A.J. De Bartolomeo is a partner at Girard Gibbs with more than twenty years of experience in large-scale mass, class and collective actions, including cases involving personal injury, securities, antitrust, consumer protection, and copyright laws.
Ms. De Bartolomeo has served as court-appointed lead counsel and class counsel in class actions throughout the United States, and has represented hundreds of people injured by defective pharmaceutical medications and medical devices, such as Zyprexa, Vytorin, Medtronic medical devices, NuvaRing, Yaz & Yasmin birth control, Actos, and transvaginal mesh implants.
In November 2009, Ms. De Bartolomeo was appointed by the Court to serve on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee for the MDL Yaz & Yasmin birth control litigation, where she is co-chair of the Law & Briefing Committee. In May 2012, she was appointed to the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee for the prosecution of the MDL transvaginal mesh lawsuits coordinated in federal court in West Virginia. In October 2012 she was appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee for the prosecution of the MDL Pradaxa personal injury and product liability lawsuits coordinated in federal court in East St. Louis.
Ms. De Bartolomeo has expertise in class action settlement approval, class notice and claims administration procedures, as well as the collection of class action recoveries and fraudulent transfer recoveries in bankruptcy proceedings. She frequently speaks on consumer and securities class actions, as well as the settlement approval process before defense law firms, institutional investors and government committees. She has been named among the highest class of attorneys for professional ethics and legal skills with an AV-Preeminent rating by Martindale Hubbell. In July 2012, Ms. De Bartolomeo was elected as an officer of the Women’s Trial Lawyer Caucus of the American Association of Justice.
Awards & Honors
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Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Rating for Highest Ethics and Legal Skills
Current Cases - Leadership Positions
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In re: Yasmin and Yaz (Drospirenone) Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation
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Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee
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Co-chair, Law and Briefing Committee
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Representing women across the country who have suffered serious side effects after taking the birth control pills Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella
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In re Electronic Database Copyright Litigation
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Co-lead counsel
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Representing freelance authors whose works were published in newspapers, magazines, and other print publications with the authors’ permission, then licensed to the commercial databases for electronic publication without the authors’ permission, in violation of the Federal Copyright Act
Significant Recoveries
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Telstar v. MCI, Inc.
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Achieved settlement of more than $2.8 million in cash on behalf of class of commercial subscribers alleging FCA violations for unfair billing practices.
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Powers Law Offices v. Cable & Wireless, USA
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Achieved settlement for over $2.2 million in cash after Chapter 7 filing on behalf of Rule 23(b)(3) certified class of commercial customers alleging FCA violations.
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Brennan v. AT&T Corp.
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Achieved a cash settlement on behalf of hundreds of thousands of people who were listed in AT&T’s client database as residential long-distance customers but who Plaintiffs alleged were not AT&T’s customers and did not use its services, but who were charged monthly service fees by AT&T.
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In re MCI Non-Subscriber Rates Litigation
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Helped to achieve $90 million cash settlement on behalf of MCI subscribers who were charged MCI’s non-subscriber or “casual caller” rates and surcharges instead of the lower rates which MCI advertised and subscribers expected to be charged.
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Lehman v. Blue Shield
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Achieved a settlement for more than $6.5 million in cash on behalf of class of subscribers overpaying insurance premiums.
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In re Cosmo Store Services
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Achieved settlement for $1 million in cash after Chapter 11 filing on behalf of class of unsecured creditor employees.
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In re Girls Gone Wild Litigation
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Achieved full reimbursement for Girls Gone Wild customers who were charged for unwanted or unordered videos, DVDs, and shipping and handling costs in a continuity billing scheme.
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In re American Express Advisors Securities Litigation
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Achieved settlement of $100 million on behalf of individuals who bought financial plans and invested mutual funds from American Express Financial advisors.
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CalSTRS v. Qwest Communications, et al.
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Member of the litigation team that recovered $45 million on behalf of California school teachers for securities fraud claims over investment in Qwest Communications, Inc.
