Evan J. Kaufman

Evan Kaufman has recovered more than $200 million for class members in high-profile class actions in federal and state courts around the nation.

Evan J. Kaufman focuses his practice in the area of complex litigation, including securities, corporate mergers and acquisitions, derivative, and consumer fraud class actions.

Mr. Kaufman has served as lead counsel or played a significant role in numerous actions, including: In re TD Banknorth S’holders Litig. ($50 million recovery); In re Gen. Elec. Co. ERISA Litig. ($40 million cost to GE, including significant improvements to GE’s employee retirement plan, and benefits to GE plan participants valued in excess of $100 million); In re Warner Chilcott Ltd. Sec. Litig. ($16.5 million recovery); In re Giant Interactive Grp., Inc. Sec. Litig. ($13 million recovery); In re Royal Grp. Tech. Sec. Litig. ($9 million recovery); In re Audiovox Derivative Litig. ($6.75 million recovery and corporate governance reforms); Candela Corp. ($3.85 million recovery); In re Hibernia Foods, PLC Sec. Litig. ($2.8 million recovery from auditor of liquidated company); In re MONY Grp., Inc. S'holder Litig. (obtained preliminary injunction requiring disclosures in proxy statement); New Jersey v. Gemstar TV-Guide (recovered approximately 50% of New Jersey’s losses); Hudson Soft & Autobacs, Seven Co. v. CSFB (resolved for an undisclosed sum); and In re Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., Internet Strategies Sec. Litig. (resolved as part of a $39 million global settlement).

In the TD Banknorth litigation, the court appointed Mr. Kaufman and the Firm to be lead counsel for plaintiffs after rejecting as “wholly inadequate” a $3 million settlement objected to by Mr. Kaufman and the Firm on behalf of their clients and the class. When the Firm later achieved a $50 million recovery for the class, the court stated: “This is one of the cases – there’s probably been a half a dozen since I’ve been a judge that I handled which have – really through the sheer diligence and effort of plaintiffs’ counsel – resulted in substantial awards for plaintiffs, after overcoming serious procedural and other barriers . . . it appears plainly from the papers that you and your co-counsel have diligently, and at great personal expense and through the devotion of many thousands of hours of your time, prosecuted this case to a successful conclusion.”

In the Giant Interactive litigation, the court acknowledged the efforts of Mr. Kaufman and the Firm in achieving the favorable settlement for the Class: "The Court also recognizes the diligence and hard work of plaintiffs' counsel in achieving such a settlement, particularly in light of the fact that this case (unlike many other securities class actions) was independently developed by plaintiffs' counsel, as opposed to following, or piggybacking on, a regulatory investigation or settlement."  

Prior to joining the Firm, between 2001 and early 2005, Mr. Kaufman was associated with a prominent Manhattan plaintiffs' class action firm, where his practice focused on securities and consumer fraud class actions. 

Professional Affiliations

Nassau County Bar Association, Member