Mary Eaton has extensive experience in complex commercial litigation, with a focus on securities class actions, shareholder derivative claims and other complex business disputes. Mary regularly represents issuers, boards of directors, board committees and senior management across a broad spectrum of industries (including financial services, private equity, asset management and technology) in a wide variety of disputes in federal and state courts across the country. In addition to her substantial trial experience, Mary regularly counsels clients on litigation avoidance and corporate governance matters.
Among her many accolades, Mary is perennially ranked among leading litigators by Chambers USA, Benchmark Litigation, Lawdragon, Crain's New York Business, Legal 500 US and Best Lawyers in America. In 2019, the American Bar Association awarded Mary the Stonewall Award.
Securities litigation and enforcement
Mary represents issuers, underwriters, officers and directors in private securities litigation and in enforcement and examination proceedings before the SEC and other regulators.
Shareholder derivative claims
Mary has extensive experience in shareholder derivative matters, representing boards of directors, demand committees, issuers and senior management in connection with shareholder demands and claims of all sorts.
M&A and complex commercial disputes
Mary’s ability to distill and simplify the critical issues has enabled her to successfully represent clients across a broad array of industries in litigations of all types, securing favorable verdicts and settlements for her clients. As a result, Mary is regularly called...
Mary's recent representations included defending:
- A multinational manufacturing conglomerate, several officers and directors in securities class action and related shareholder derivative suits based on alleged failure to disclose contingent environmental liabilities.
- Citigroup and its directors in several shareholder derivative actions and related securities class actions alleging that the board knowingly allowed the company to maintain insufficient operational controls and to violate the terms of regulatory settlements.
- AstraZeneca, its CEO, and several other executives in securities class action challenging statements regarding clinical trial of its COVID-19 vaccine.
- Tyson Foods and its officers and directors in securities class action alleging failure to disclose purportedly insufficient COVID-19 safety protocols at Tyson facilities.
- Several underwriters in connection with securities class action challenging healthcare delivery platform InnovAge’s initial public offering.
- CarLotz, its CEO, and its CFO in securities class action and related shareholder derivative suits alleging that defendants failed to disclose material information concerning CarLotz's inventory processing and its agreements with sourcing partner.
- Pinterest in securities class action alleging that it made false and misleading statements with regard to future growth.
- Pinterest and its board of directors in a stockholder derivative suit alleging breaches of fiduciary duty arising out of the alleged failure by management and Board to prevent discrimination.
- Energy Recovery in securities class action filed in connection with termination of licensing agreement.
- CBS and several of its officers and directors in securities class action alleging failure to disclose facts leading to #MeToo scandal with Les Moonves.
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