Sarah Gibbs Leivick’s practice focuses on antitrust, securities, and complex civil litigation. She has extensive experience prosecuting the claims of large public companies in multi-district litigations and before international arbitration tribunals, and has represented plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of actions in federal and state courts.
Sarah has been named one of the Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers in the U.S. for antitrust and securities litigation by Lawdragon. The Legal 500 recognizes Sarah as a leading antitrust litigator. She has been recognized as a Rising Star in Super Lawyers and on Benchmark Litigation’s 40 & Under Hot List.
Sarah coordinates the firm’s mentoring program, in partnership with the Justice Resource Center, with the Law Institute at John Dewey High School in Brooklyn, New York. This program provides students with resources to encourage academic achievement, and exposes them to job options in the legal field.
Sarah is a member of the firm’s Women’s Initiatives Committee and Pro Bono Committee.
WORK HIGHLIGHTS
► Ford Motor Company in obtaining affirmative recoveries in connection with price-fixing, bid-rigging and customer allocation cartels involving more than 90 automotive parts suppliers, and impacted purchases in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and South America, described by the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice as its largest criminal antitrust investigation, resulting in nearly $3 billion in criminal fines.
► Teva Pharmaceuticals and its individual directors and officers in defense of one of the largest securities class actions in recent history as well as the more than 20 related direct actions, filed on behalf of more than 75 opt-out plaintiffs. The class action was settled in 2022 within insurance limits.
► Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and Lloyds TSB Bank in actions against investment banks, indenture trustees, rating agencies and accountants, asserting violations of federal securities and New Jersey Blue Sky laws relating to losses on holdings of more than $250 million of financial instruments issued by National Century Financial Enterprises.
► Workspace, a mixed-use cooperative corporation that owns two buildings in New York City’s SoHo, and certain members of Workspace’s board of directors, in securing the dismissal of breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty claims. The court dismissed the complaint brought by a minority shareholder of Workspace, 106 Spring Street Owner, a portfolio company managed by 60 Guilders and funded by both Carlyle Realty Partners and 60 Guilders.
► Hilton Worldwide in a civil action alleging trade secret misappropriation and other business torts brought by Starwood Hotels & Resorts. This highly complex case, described by the media as “Grishamesque,” settled after approximately one year of discovery.
► UniCredit Bank in an action against Textron, the servicer of securitized notes, for failure to properly monitor the underlying collateral.
Update Oct 2024
