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Joel D. Rothman

Special Counsel

[email protected]

+1.617.348.4495

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Joel practices as Special Counsel at Mintz in the Litigation Section, with a particular focus on litigation that creates recovery opportunities for institutional investors, as well as real estate litigation and insurance matters. As a key member of the Institutional Class Action Recovery Practice, Joel advises institutional investors with respect to the monitoring and evaluation of both foreign and domestic securities and antitrust class actions, and has helped collect over $8 billion for institutional clients. He has represented various clients in evaluating whether to opt out of or object to class settlements throughout the world. Joel, along with the rest of the Institutional Class Action Recovery Practice, represents mutual funds, institutional investors, public pension funds, trusts, investment advisors, and individuals as claimants in thousands of cases, both foreign and domestic, handling approximately 350 cases concurrently, with up to several million dollars in recoveries per week.  

A well-rounded attorney, in addition to his work with institutional investors, Joel has an active real estate litigation practice, representing developers, property owners, and financing agencies, particularly with respect to land use litigation and permitting disputes. Joel has expertise in real estate disputes involving municipal zoning board hearings and decisions, zoning appeals, and Chapter 40B affordable housing issues. A seasoned litigator, he advises clients at all stages of civil litigation, from pre-litigation counseling and investigation through discovery, alternative dispute resolution, trial, and the appeals process.

Joel also has extensive experience representing primary and excess insurers and reinsurers in complex coverage disputes arising under representations and warranties and commercial general liability policies.

Before joining the firm, Joel held a clerkship position with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, serving under, the late Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants. He has also held internship positions in the litigation sections of law firms in Boston, and in the Insurance and Financial Services Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.

Experience

Institutional Investor Class Action Recovery

  • Represented institutional investors in monitoring and/or participating in virtually all U.S. securities class actions, regulatory settlements, and other investor class actions.
  • Represented institutional investors in monitoring and/or participating as opt-out claimants or parties in antitrust and securities class actions involving interest rate and currency manipulation claims.
  • Represented mutual funds and other institutional investors in evaluating and participating in global recovery opportunities, including securities and antitrust cases in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, England, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, South Africa and Taiwan.

Real Estate

  • Obtained dismissal of lawsuit brought by a municipality challenging a funding agency’s determination of eligibility for a Comprehensive Permit.
  • Successfully appealed to the DHCD a municipality’s determination that it had achieved an affordable housing statutory minimum.
  • Represented clients in front of local zoning boards in Massachusetts land zone proceedings.

Insurance

  • Defended an insurer against claims that it converted subrogation claims, obtaining summary judgment from the US District Court for the District of Oregon.
  • Represented clients in evaluating coverage disputes under representation and warranties and general commercial liability policies.
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viewpoints

Recently introduced legislation pending before the U.S. House of Representatives attempts to make wide-sweeping reforms to the procedural rules governing class actions and, if implemented, could permanently alter the class action landscape and render class actions a “shadow of what we know today,” according to Reuters.
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Viability of Dutch Claims Foundations In Question

January 18, 2017 | Blog | By Joel Rothman

As we have previously noted (here and here), Dutch Foundations (or Stichtings) have been considered a useful tool in seeking recovery for losses on foreign securities.
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On November 4, 2016, Judge Keith Ellison of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas granted preliminary approval of a $175 million settlement in the federal securities class action In re: BP p.l.c. Securities Litigation between BP and Lead Plaintiffs for the “post-explosion” class.
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Recently, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California (the “Court”) dismissed claims against Yahoo, Inc., holding that a 16-year old exemption granted to Yahoo by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) barred the plaintiff’s claims alleging that Yahoo was operating as an unregistered investment company in violation of the Investment Company Act of 1940.
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On September 27, 2016, the Second Circuit ruled against a value investor in an opt-out action brought in the continuing Vivendi litigation. The recently issued opinion, however, does have positive implications for institutional investor class participants.
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Developers Who Elect Not to Pay Comprehensive Permit Fees in Full Proceed at Their Peril

September 19, 2016 | Alert | By Nicholas Cramb, Joel Rothman

The Massachusetts Appeals Court issued an opinion on August 29, 2016, that has significant ramifications for developers seeking Comprehensive Permits for affordable housing projects under chapter 40B of the Massachusetts General Laws (“Chapter 40B”).
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Although this blog is focused typically on opportunities for institutional investors to recover losses as class members or plaintiffs, we think this decision in Youngers v. Virtus Investment Partners, Inc., may also be of interest.
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Dutch Foundation Dismissed for Inadequate Safeguarding of Members’ Interests

July 14, 2016 | Blog | By Kevin Mortimer, Joel Rothman

On June 29, 2016, the Dutch Court of East Brabant dismissed a foundation’s claims against Rabobank Group for alleged unlawful selling of interest rate swaps because it failed to meet the requirement of the Dutch Claim Code that a foundation sufficiently safeguard the interests of its members.
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Following up on our December 15 post on the debate over the best strategy to recover foreign securities losses, a collection of Dutch Foundations (known as Stichtings) negotiated a substantial collective settlement with Ageas SA/NV, the successor-in-interest to Fortis Holdings.
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A December 22, 2015 decision of the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Florida in In re Ocwen Financial Corporation Securities Litigation illustrates the impact that an investigation and order of the Securities Exchange Commission (“SEC”) may have on a plaintiff’s ability to allege actionable false statements by an issuer regarding its internal controls.
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News & Press

Press Release Thumbnail Mintz

Mintz's Institutional Investor Class Action Recovery Practice has recovered $400 million for institutional investor clients in 2024 and expects projects for recoveries exceeding $500 million by year end. 

This Law360 Expert Analysis column, authored by Mintz Member Peter Saparoff and Associate Joel Rothman, discusses several recent developments which highlight why foreign securities litigation is an ever-changing scenario where nothing is definite.
Mintz is proud to be recognized by JD Supra in its 2018 Reader’s Choice awards. The annual program highlights the most widely read authors and articles throughout the past year. Five Mintz attorneys were named JD Supra Top Authors in four different industries.
Mintz Members Peter Saparoff and Adam Sisitsky, and Associate Joel Rothman co-authored the book Business Torts in Massachusetts, which provides a comprehensive and practical guide for business counsel and litigators on the wide range of "business torts" actions.
This article, co-authored by Mintz Litigation Member Joel Rothman and attorney Angela Dilenno, discusses the U.S. Supreme Court’s hearing of a case dealing with a relatively straightforward issue in the generally complex world of securities litigation.
Peter Saparoff, Co-chair of Mintz’s Securities Litigation Practice, and Joel Rothman, Mintz Boston Associate, authored this American Bar Association article discussing whether securities antitrust cases will incite an increase in objections because of the complexity of their distribution plans.
Members Peter Saparoff and Robert Kidwell and Associates Joel Rothman and Kevin Mortimer authored this ABA’s Section of Litigation column on the trend of plaintiff investors filing a growing number of class action cases against financial institutions alleging violations of U.S. antitrust laws.
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Involvement

  • Former Member, Board of Trustees & General Counsel, Infant Toddler Children’s Center in Acton, Massachusetts
  • Former Member, Board of Trustees, Concord Children's Center in Concord, Massachusetts
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