The Law Offices of Michael M. Mulder, like its predecessor firm, Meites Mulder, has built a reputation as a leader in large, complex class actions and multi-plaintiff litigation. The firms have handled dozens of class actions suits, winning certification in the majority and successfully negotiating creative and wide-reaching settlements.
Mike Mulder began working with his now retired partners, Tom Meites and Lynn Frackman, on a class-action litigation Romasanta v. United Airlines, Inc., 537 F.2d 915 (7th Cir. 1975), aff'd, 432 U.S. 385 (1977); 587 F.2d 357 (7th Cir. 1978), cert. denied, 442 U.S. 934 (1979); 717 F.2d 1140 (7th Cir. 1983), cert. denied, 466 U.S. 944 (1984); 745 F.2d 1081 (7th Cir. 1984), cert. denied, 471 U.S. 1065 (1985), a sex discrimination class action on behalf of 1,661 class members who worked as flight attendants for United Airlines. In that case, which made its way through several appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court, the firm won a $37 million settlement that included reinstatement for about 800 class members. The district court stated:
"There isn't any question at all that none of that would have happened without the competence, the tenacious and conscientious efforts of class counsel that have gone on for 12 years. If class counsel had not come in when they came in, the whole thing would have ended 12 years ago with no recovery to the class, to anyone. I say without hesitation that the services have not been merely competent; I think they have been extraordinary."
Since that victory, the firm has continued to deliver the highest-quality work on behalf of plaintiff classes in large, complex cases. Most recently, Mike Mulder served as co-lead counsel in In re JPMorgan Stable Value Fund ERISA Litigation, where in 2019, the U.S. District Court approved a $75 million settlement. Workers who invested their retirement savings in JPMorgan stable value products brought that case, alleging that JPMorgan violated federal law when it failed to prudently manage its stable value funds, for example, by investing in risky mortgage assets. J.P. Morgan accordingly violated its fiduciary duty to the class of workers.
The firm also served as co-counsel in Tracey v. Mass. Inst. Of Tech., an ERISA fiduciary breach case in which employees and retirees alleged that MIT's retirement plan overcharged participants and offered poorly performing investments. The parties reached a settlement for $18.1 million as well as nonmonetary relief for the plan participants, which was approved by the U.S. District Court in 2020.
Previously, the firm also was co-lead counsel in Neil v. Zell, No. 1:08-cv-06833 (N.D. Ill.), where the United States District Court approved a $32 million settlement in a case brought by former Tribune employees on behalf of a class of 13,000 participants in the Tribune Employee Stock Ownership Plan.
In Mattson v. Montana Power Company, 309 Mont. 506 (Mont. May 30, 2002) (No. 01-781), we won certification of a class of approximately 3,000 landowners in Montana who allege that the power company's operation of a dam is causing erosion resulting in the loss of their shoreline property. The case resulted in three separate settlements providing monetary recovery to the landowners as well as a change in the contested dam operation to decrease future property damage.
Contact Experienced Trial Lawyers
Our firm also is open to partnering with other law firms or solo practitioners as co-counsel. If your firm is looking at a class action or multi-plaintiff case opportunity, please reach out to our firm to discuss a potential co-counsel relationship. We have experience in co-counseling with other law firms successfully in the past.
Please contact us via email or call us at 312-263-0272 to discuss potential class-action claims. We are located in the Chicago, Illinois area.
