Stacey Slaughter

Few lawyers have done more to champion the rights of consumers, businesses, and investors who have been harmed by anticompetitive conduct, fraud, and negligence than high-stakes litigator Stacey Slaughter. 

Recognized by The Legal 500 as “smart, hard-working, collegial,” Ms. Slaughter is a partner and co-chair of the Antitrust and Trade Regulation Group at Robins Kaplan LLP, with decades-long experience in antitrust and consumer class action litigation, complex commercial litigation, as well as securities and financial markets litigation. The cases Ms. Slaughter has litigated have recovered more than $6 billion for victims of deceptive or unlawful conduct, and have included some of the largest, high profile, and most innovative cases arising under antitrust and federal securities laws. At home in the courtroom, Ms. Slaughter has litigated numerous cases to trial, arbitration, and resolution, with experience in courts and arbitration forums around the United States.

Education

• University of Minnesota Law School, J.D., cum laude (1999); Note and Comment Editor, Minnesota Law Review
• University of Minnesota, Master's Degree (1996) 
• Florida State University, B.A., magna cum laude, with honors (1994)

Representative Matters

Serving as court-appointed co-lead counsel, Robins Kaplan reached a $5.6 billion antitrust class action settlement on behalf of a class of more than 10 million U.S. merchants who accepted Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards for the purchase of goods and services. Plaintiffs alleged that Visa and Mastercard, as well as major card-issuing banks such as JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citibank, Wells Fargo, and Capital One, violated antitrust laws and charged merchants who accept credit and debit cards supra-competitive fees on card transactions. The settlement, which was granted final approval in December of 2019 and affirmed on appeal in March of 2023, represents the largest settlement of a private antitrust action in the 130-year history of the Sherman Act. In re Payment Card Interchange Fee and Merchant Discount Antitrust Litigation, MDL No. 1720 (E.D.N.Y.)

As lead counsel for Tena Companies—an industry leader in mortgage quality control—reached a confidential settlement resolving a commercial contract dispute against Ellie Mae (n/k/a Intercontinental Exchange Mortgage Technologies, “ICE MT”) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. Tena alleged that ICE MT violated a contractual non-compete provision relating to federal and state mortgage regulatory reporting software, which the parties had partnered to developed as part of a joint venture. After ICE MT lost its motion to dismiss, the Court ordered the parties to mediate. The parties resolved the case confidentially. TENA Companies, Inc. v. Ellie Mae, Inc. (n/k/a ICE MT), No. 21-cv-1814 (D. Minn.)

Serving on the plaintiffs’ steering committee, represents a class of consumers in a lawsuit against an airbag manufacturer and auto manufacturers involving allegedly defective airbag safety systems. ZF-TRW Airbag Control Units Products Liability Litig., MDL No. 2905 (C.D. Cal.)

Represents direct action plaintiffs alleging manipulation of the LIBOR benchmark in the billion-dollar multi-district litigation in the Southern District of New York against numerous bank defendants surrounding the BBA LIBOR-rigging scandal. In re LIBOR-Based Financial Instruments Antitrust Litigation, MDL No. 2262 (S.D.N.Y.)

Represented a class of consumers and reseller car dealers against Fiat Chrysler and Bosch alleging RICO claims for diesel emissions violations, which settled for $546 million in cash and repairs. In re: Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep EcoDiesel Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2777 (N.D. Cal.)

Represented three institutional investors in a closely-held company to recover $40 million in a complex tax shelter and accounting malpractice case, arising from a failed tax shelter instituted as part of a stock sale.

Represented financial institutions in a class action lawsuit against Equifax over its unprecedented security failure, one of the largest data breaches in history that impacted an estimated 143 million Americans. In re Equifax, MDL No. 2800 (N.D. Ga.) 

Represented investors in a class action suit against the largest private equity firms over alleged conspiracy to suppress prices in large, leveraged buyouts. Defendants Goldman Sachs, Bain Capital, KKR, Blackstone, Silver Lake, Carlyle, and TPG agreed to settle the claims for $590.5 million. Kirk Dahl, et al. v. Bain Capital Partners, LLC et al., Court Case No. 07-cv-12388 (D. Mass.)

Represented plaintiff Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh to recover a confidential amount for toxic, residential mortgage-backed securities. The Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh v. JP Morgan Chase & Co, et al., No. GD-09-016892 (Allegheny Ct., Penn.)

Recovered millions in a FINRA arbitration for a sovereign nation whose financial broker recommended investments in unsuitable, non-traded real estate investment trusts. 

Represented investors in claim against broker and broker-dealer for theft and failure to supervise in FINRA arbitration.

Represented company in the financial services industry in a patent infringement suit over a method and system for transferring money. 

• Lawdragon: 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers in America (2024)
• Lawdragon: 500 Leading Litigators in America (2023-2025)
• Benchmark Litigation: Litigation Star (2020-2024 Editions)
• Super Lawyers: New York Super Lawyer (2015-2024)
• Chambers USA: Antitrust, Minnesota (2022-2024)
• Twin Cities Business: Notable Women in Law (2020)
• The National Law Journal: Elite Women of the Plaintiffs' Bar (2020)
• Minnesota Lawyer: Attorney of the Year (2014 and 2019)
• The National Law Journal: Litigation Trailblazer (2018)
• Profiles in Diversity Journal: Women Worth Watching (2017)
• Law360: Women in Securities Law (2016)
• Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal: 40 Under 40 (2009)
• Minnesota State Bar Association: Recognized as a “North Star Lawyer” for providing at least 50 hours of pro bono legal services (2015-2022)

Civic

• Jeremiah Program Pro Bono Legal Clinic
• Jeremiah Program Board of Trustees (2013-2022)

Professional

• Federal Bar Association; Minnesota Chapter; Co-chair of Antitrust Committee (2024)
• Federal Bar Association; Minnesota Chapter; Co-chair of Committee on Class Actions, Mass Tort, and MDL’s (2021-2022; 2022-2023)
• Law360 Competition Editorial Advisory Board (2022)
• American Association for Justice
• American Bar Association
• Minnesota State Bar Association
• New York State Bar Association
• Twin Cities Diversity in Practice; Member Engagement & Innovation, Committee Member (2019-2023)

Speeches

• How Employers Are Using Market Power to Underpay Workers: The New Antitrust Merger Guidelines’ Take on Labor Markets
  Moderator, Heller-Hurwicz Economics Institute (May 7,2024)
• Pre-Trial and Early Case Coordination
  Minnesota Chapter Federal Bar Association, Webinar (April 28, 2022)
• Celebrating Native American Heritage Month - Current Issues on American Indian Law and Policy 
  Hennepin County Bar Association, Webinar (November 29, 2021)
• Current Issues on American Indian Law and Policy 
  Moderator, In-House CLE for a Financial Institution (October 12, 2021)
• How Affirmative Recovery Can Make Legal a Valued Business Partner
  Moderator, Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Minnesota In-House Counsel Conference, Webinar (June 17, 2021)
• Practice Pointers for Virtual Hearings
  Moderator, Federal Bar Association Minnesota Chapter Class Action and Mass Tort Practice Groups, Webinar (May 17, 2021)
• Avoiding Fiduciary Litigation in the Age of Technological and Digital Transformation 
  Robins Kaplan LLP Wealth Planning, Administration, and Disputes Annual CLE: The Future of the Fiduciary, Minneapolis, Minnesota (September 12, 2019)
• Legal Lessons Advice to My Younger Self
  2019 MWL Conference for Women in the Law, Minneapolis, Minnesota (April 26, 2019)
• Litigation Perspectives from the United States
  World Law Congress, Madrid, Spain (February 19, 2019)
• The Equifax Data Breach Litigation Basics
  Hennepin County Bar Association, Minneapolis, Minnesota (June 19, 2018)
• Rapid Response: Equifax® Data Breach Webinar
  American Association for Justice, Webinar (November 14, 2017)
• Class Action Litigation Developments 2016 2017
  Bloomberg BNA, Webinar (November 2, 2017)
• VW Litigation in Europe and the US
  International Financial Litigation Network, Madrid, Spain (November 17, 2016)
• Forex Manipulation Litigation in Europe
  International Financial Litigation Network and World Federation of Investors, Madrid, Spain (November 17, 2016)
• Developments in the LIBOR Antitrust MDL Case
  Robins Kaplan LLP, Webinar (August 23, 2016)
• Fantasy Football A Case Study of Insider Trading as a Cause of Action
  Law Seminars International, Seattle, Washington (May 5, 2016)
• A Look Back at Recent Class Action Litigation Developments
  Minnesota CLE, Minneapolis, Minnesota (April 5, 2016)
• Class Action Developments Year in Review
  Bloomberg BNA, Webinar (January 12, 2016)
• International Approach to Foreign Exchange Litigation
  International Financial Litigation Network, London (November 18, 2015)
• Building Credibility Within Your Business Network
  Panel, Executive Leadership Forum: By Invitation Only (B.I.O.), Washington, D.C. (October 28, 2015)
• Balancing on the Tightrope of Today's Legal Profession
  Law Seminars International: The Eleventh Comprehensive Conference on Class Actions, Seattle, Washington (June 4, 2015)
• Balancing on the Tightrope of Today's Legal Profession
  Panel, 2015 International Financial Litigation Congress, Madrid, Spain (May 18, 2015)
• Keeping A Whistleblower Internal
  Commercial Law Web Advisor (January 20, 2015)
• Class Action Litigation Developments in 2014
  Bloomberg BNA, Webinar (December 2, 2014)
• Taking Down the Take Private Giants: Kirk Dahl, et al. v. Bain Capital, et al.
  New York State Bar Association Antitrust Executive Committee, New York, NY (November 19, 2014)
• Private Equity “Club Deals”: An Antitrust Problem?
  Hennepin County Bar Association, Minneapolis, Minnesota (October 21, 2014)
• Recent Supreme Court Decisions on Securities Class Actions; SCOTUS Cases, and the Impact on CII Members
  Panel, The Council of Institutional Investors Annual Fall Meeting, Los Angeles, CA (September 29, 2014)
• Navigating Through The Supreme Court Decisions On Class Action
  InsideCounsel and Bloomberg Law, Webinar (October 16, 2013)
• Class Action Litigation Developments in 2013
  Bloomberg BNA, Webinar (October 2, 2013)
• 2012 Developments in Class Action Litigation
  Bloomberg BNA, Webinar (November 29, 2012)
• Coordination in Class Action Cases
  WAPA Antitrust Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada (October 11, 2012)

Media Mentions

• "Class Actions: Critical Mass," Law.com (November 6, 2024)
• "Scott & Scott, Hausfeld, Robins Kaplan To Lead RealPage Suit," Law360  (June 13, 2023)
• "On Deck In JPML: TikTok, RealPage, Unilever," Law360 (March 29, 2023)
• "Plaintiffs Bar Leaders Feeling Pressure to Make Deeper Diversity Improvements," The National Law Journal (December 6, 2021)
• "Inside the 'Google-style' Tech Hub Driving Plaintiffs Firms' Growth," The National Law Journal (November 15, 2021)
• "Stacey Slaughter: A Leader in the Law," Attorney at Law Magazine (November 4, 2021)
• "Plaintiffs Firms and Politicians Unite in the Fight Against Big Agriculture," The National Law Journal (October 28, 2021)
• "2019 Attorneys of the Year: Stacey Slaughter," Minnesota Lawyer (February 7, 2020) 
• “Fiat Chrysler’s Attempt to Dismiss Emissions-Cheating Case Fails,” The Wall Street Journal (March 16, 2018)
• “Chrysler Loses Bid to Dismiss Diesel Emission Cheating Claims,” Bloomberg (March 15, 2018)
• “Case Alleging Fiat Chrysler Cheated on Emissions Test can Proceed,” Detroit Free Press (March 16, 2018)
• “Where 5 Top MDLs Stand at the End of 2017,” Law360 (December 21, 2017)
• “Fiat Chrysler in Hot Seat Vacated by VW,” Courthouse News Service (December 20, 2017)
• “Businesses Begin Filing Class Actions Against Equifax,” The National Law Journal (September 25, 2017)
• “Credit Union Sues Equifax Over Breach-Related Fraud Costs,” BankInfo Security (September 25, 2017)
• “Summit CU Files Lawsuit Against Equifax,” CU Today (September 24, 2017)
• “As Equifax Amassed Ever More Data, Safety Was a Sales Pitch,” The New York Times (September 23, 2017)
• “Equifax Faces First Lawsuit from a Credit Union” Axios (September 23, 2017)
• “After the Breach, Equifax Now Faces the Lawsuits,” The Washington Post (September 22, 2017)
• “Class-Action Sought in Equifax Suit,” Twin Cities Pioneer Press (September 22, 2017)
• “Wisconsin’s Summit Credit Union Files Suit Against Equifax Over Data Breach,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (September 22, 2017)
• “Summit Credit Union to Sue Equifax Over Data Breach” Channel3000.com (September 22, 2017)
• “Summit Credit Union Files Class-Action Suit Against Equifax” Credit Union Times (September 22, 2017)
• “Credit Union Suit of Equifax May Be First, Likely Won’t Be Last” American Banker (September 21, 2017)
• “State, SEC Garner $155M in 'Dark Pool' Settlements,” New York Law Journal (February 2, 2016)
• “Lawyers Weigh In On High Court's Class Action Ruling,” Law360 (January 20, 2016)
• “Law Professor: Bill Targeting Class Action Abuse Simply Would Improve Certification Compliance,” Legal Newsline (February 4, 2016)
• “Pro Bono Spotlight: Robins Kaplan LLP,” Bar Talk (December 16, 2015)
• “Meet HCBA Member... Stacey Slaughter,” Hennepin County Bar Association (December 14, 2015)
• “Counsel’s Corner: Examining FHFA and Nomura Strategies in MBS Trial,” DSnews (March 19, 2015)
• “Nomura First to Fight U.S. Toxic Debt Claims at Trial,” Bloomberg (March 13, 2015)
• “Nomura First to Fight U.S. Toxic Debt Claims at Trial,” National Mortgage News (March 13, 2015)
• “The Female Attorneys You Admire,” Law360 (March 6, 2015)
• “The Fraud Case Standard & Poor’s Doesn’t Want You to Know About,” Reuters (November 19, 2014)
• “Blackstone, KKR, TPG Settle Suit Alleging Collusion,” The Deal Pipeline (August 8, 2014)
• “JPMorgan is the Biggest Beneficiary of ‘Dark Pool’ Operators,” New York Post (July 22, 2014)
• “Private Equity Firms Lose Bid to Dodge Collusion Lawsuit,” The AmLaw Litigation Daily (July 18, 2013)
• “Bain, KKR, Other PE Giants Can't Escape Collusion Suit,” Law360 (July 18, 2013)
• “Libor Antitrust Risks Remain Despite Early Settlements,” Law360 (December 20, 2012)
• “Big Suits: In Re Swipe Fee Litigation,” American Lawyer (October 2012)
• “Investors Demand Goldman Execs’ Evals In Bid-Rigging Row,” Law360 (April 18, 2012)
• “Suit alleges fraudulent H&R Block loans,” Minnesota Lawyer (April 9, 2012)