CO-CHAIR, CLASS ACTION DEFENSE TEAM
CO-CHAIR, PITTSBURGH OFFICE
Roy serves as co-chair of the firm’s national class action defense team and as co-chair of Blank Rome’s Pittsburgh office. He is a trusted adviser and experienced, high-stakes litigator who is widely recognized for his trial skills, vigorous advocacy, and relentless pursuit of his clients’ objectives. Clients have described him as “highly strategic,” “exceptionally well prepared and thorough,” and as a “pragmatic, problem solver.”
He has nearly 30 years of broad experience representing clients faced with alleged class actions, shareholder derivative lawsuits, and other complex commercial litigation producing an impressive track record of favorable results. His corporate clients have spanned diverse industries, including banking and financial services, retail and luxury goods, hotels and hospitality, energy and natural resources, and technology and software.
Roy focuses his practice on defending banking and financial services litigation, mergers & acquisitions and securities litigation, general business and commercial litigation, and ADA Title III litigation and compliance. As a result of his diverse experience, Roy has defended more than 300 putative class actions in various states, including Pennsylvania, Missouri, Rhode Island, Alabama, California, Florida, Virginia, Tennessee, New Jersey, North Carolina, Indiana, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Washington.
While he has obtained numerous victories by way of early dismissals, he also has acquired significant experience handling contested class certification proceedings. He has extensive experience in all aspects of class action litigation, including dismissal motions, bifurcation motions, class certification, discovery, petitions for interlocutory appeal, settlement, and trial. A complete list of such putative class actions is available upon request. He also has acted as national coordinating counsel, special class action defense counsel, and lead trial counsel in numerous jury trials, non-jury trials, appeals, arbitrations, and injunction proceedings in various state and federal courts, as well as in numerous mediations.
Roy has handled a variety of significant cases brought in the following areas:
- Banking and financial services disputes arising in the class and individual context, including the defense of all types of consumer or customer claims in the areas of consumer finance and banking, residential mortgage lending, loan servicing, automobile finance, and syndicated and commercial lending.
- Business disputes relating to mergers and acquisitions transactions, including efforts to restrain or enjoin the transaction, and breaches of contract, fraud, and business torts.
- Shareholder disputes involving public companies, closely held companies, and limited liability companies arising from issues concerning the adequacy of disclosure and other corporate governance disputes, including the exercise of fiduciary duties.
- Representation of officers and directors, as well as special committees of Boards of Directors, relating to investigations of alleged wrongdoing and/or malfeasance.
- Other complex litigation, including claims arising from the sale of investment products, such as mutual funds, by banks and registered investment companies.
Prior to entering private practice, he served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Alan N. Bloch, U.S. District Court of the Western District of Pennsylvania. During law school, Roy served as the lead executive editor of the University of Pittsburgh Law Review.