Ropes & Gray Prevails Before Ninth Circuit on Behalf of TriNet

A Ropes & Gray litigation team secured a favorable decision from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of client TriNet, and certain of its Officers and Directors. On March 26, the court affirmed the dismissal of all claims against the TriNet defendants in the securities class action that had been pending against the company and those individuals since 2015.

Filed in the Northern District of California, the original lawsuit alleged that TriNet and its officers and directors defrauded investors by misrepresenting TriNet’s ability to predict claims activity. On December 18, 2017, U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman dismissed the complaint in its entirety and with prejudice through a nearly 60-page ruling, by which she accepted all of Ropes & Gray’s arguments. The plaintiff then appealed to the Ninth Circuit. After fully briefing the issues, the parties made their arguments to a three judge panel. The panel appeared to accept the arguments of Ropes & Gray’s appellate & Supreme Court chair Douglas Hallward-Driemeier in full.

The Ninth Circuit issued a concise and direct opinion affirming the trial court’s order dismissal of the claims against all parties, finding that the claims against all parties wholly lacked legal merit.

In addition to Mr. Hallward-Driemeier, the Ropes & Gray team included litigation & enforcement associate Nicole Horowitz.