Vincent J. Esades

B.A. cum laude, U. of N. Dakota
J.D., U. of N. Dakota School of Law

Admitted: Minnesota and North Dakota; U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota

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Mr. Esades is an equity member of Heins Mills & Olson P.L.C. located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has a national practice in the field of complex litigation, primarily in the areas of antitrust, consumer fraud and securities fraud. Mr. Esades has consistently been recognized as a top antitrust litigator in the The Legal 500 US which ranks Heins Mills & Olson as one of the top eight antitrust class action firms nationally. The 2012 inaugural edition of Benchmark Plaintiff: The Definitive Guide to America's Leading Plaintiff Firms & Attorneys recognized Vincent Esades as one of the Minnesota "Litigation Stars" in the practice of antitrust, consumer and complex litigation.

He has worked on numerous major antitrust cases and was recently appointed as co-lead counsel in In re Lipitor Antitrust Litig. MDL No. 2332 (D.N.J.), which involves antitrust and consumer protection claims on behalf of a proposed class of indirect purchasers of the prescription drug; Fond Du Lac Bumper Exchange, Inc., Plaintiff, v. Jui Li Enterprise Company, Ltd., et al., Case No. 09c0852 (E.D. Wis.) which involves claims of nationwide price fixing of automotive sheet metal parts by after market sheet metal parts manufacturers; and In re Puerto Rican Cabotage Antitrust Litigation (MDL No. 1960 D.P.R.) which involved price fixing by Jones Act shipping companies for ocean shipping services between the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

He is currently serving as plaintiffs' lead or co-lead counsel on several other nationwide class actions, including Pastor Benjamin A. Johnson, et al. v. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, et al. (D. Minn.) (breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty claims against the ELCA and the ELCA Board of Pensions on behalf of retired pastors and church employees); In re Publication Paper Antitrust Litigation (MDL No. 1631 D. Conn.) (price-fixing claims against paper manufacturers) and has served as lead or co-lead counsel in In re Polyester Staple Antitrust Litigation (MDL No. 1516 W.D. N.C.) (price-fixing claims against polyester staple manufacturers on behalf of business purchasers) and In Re Bulk Graphite Antitrust Litigation (D. N.J.) (price-fixing claims against manufacturers of bulk graphite on behalf of business purchasers). In addition to serving as lead counsel, Mr. Esades tried a price-fixing case to verdict as a member of a multi-firm trial team in the In re High Pressure Laminates Antitrust Litigation (MDL No. 1368 S.D. N.Y.) (price fixing claims against manufacturers of high pressure laminates on behalf of business purchasers) and serves as lead counsel in a case tried by Heins Mills and other co-lead counsel in November 2008, In re Universal Service Fund Telephone Billing Practices Litig. (MDL No. 1468 D. Kan.) (consumer fraud and antitrust claims against AT&T, MCI and Sprint for USF telephone charges). Since 2004, Mr. Esades has represented classes of consumers and as lead counsel obtained nationwide settlements in In re Lawnmower Engines Horsepower Marketing & Sales Practices Litigation (MDL No. 1999 E.D.Wis.) (alleging RICO, consumer fraud, civil conspiracy and unjust enrichment claims against manufacturers of lawn mowers and lawn mower engines).

Mr. Esades is also currently involved as a member of Plaintiffs' Executive Committee in numerous other nationwide class actions including In re Pool Products Distribution Market Antitrust Litigation (MDL No. 2328 E.D. La.) (Sherman Act claims against Pool Corporation, Inc. and others for anticompetitive actions in the pool products market); In re TFT-LCD (Flat Panel) Antitrust Litigation (MDL No. 1827 N.D. Cal.) (price-fixing claims against producers of Thin Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Displays); In re Municipal Derivatives Antitrust Litigation (S.D.N.Y.) (claims on behalf of local governments against brokers, banks and insurance companies alleging bid-rigging and other anti-competitive practices in the municipal derivatives industry); In re Rail Freight Fuel Surcharge Antitrust Litigation (D.D.C. ) (claims alleging conspiracy among major domestic railroads to fix prices for rail freight transportation); and In re Intel Corp. Microprocessor Antitrust Litigation (D. Del) (claims alleging monopolistic practices by Intel in the x86 microprocessor market). Mr. Esades is also participating in In re Air Cargo Shipping Services Antitrust Litigation (E.D.N.Y.) (claims against major airlines alleging price-fixing of fuel surcharges for freight transportation).

Mr. Esades has actively participated in numerous other complex class actions as well, including In re Hydrogen Peroxide Antitrust Litigation (E.D. Pa.); In re Vitamins Antitrust Litigation (D. D.C.) (Discovery Co-Chair); Howe v. Microsoft Corp. (N.D.) (Lead Counsel); Gordon v. Microsoft Corp. (Minn., 4th Jud. Dist.); In re NASDAQ Market-Makers Antitrust Litigation (S.D.N.Y.); and In re Motorsports Merchandise Antitrust Litigation (N.D. Ga.).

Mr. Esades has presented at the ABA Annual Convention and the ABA Annual National Institute on Class Actions as a moderator and panelist regarding major antitrust issues, including the Class Action Fairness Act and class arbitration.

Institute Planning Committee and Moderator, ABA's 15th Annual National Institute on Class Actions, "Melee in Manhattan! Class-Action Objectors - Are They Protectors of Absent Class Members or Merely Gadflies?", New York City, NY, October 14, 2011, sponsored by the ABA's Litigation Section's Class Action and Derivative Suits Committee.

Moderator and Member of the Institute Planning Committee, ABA's 14th Annual National Institute on Class Actions, "Perspectives on Multidistrict Litigation from the MDL Panel and Beyond," Chicago, IL, October 14, 2010, sponsored by the ABA's Litigation Section's Class Action and Derivative Suits Committee.

Panelist and Moderator, ABA's 13th Annual National Institute on Class Actions, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Courthouse...I Had to Litigate an Arbitration Clause! Crafting, Opposing, and Arguing Arbitration Clauses and Class-Action Waivers in Three Scenes," Washington DC, November 20, 2009, sponsored by the ABA's Litigation Section's Class Action and Derivative Suits Committee.

Panelist, American Antitrust Institute's Annual Invitational Symposium on the Future of Private Antitrust Enforcement, Action on the Class Action Front: A Potpourri, Washington, DC, December 11, 2008.

Panelist, ABA's 12th Annual National Institute on Class Actions, I Could Have Sworn it was CAFA, not Kafka! The Metamorphosis of Pleading, Defending, and Settling Multi-State Class Actions—A Surreal-Life, Three-Act Play, New York, NY, November 7, 2008, sponsored by the ABA's Litigation Section's Class Action and Derivative Suits Committee.

Lecturer, Class Actions: Growing Your Business by Understanding the Basics and Recognizing Opportunities, Cleveland, OH, October 31, 2008, sponsored by the Cleveland Bar Association.

Panelist, ABA's 11th Annual National Institute on Class Actions, The Nationwide Class: White Elephant, Endangered Species, or Alive and Well?, Chicago, IL, October 19, 2007, sponsored by the ABA's Litigation Section's Class Action and Derivative Suits Committee.

Panelist, ABA's 2007 Annual Meeting, Is this CAFA or Kafka? Multi-State Class Actions in a Time of Metamorphosis—A Surreal-Life, Three-Act Play, San Francisco, CA, August 9-12, 2007, sponsored by the ABA.