For 20 years, Susan has represented public companies and their officers and directors in a variety of litigation matters, including securities class actions, shareholder derivative suits and merger related litigation. She also routinely advises clients on disclosure issues and electronic discovery best practices. She is a frequent speaker and author on the latest trends in securities litigation and class action practices and strategies in general. Susan is also the editor of Alston & Bird's Securities Litigation Blog and the firm’s Annual Report on Securities Litigation.
Susan received her undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from Vanderbilt University and her J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law, where she was the Baker-Worthington Scholarship recipient, on the Dean’s List, a member of the Moot Court Board, student articles editor for the Vanderbilt Law Review, and was elected to the Order of the Coif.
- Successful in achieving early dismissal or substantial limiting of claims on behalf of a variety of public company clients and corporate officers in securities fraud and derivative cases.
- Successful in defeating motions for expedited discovery and requests for injunctive relief in breach of fiduciary duty class actions regarding a proposed merger.
- Counsel of record in Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC v. Scientific-Atlanta, Inc. and Motorola, Inc., before the U.S. District Court, Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court. In what has been called the most important securities case in a generation, the Supreme Court affirmed in Stoneridge the prior decision of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, holding that so-called “scheme liability” claims under Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 were properly dismissed with prejudice. See 522 U.S. 148 (2008). Specifically, the Court held that the implied right of action previously recognized under Section 10(b) does not reach non-speaking defendants where the investors at issue could not and did not rely on any statements or representations made by those defendants in their stock purchase or sale decisions.
- Successfully opposed class certification motions on behalf of companies and their officers and directors in putative securities class actions. See, e.g., Richard Beach v. Healthways, Inc. et al., Case No. 3:08-0569 (M.D. Tenn. Oct. 5, 2009); In re HealthSouth Securities Litigation, 213 F.R.D. 447 (N.D. Ala. 2003).
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April 2009
In The Press
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February 23, 2009
In The Press
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April 24, 2008
In The Press
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5 February 2008
In The Press
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4 February 2008
In The Press
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18 January 2008
In The Press
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18 January 2008
In The Press
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18 January 2008
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18 January 2008
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18 January 2008
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16 January 2008
In The Press
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23 January 2007
In The Press
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2 May 2006
In The Press
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19 April 2006
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17 April 2006
In The Press
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July 6, 2011
Publications
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June 20, 2011
Publications
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May 10, 2011
Publications
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"Still No Aiding and Abetting Liability Provision," Securities Law360, July 28, 2010.
July 28, 2010
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"A Change in Tide," Fulton County Daily Report, December 23, 2009.
December 23, 2009
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November 23, 2009
Publications
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"Securities Class Actions: Alternative Path to Victory," Bloomberg Law Reports, Vol. 2, No. 11, November 2009.
November 2009
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September 24, 2009
Publications
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April 15, 2009
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"Fourth Circuit Interprets Tellabs for First Time and Dismisses Suits," Counsel's Advisory, Washington Legal Foundation, Vol. 17, No. 2, February 27, 2009.
February 27, 2009
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"The Stoneridge Investment Partners Decision: What Difference Has It Made?" Banking & Financial Services Policy Report, Vol. 28, No. 1, Jan. 2009.
January 2009
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"Important Developments in Securities Litigation in 2008," 36 Securities Regulation Law Journal 213 (2008).
Fall 2008
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30 May 2008
Advisories
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13 May 2008
Advisories
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March 2008
Publications
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February 18, 2008
Publications
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February 15, 2008
Publications
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"Stoneridge: Supreme Court Rejects Plaintiffs' 'Scheme Liability' Theory," Andrews Litigation Reporter — Securities Litigation and Regulation, Vol. 13, Issue 20, February 6, 2008.
February 6, 2008
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"Important Developments in Securities Litigation in 2007 and What to Expect in 2008," LexisNexis Mealey's Emerging Securities Litigation, Vol. 6, #8, February 2008.
February 2008
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"What Effect Will Stoneridge Have On Litigation?" Securities Law 360, January 25, 2008.
January 25, 2008
Past Events
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May 7, 2008
Seminar
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February 19, 2008
Seminar
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January 31, 2008
Seminar
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June 7, 2007
Seminar
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June 7, 2007
Seminar
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May 21-23, 2007
Seminar
- Admitted to practice in Georgia