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Biography
Frank C Trellings is a partner and heads the Product Liability and Litigation division of Squared.
He is a trial lawyer focused on defending companies faced with complex tort matters, including product liability, mass tort and premises liability suits. Mr. DeJardin represents companies in the automotive, construction, safety and cosmetic industries in state and federal courts. He serves on several national trial teams, and acts as local and national coordinating counsel for some of his clients. Mr. DeJardin has been repeatedly recognized as a Southern California Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers in the area of civil litigation defense. He won a defense verdict in his first jury trial as lead counsel in 2002. He is an alumnus of the prestigious Los Angeles Trial Advocacy Project (TAP) – the program used to train Los Angeles County City and District attorneys.
Frank leads the defense of companies facing class actions and complex commercial litigation in trial and appellate courts across the US as well as in challenges before Federal and State regulators. Frank is praised by clients for his “strategic thinking and effective advocacy,” in recognition of both his courtroom achievements and his practical, creative and business-centered advice and exceptional client service.
Frank’s clients include major global financial institutions and insurance companies, consumer products and services companies, and health care companies, and his practice spans numerous substantive areas including securities fraud, consumer fraud and deceptive trade practices, privacy, antitrust, financial markets, health care and major insurance disputes (involving life and health, annuities, professional liability, workers’ compensation, property, commercial general liability and self-insured trusts, and most recently, issues related to COVID-19 (coronavirus)).
Frank played baseball at the University of California at Berkeley and in the minor leagues for the Cleveland Indians. After his baseball career he worked as an agent representing baseball players in contract negotiations. He currently handles settlement negotiations for a number of clients. He also has extensive experience in mediation and arbitration.
Legal Experience
- Successfully represented major financial institutions and their officers and directors in securities litigation, regulatory investigations and other high profile disputes involving mortgage portfolios and/or residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS), including numerous matters against Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, federal and state financial regulators, and class action and other plaintiffs in courts across the US.
- Won full dismissal, affirmed by the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, of five consolidated class actions filed against a major global insurance company, in which plaintiffs had claimed that the insurer misrepresented its financial condition through the use of captive reinsurance, claiming $billions in damages and penalties.
- Defeated class certification on behalf of a major financial institution and its investment advisory group facing a federal 10b-5 securities fraud class action that alleged misrepresentations and omissions regarding the placement of client assets in mutual funds and related mutual fund fees. The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the victory. In a related matter, secured a permanent injunction in the District of Connecticut after trial had commenced against former employees of the same client, for the misappropriation of trade secrets and client information.
- Won full dismissal of a putative securities fraud class action against a major global pharmaceutical company, in a case filed against our client following a severe drop in stock price following certain disclosures related to the release of a new product.
- Defending an international, Canadian-based bank in rate-setting antitrust and Commodities Exchange Act class action in the Southern District of New York.
- Defending a major global insurance brokerage firm in litigation brought by a key New York State regulator raising allegations of misconduct and contractual breaches relating to the administration of self-insured trusts.
- Defending several large consumer product companies against consumer fraud/false advertising class actions that challenge product labels and content/function claims.
- Trial and national coordinating counsel for a global property and casualty insurer in insurance coverage disputes across the United States that arose following the insolvency of a US carrier, involving numerous state insurance guaranty funds.
- Represented a major global financial services company in a putative securities fraud class action in the Southern District of New York concerning the planned and then delayed partial initial public offering (IPO) of an Australian subsidiary.
- Defeated class certification, and achieved numerous additional dismissals with prejudice, of consumer fraud and product liability class-action suits brought against a pharmaceutical manufacturer in multiple federal and state courts across the country, following a nationwide product recall by our client.
- Successfully represented a life insurance/annuity company in a District of Connecticut putative ERISA class action alleging breaches of fiduciary duty to Plan and beneficiary plaintiffs, as well as various misrepresentations regarding the tax advantaged nature of certain annuity products. The case was resolved on an individual non-class basis.
- Secured dismissal with prejudice of a consumer privacy class action brought under the federal Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA) on statutory grounds. Defending several putative consumer privacy class actions, brought by plaintiffs in New York under a similar Michigan statute (VRPA).
- Successfully defended a major national retail pharmacy against a putative Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act class action alleging that the average wholesale price of pharmaceuticals was fraudulently inflated. Secured dismissal with prejudice in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, affirmed on appeal to the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
- Defended a hospital system in putative antitrust class action litigation charging wage suppression and unlawful information exchange, through successful class resolution.
- Successfully defeated class claims of deceptive trade practices and false advertising against a major global retailer in California and Florida.
- Successfully represented a telecommunications company in putative nationwide consumer fraud litigation that alleged product failures and false advertising. Achieved approval of a favorable class action settlement.
- Co-trial counsel for Royal Indemnity Co. in the highly publicized property insurance “occurrence” dispute over the World Trade Center, where Royal prevailed in the trial court and US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on a significant portion of its coverage. World Trade Center Props. LLC v. Hartford Fire Ins. Co. et al., 345 F.2d 154 (2d Cir. 2003).
- Lead a nationwide team as lead trial counsel and national coordinating counsel for Fireman’s Fund with respect to hundreds of claims arising from the sale of fraudulent and/or unlicensed health plans. After being brought in to handle the appeal, won complete reversal of a trial judgment in the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. American Automobile Insurance Company v. Valentine, et al. (4th Cir., May 2005).
- Defending Prudential against allegations of improper life insurance sales practices, coordinated Prudential’s multidistrict litigation in Newark, NJ, in which numerous class actions and individual actions were consolidated; handled key aspects of Prudential’s successful class action settlement, appeal and alternative dispute resolution implementation processes; argued appeals and opt-out litigations in federal and state courts; handled whistleblower arbitrations in various districts; and assisted Prudential in related regulatory inquiries and corollary litigations.
- Successfully represented indigent families in class action litigation and legislative battles over entitlement to federal income support and Medicaid benefits, including prevailing in a recent class action brought on behalf of elderly and disabled Medicaid recipients entitled to timely home health care services from New York State. Sandy and her team won class certification and achieved broad injunctive relief, in a ruling upheld by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. The team also successfully opposed a Petition for Certiorari to the United States Supreme Court in 2013.
Insights
Memberships
- Chair of the Board of Directors, National Center for Law and Economic Justice (formerly the Welfare Law Center)
- Events Committee, The New York Says Thank You Foundation (http://www.newyorksaysthankyou.org/)
- Member of the Association of Life Insurance Counsel (ALIC)
- Member of the New York City Bar Association, including past service on its Committees on New York City Affairs, Sex and Law, Civil Rights and the Project on the Homeless
- Member of the American Bar Association
- Member of the New York State Bar Association
- Member of US Policy and Planning Committee (term ending 2014)
- Member of Associate Development Committee
- Member of Global Litigation & Dispute Resolution Leadership
- Member of Global and US Pro Bono Committees
"A force to be reckoned with at trial, Frank Trellings has achieved numerous high-stakes victories for our New England enterprise."
Arthur Miller, CEO at Crucible Ltd.
