Rob Baehr is a senior counsel in the Litigation Department. A class action litigator, he specializes in defense of toxic tort, consumer protection, and complex commercial matters. Rob regularly counsels clients on the risk of parallel regulatory inquiries during pending and threatened class and mass tort litigation.
Among other things, Rob advises clients on consumer protection Issues related to green marketing and claims of environmental and health benefits. He also counsels renewable energy providers on compliance with state consumer protection statutes and regulations governing community distributed generation projects.
In cases involving alleged hazardous materials exposure, Rob is skilled in developing litigation strategies with experts in real estate valuation, toxicology, medical monitoring, hydrogeology, air dispersion, and chemical fate and transport. He has worked with teams to resolve complex multi-party cost allocation and recovery disputes under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or “superfund"), particularly in connection with legacy government-owned, contractor-operated sites.
Rob also handles internal investigations and represents clients in civil and regulatory inquiries, including investigations by state attorneys general, the Department of Justice, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Federal Trade Commission. He has designed class action settlement notices and claims processes and secured federal court approval for multiple nationwide class actions asserting civil RICO, consumer fraud, and data protection claims. As part of his class action practice, Rob has counseled clients on the use of novel settlement and claims-insurance products to structure multi-million-dollar class settlements involving consumer products.
Education
- University of Iowa College of Law, J.D.
- Trinity College, B.A.
Admissions & Qualifications
- New York
Court Admissions
- New York State Appellate Division, First Judicial Dept.
Awards & Recognition
Best Lawyers in America, Ones to Watch 2022
Matters
Representative Matters
- Defense of class action and individual cases alleging environmental contamination and toxic torts in excess of $1 billion. Advise client on related regulatory issues.
- Representing a major financial institution in federal antitrust class and individual actions alleging that payment card practices of defendant card networks and financial institutions constitute an unreasonable restraint of trade and illegal monopolization.
- Successfully resolved putative class action against home warranty company alleging violations of RICO and various state consumer protection laws.
- Conducting internal investigations for financial institutions related to the CARD Act, the Truth in Lending Act, and the Dodd-Frank Act. Successfully negotiated consent order for consumer refunds with credit for self-reporting, resulting in no civil penalties.
- Representing companies and individuals facing regulatory scrutiny and enforcement by the U.S. Department of Justice, the SEC, the CFPB, and various state regulators, involving securities fraud, benchmark manipulation, municipal securities transactions, and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act