Robbins Geller Partner Paul J. Geller Appointed to Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in Nationwide Volkswagen Emissions Cheating Lawsuit

Many sat at the edge of their seats waiting for U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer of the Northern District of California, who is presiding over the massive consolidated class action concerning Volkswagen's illegal emissions cheating scandal, to appoint the nationwide team to steer the case towards resolution.  More than 150 lawyers submitted applications, and over 100 of them attended the January 21 “marathon hearing” to address the Court and reiterate their request for a leadership position.  As The Recorder  reported, the lead counsel contest was "one of the largest in class action history, and the spectacle Thursday in the ceremonial courtroom in the San Francisco federal courthouse seemed to have no precedent.  Every seat in the gallery was packed shoulder-to-shoulder. Lawyers stood in the aisles and streamed into the hall.”  Ultimately, in what many have dubbed a class action "Dream Team," Judge Breyer selected 21 lawyers to serve on the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee. 

“It was humbling to sit in the ceremonial courtroom among so many lawyers whom I admire and respect.  I’m honored to have been selected among this distinguished group to serve on the steering committee,” said Geller, a founding partner of Robbins Geller and head of its Consumer Practice Group. “Now I'm eager to roll up my sleeves and work with Judge Breyer, Former FBI Director Robert Mueller, Lead Counsel Elizabeth Cabraser, and my fellow steering committee members to secure a resolution that brings much-needed relief to consumers and our environment."

Geller’s 23 years of litigation experience is broad, and he has led cases in each of Robbins Geller's practice areas. Notably, before devoting his practice to the representation of consumers and investors, he defended companies in high-stakes class action and MDL litigation, providing him an invaluable perspective that he now utilizes in prosecuting such cases. Rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell (the highest rating available) and twice named one of the nation’s top “40 Under 40” by The National Law Journal, he has also been named one of “Florida’s Top Lawyers” by Law & Politics and South Florida Business Journal, one of the nation’s “Top 500 Lawyers” by Lawdragon, one of Florida’s “Legal Elite” by Florida Trend magazine and one of “Florida’s Most Effective Lawyers” by American Law Media’s Daily Business Review.