bad faith litigation.
- Serves as regional counsel for a worldwide transportation and logistics company through its Core Counsel Network.
- Defended numerous insurance class actions in both the property and casualty, and life, disability, accident and health industries.
- Defended environmental, products liability and mass tort class actions.
- Defended physicians, hospitals and other health care providers in several medical malpractice cases.
Representative Cases
- Orange County, CA: Successfully defeated several of the plaintiffs’ claims and limited the scope of liability for an automobile manufacturer in MDL litigation by (1) defeating the effort by the plaintiffs to apply California law to consumers who purchased their vehicles outside of California, thereby foreclosing the possibility of certification of a nationwide class action; (2) obtaining a certificate of immediate review from the district court and obtaining an interlocutory appeal to the Ninth Circuit of the question of Article III standing of consumers whose vehicles have not manifested the alleged defect to bring any legal claims; (3) winning the dismissal of foreign plaintiffs’ claims; and (4) winning the dismissal of Florida and New York consumers’ claims through a Court ruling that the plaintiffs in Florida must have experienced a manifested defect to state any claim and New York plaintiffs must have experienced a manifested defect or recognized loss on the sale of a vehicle in order to state a claim. Because several jurisdictions have laws similar to New York and Florida and less than one percent of class members experienced any alleged manifestation of the defect, this ruling not only limited the scope of liability, but strengthened arguments against certification due to the need for individualized inquiry to determine which class members’ vehicles had manifested the alleged defect and to determine questions of causation and injury.
- Portland, OR: Won issue of first impression in the United States Supreme Court regarding whether the insurance company client willfully violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act by failing to give the statutorily required notice of "adverse action" under the Act. The client was sued in U.S. District Court in a nationwide class action, where we won summary judgment. The Ninth Circuit reversed on appeal, but the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the Ninth Circuit. The Supreme Court ruled the client did not, as a matter of law, willfully violate the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
- Philadelphia, PA: Won issue of first impression in the Third Circuit regarding whether the client violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act or properly complied with the Act in its “offer of insurance.” Obtained a dismissal of this putative class action in the U.S, District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the Third Circuit affirmed on appeal.
- Atlanta, GA: Successfully defended a multinational chemical corporation in a mass tort environmental class action in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia filed on behalf of several thousand class members asserting personal injury and property damage claims allegedly caused by releases of a pesticide-related chemical from a wastewater treatment facility. After obtaining a dismissal of several claims and successfully striking all of the plaintiffs’ scientific experts, we negotiated a favorable settlement for a fraction of the plaintiffs’ original demands.
- Seattle, Washington: Defeated a purported nationwide class action filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington seeking damages under various consumer protection statutes for failure to disclose and pay diminished value under insurance contracts.
- Edwardsville, IL (Madison County): Won a dismissal of an insurance client in a multi-defendant conspiracy class action in which the plaintiffs sought more than $1 billion for alleged injuries involving the specification of aftermarket parts.
- Canon City, CO: Defeated class certification in a putative class action brought against an insurance client alleging failure to explain available personal injury protection benefits in the sale of automobile insurance policies. Denial of class certification was affirmed on appeal and petition for certiorari was denied.
- Mt. Vernon, WA: Won summary judgment for an insurance client in a putative class action alleging consumer fraud and breach of contract arising from installment service fee charges. Summary judgment in the client’s favor was affirmed on appeal, and petition for certiorari was denied.
- Los Angeles, CA: Represented an Internet service provider in a fraud suit against one of the world’s largest secured global data communication networks and recovered a substantial settlement on the ISP’s behalf.
- Atlanta, GA: Represented an international conglomerate in the prosecution of claims against sublicensees for a breach of licensing agreements and a trademark infringement arising out of the Olympic Games.
- Atlanta, GA: Defended a logistics provider in a series of bet-the-company nuisance suits seeking a shutdown of the client’s operations and exemplary damages. Won partial summary judgment on the plaintiffs’ claims and settled suits for a nominal sum.
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Alston & Bird LLP today announced that
Cari K. Dawson, a partner in the firm’s
Litigation & Trial Practice Group and chair of its
class action practice, has been named one of the “
100 Most Influential Lawyers in America” by
The National Law Journal, one of the most respected legal publications in the country. Ms. Dawson was lauded for her work representing leading international automobile manufacturer Toyota as lead counsel in the economic loss class actions in the Unintended Acceleration (UA) Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) pending in the Central District of California. “Charged with defending against the economic-damages portion of hundreds of claims, she reduced Toyota’s exposure by persuading the judge to limit the proposed nationwide class to consumers in only three states,” the publication noted.
March 27, 2013
In the Press
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Cari Dawson, partner in the firm's Litigation & Trial Practice and Products Liability Groups, was featured in Diversity & the Bar magazine.
March/April 2013
In the Press
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One hundred and forty-seven Alston & Bird attorneys have been selected for inclusion in the 2013 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. The publication is universally regarded as among the few definitive guides to legal excellence, and its rankings are based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which more than 36,000 leading attorneys cast almost 4.4 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas.
September 18, 2012
In the Press
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June 7, 2012
In the Press
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Toyota won dismissal of most claims by Florida and New York Car owners who contended the value of their vehicles were driven down by Toyota’s alleged failure to disclose or fix defects related to sudden acceleration.
May 5, 2012
In the Press
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Cari Dawson, partner in the Litigation & Trial Practice Group and based in the firm’s Atlanta office, received the “Corporate Counsel of the Year” award on behalf of the John M. Langston Bar Association and was presented the award at the 2012 Annual Installation & Awards Gala.
February 4, 2012
In the Press
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Cari Dawson was named among the “Top 250 Women in Litigation” in the inaugural edition of Benchmark Litigation for her achievements in the courtroom as the head of the Class Action Team for the firm’s Litigation & Trial Practice Group.
January 1, 2012
In the Press
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September 12, 2011
In the Press
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June 13, 2011
In the Press
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Cari Dawson, partner in the Products Liability Group and based in the firm’s Atlanta office, was named among the “45 Women Under 45” as a top young female attorney of the AmLaw 200 by The American Lawyer.
January 1, 2011
In the Press
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August 30, 2010
In the Press
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“A Practitioner’s Guide to Class Actions,” ABA’s Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section, July 2010.
July 2010
Publications
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"Developments in Recent Class Certification Decisions: Are Courts Moving Toward Using Full Daubert Analysis for Class Certification Experts?" American Bar Association Section of Litigation Annual Conference Program, April 2010.
April 2010
Publications
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November 2006
Publications
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January 2006
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November/December 2005
Publications
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June 19, 2013
Webinar
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July 25, 2013
Seminar
- Atlanta Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- National Bar Association