Caz Hashemi is regarded as one of the leading attorneys advising clients involved in SEC, government, and internal investigations, having represented companies and Boards in more than 100 such matters during his career. Senior executives, directors, and other individuals frequently engage Caz as personal counsel during these types of investigations.
In his practice, Caz also regularly represents clients in securities class actions, shareholder derivative lawsuits, and stockholder litigation demands.Caz has developed a particular expertise in advising clients on the most complex and sensitive issues, including whistleblower allegations, financial restatements, accounting and disclosure items, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) matters, and insider trading.
Audit Committees and Special Committees often call upon Caz to conduct internal investigations involving these issues. Caz recently served as lead independent counsel for the Special Review Committee of McKesson in response to a shareholder demand relating to a $150 million settlement with the Drug Enforcement Administration concerning opioids.
On numerous occasions in his SEC practice, the SEC declined to pursue charges of securities laws violations against Caz’s clients after they received Wells Notices (indicating the SEC’s intent to pursue charges), including for a public company, an Audit Committee Chair, a CEO, and three CFOs.
One of the cases involved Netflix in a publicly reported SEC investigation of first impression related to the application of Regulation FD and the use of social media. In the last year, Caz was lead counsel for two CFOs who received Wells notices. In both cases, the SEC ultimately did not file any charges against those individuals.
Caz is also lead counsel for the former CFO of Walgreens in a recently settled SEC investigation and securities class action lawsuit.
In his securities class action practice, Caz recently argued and won a case before the Ninth Circuit in a lawsuit filed against Align Technology and its executives (City of Dearborn Heights v. Align Technology, Inc., et al.). In this significant decision, the Ninth Circuit affirmed dismissal and applied for the first time the U.S. Supreme Court’s Omnicare standard for pleading falsity of opinion statements in the context of securities fraud claims.
In addition to the clients noted above, Caz has represented many other leading companies, including Brocade, Credit Karma, Computer Sciences Corporation, Juniper Networks, Logitech, Polycom, and Symantec.
EDUCATION:
- J.D., Washington University School of Law
- B.S., Chemical Engineering, Northwestern University
ADMISSIONS:
- State Bar of California
- State Bar of Illinois
- Various U.S. District Courts
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Cost
Rate : $$$
