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Deborah H. Renner

Deborah Renner focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation, including the defense of consumer fraud and securities class actions. Ms. Renner leads Baker Hostetler’s class action practice in New York and is co-editor of Baker Hostetler’s Class Action Lawsuit Defense blog.

Ms. Renner has successfully defended numerous companies in nationwide, multidistrict and state class actions alleging, among other things, common law fraud, negligence, breach of contract, violations of consumer protection statutes, antitrust violations, RICO and ERISA. She has defeated class certification in courts around the country and has won the dismissal of class claims at the outset of numerous actions. Just before joining Baker Hostetler in 2009, she won the complete dismissal of a securities fraud class action alleging violations of Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934. Medis Investor Group v. Medis Technologies, Ltd., 586 F.Supp.2d 135 (S.D.N.Y. 2008), aff’d, 2009 WL 2171277 (2d Cir. July 21, 2009).

Ms. Renner has defended insurance companies in litigation concerning increased long-term care rates, “vanishing premiums,” as well as in other suits concerning consumer fraud. She was instrumental in obtaining summary judgment in a putative class action concerning alleged fraud in the pricing of long-term care insurance. Rakes v. Life Investors Ins. Co. of America, 2008 WL 2158717 (N.D. Iowa June 20, 2008), aff’d, 2009 WL 2981976 (8th Cir. Sept. 18, 2009). Ms. Renner has also won the dismissal of numerous “opt-out” cases stemming from the settlement of a multidistrict class action.

Since 2009, Ms. Renner has been a lead attorney on the Baker Hostetler team that serves as Counsel to the SIPA Trustee for the liquidation of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC (BLMIS), working on the global investigation of the Madoff Ponzi scheme—the largest financial fraud in history—and related litigations seeking recoveries for the BLMIS Customer Fund. She is responsible for, among other things, enforcing the automatic bankruptcy stay and obtaining injunctions to stop class action and other litigation from proceeding both internationally and within the United States. Reported decisions in which Ms. Renner has participated include: Picard v. Fox, 429 B.R. 423 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 2011), aff’d, In re Madoff, 2012 WL 990829 (S.D.N.Y. March 26, 2012); Picard v. Stahl, 443 B.R. 295 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 2011), aff’d, In re Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, slip op. (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 2, 2011); and Picard v. Maxam Absolute Return Fund, L.P., 460 B.R. 106 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 2011) ), aff’d, 2012 WL 1570859 (S.D.N.Y. May 4, 2012).

Ms. Renner taught class action law at Fordham University Law School from 2002 to 2006. She is a 2011 “Super Lawyer” in the Class Action/Mass Torts category.

Ms. Renner’s pro bono work focuses on gay and lesbian rights. She also sits on the advisory board of the Brooklyn Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyers Project.

Ms. Renner’s published works include:

• “Recent Developments in Class Action Law,” 12th Annual Consumer Financial Services Litigation Institute, Practising Law Institute, Col. 1, 85-140 (2007)
• “Class Action Defense and the Interplay Between State Regulatory Investigation and the Federal Judicial Process: Strategies and Procedures in Life Insurance Sales Practices Cases,” SB81 ALI-ABA 89 (1997)