HIGHLIGHTS:
- Chair of the Firm’s Corporate Governance + Shareholder Rights Group
- 25 years of experience handling securities and shareholder derivative cases
- Litigated securities and corporate governance cases at Jones Day
BIO:
Mr. Johnson is Chair of the Firm’s Corporate Governance + Shareholder Rights Group and is a Partner in the Firm’s Ohio office. Over the past 25 years, Mr. Johnson has litigated numerous high-profile securities, corporate governance and shareholder rights cases all across the country. He has represented institutional investors, state and local pension funds, corporations, hedge funds and individual investors. His efforts have resulted in substantial monetary recoveries and significant corporate governance improvements on behalf of his clients.
Mr. Johnson is the lead attorney in In re Alphabet Inc. Shareholder Derivative Litig., No. 21-cv-09388-RFL (N.D. Cal.), a case in which Alphabet agreed to spend $500 million to overhaul its global compliance structure, agreed to switch its oversight from its Audit Committee to a new Risk and Compliance Committee and agreed to adopt sweeping internal reforms. This is one of the largest recoveries in a shareholder derivative case.
Prior to joining Scott+Scott, Mr. Johnson litigated complex securities and shareholder cases at Jones Day. Mr. Johnson also clerked for the Honorable Karen Nelson Moore, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. In law school, Mr. Johnson was a member of the University of Chicago Law Review.
REPRESENTATIVE CASES:
- In re Altria Group, Inc. Derivative Litig., No. 20-cv-772 (U.S. Dist. Ct., Eastern District of Virginia) (establishing a $117 million fund and adoption reforms relating to company’s mishandling of Altria’s $12.8 billion JUUL acquisition);
- In re L Brands Derivative Litig., No. 20-cv-3068 (U.S. Dist. Ct., Southern District of Ohio) (establishing a $90 million fund and adopting workplace reforms in connection with a shareholder derivative action alleging serious workplace misconduct);
- In re Alphabet Inc. Shareholder Derivative Litig., No. 19cv341522 (Superior Court of California, Santa Clara County) (establishing a $310 million fund and adopting board and executive level reforms relating to the company’s mishandling of sexual harassment allegations against senior executive);
- In re King Digital Entertainment plc S’holder, Litig., No. 15-544770 (Superior Court of California, San Francisco County) ($18.5 million settlement – surviving two motions to dismiss);