Joseph Allerhand

Joseph S. Allerhand Co-Heads Weil’s Securities Litigation practice, and is one of the leading securities litigators and corporate counselors in the United States. Mr. Allerhand has more than 30 years of experience in shareholder class actions, M&A litigation, SEC investigations, arbitrations, and busted deal litigations.

Mr. Allerhand has argued and tried numerous high-profile cases in state and federal courts, and before arbitration panels. In particular, he appears regularly in the Delaware Chancery Court and the Delaware Supreme Court in connection with M&A transactions and shareholder disputes, including of late, the successful defense of Kinder Morgan’s $80 billion corporate reorganization of three publicly traded entities, Signet’s acquisition of Zale, and many other transactions.

Mr. Allerhand also regularly counsels boards of directors and special committees on a wide variety of corporate transactions and internal investigations.

His notable recent experience includes:

• Serving as lead counsel for AIG in shareholder class and derivative litigations arising from the 2008 financial crisis. Obtained dismissal, affirmed on appeal, of a shareholder derivative action, and of multi-billion dollar claims brought by former CEO Maurice “Hank” Greenberg. Also obtained favorable settlement of securities fraud class action – one of the largest ever filed – and victories in a number of related “opt-out” cases in courts around the country
• Successfully representing Kinder Morgan Inc. for many years in a number of high-profile shareholder actions, including most recently winning the reversal by the Delaware Supreme Court of a $171 million trial verdict issued by the Delaware Court of Chancery against El Paso Pipeline GP Company, L.L.C., a Kinder Morgan subsidiary, in a derivative claim brought by a limited partner. Also recently defeated a unitholder action in Delaware Chancery Court and on appeal before the Delaware Supreme Court that challenged Kinder Morgan’s consolidation of three publicly traded subsidiaries, including two master limited partnerships, into Kinder Morgan Inc.
• Successfully represented Fairway Group Holdings Corp. and its private equity owner in a securities class action and shareholder derivative litigation relating to Fairway’s 2013 initial public offering and subsequent disclosures. Obtained dismissal of shareholder class and derivative actions.

Education:

• Columbia University (B.A., 1975)
• Georgetown University Law Center (J.D., 1978)

Admissions:

• US Court of Appeals 2nd Cir.
• US Court of Appeals 3rd Cir.
• US Court of Appeals 6th Cir.
• US Court of Appeals 7th Cir.
• US Court of Appeals 8th Cir.
• US Court Federal Claims
• Eastern District New York
• New York State
• Southern District New York
• US Supreme Court