Darren T. Kaplan, Partner
Mr. Kaplan received his B.A. degree in political science from Syracuse University in 1988 and his J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law in 1991. He was admitted to the Connecticut Bar in 1991, the New York Bar in 1992 and the Georgia Bar in 2006. In addition to the state courts of Georgia, New York and Connecticut, Mr. Kaplan is admitted to practice in every federal district court in New York, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, the U.S. Court of International Trade, the Second, Third, Ninth, Eleventh and Federal Circuit Courts of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of the United States.
Mr. Kaplan joined the firm as a partner in April 2005. He was formerly a partner at Harnes Keller LLP in New York, New York where he litigated a number of cases in the areas of corporate governance, investor rights, securities fraud and consumer protection.
In addition to representing shareholders in derivative and class action litigation, Mr. Kaplan also focuses on representing institutional investors in litigation and arbitration of significant transactional claims and has written extensively on the legal issues surrounding hedge funds, structured asset-backed securities, derivatives, and swaps. His most recent article, “Pursuit Partners, LLC v. UBS AG: Implications for Hedge Funds That Invested in Collateralized Debt Obligations and Other Structured Products” was published in The Hedge Fund Law Report, Vol. 2, No. 42 (Oct. 21, 2009).
In 2006, as co-lead counsel for a certified nationwide class of inkjet printer owners, Mr. Kaplan and Chitwood partner Gregory Keller obtained a settlement valued in excess of $900 million from Seiko Epson Corporation's American subsidiary arising from claims that Epson inkjet printer cartridges falsely indicated "empty" and shut down while significant ink remained in the cartridge. That settlement in Epson Ink Cartridge Cases (Superior Ct. of California, Los Angeles County) is thought to rank among the top five largest consumer class action settlements in U.S. history.
Mr. Kaplan joined the firm as a partner in April 2005. He was formerly a partner at Harnes Keller LLP in New York, New York where he litigated a number of cases in the areas of corporate governance, investor rights, securities fraud and consumer protection.
In addition to representing shareholders in derivative and class action litigation, Mr. Kaplan also focuses on representing institutional investors in litigation and arbitration of significant transactional claims and has written extensively on the legal issues surrounding hedge funds, structured asset-backed securities, derivatives, and swaps. His most recent article, “Pursuit Partners, LLC v. UBS AG: Implications for Hedge Funds That Invested in Collateralized Debt Obligations and Other Structured Products” was published in The Hedge Fund Law Report, Vol. 2, No. 42 (Oct. 21, 2009).
In 2006, as co-lead counsel for a certified nationwide class of inkjet printer owners, Mr. Kaplan and Chitwood partner Gregory Keller obtained a settlement valued in excess of $900 million from Seiko Epson Corporation's American subsidiary arising from claims that Epson inkjet printer cartridges falsely indicated "empty" and shut down while significant ink remained in the cartridge. That settlement in Epson Ink Cartridge Cases (Superior Ct. of California, Los Angeles County) is thought to rank among the top five largest consumer class action settlements in U.S. history.
Mr. Kaplan is often interviewed on the subjects of class actions and investor lawsuits and articles about him have appeared in numerous media outlets including The National Law Journal, Business Week, MSNBC and the Seattle Post Intelligencer. He recently appeared on the BBC Television program Watchdog.
Email: dkaplan@chitwoodlaw.com