Mr Richard Russo, Jr. > Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP > Radnor, United States > Lawyer Profile

Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP
280 KING OF PRUSSIA ROAD
RADNOR, PA 19087
PENNSYLVANIA
United States

Work Department

Securities Fraud Litigation; Whistleblower Representation; Direct and Opt-Out Actions

Position

Partner

Career

Mr. Russo concentrates his practice in the area of securities litigation, and principally represents the interests of plaintiffs in class actions and complex commercial litigation.

Mr. Russo specializes in prosecuting complex securities fraud actions arising under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Securities Act of 1933, and has significant experience in all stages of pre-trial litigation, including drafting pleadings, litigating motions to dismiss and motions for summary judgment, conducting extensive document and deposition discovery, and appeals.

Mr. Russo has represented both institutional and individual investors in a number of notable securities class actions. These matters include In re Bank of America Securities Litigation, where shareholders’ $2.43 billion recovery represents one of the largest recoveries ever achieved in a securities class action and the largest recovery arising out of the 2008 subprime crisis; In re Citigroup Inc. Bond Litigation, where the class’s $730 million recovery was the second largest recovery ever for claims brought under Section 11 of the Securities Act of 1933; and In re Lehman Brothers, where shareholders recovered $616 million from Lehman’s officers, directors, underwriters and auditors following the company’s bankruptcy filing.

Mr. Russo is currently representing shareholders in high-profile securities fraud actions against General Electric, Precision Castparts Corp., Kraft Heinz Corp. and Luckin Coffee Co. Mr. Russo has also assisted in prosecuting whistleblower actions and patent infringement matters.

In 2016, Mr. Russo was selected as an inaugural member of Benchmark Litigation’s Under 40 Hot List, an award meant to honor the achievements of the nation’s most accomplished attorneys under the age of 40. Mr. Russo was again selected as a member of the 40 & Under Hot List in 2018, 2019, and 2020. Mr. Russo has also been selected by his peers as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Rising Star on five occasions.

Memberships

Mr. Russo is licensed to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey; USDC, District of New Jersey; USDC, Eastern District of Pennsylvania; USDC, Eastern District of Arkansas; USDC, Western District of Arkansas; USCA, First Circuit; USCA, Second Circuit; USCA, Eigth Circuit; USCA, Tenth Circuit.

Education

Villanova University, B.S. 2003, cum laude; Temple University Beasley School of Law, J.D. 2006, cum laude, Staff Member—Temple Law Review

Lawyer Rankings

United States > Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: plaintiff

The team is very strong in litigation and takes good care of its clients’, says a client of Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP in Radnor, Pennsylvania. The firm has a 28-partner practice, one of the largest in this area of law. David Kessler and Darren Check are the most prominent partners in the practice, though there is a deep bench of experienced litigators, among them Gregory CastaldoSharan Nirmul and Richard Russo, Jr., who are assisting Check and Kessler in a lead counsel role for Sjunde AP-Fonden and Cleveland Bakers and Teamsters Pension Fund in a securities fraud class action concerning alleged misrepresentations made by General Electric and its former Chief Financial Officer regarding the use of factoring to conceal cash flow problems that existed within GE Power. Jennifer Joost also helped Sjunde AP-Fonden in a major case against Kraft Heinz Company, while Matthew Mustokoff and Andrew Zivitz is handling a case for AMF Pensionsförsäkring AB concerning Celgene’s misrepresentations and omissions about two billion-dollar drugs, Otezla and Ozanimod. Emerging partner talent Naumon Amjed focuses on new matter developments with a focus on analyzing securities class action lawsuits, opt-out actions, SEC whistleblower actions, breach of fiduciary duty cases, data breach actions and oil and gas litigation.