Robert Swerdlow is a counsel in O’Melveny’s Los Angeles office and a member of the White Collar Defense and Corporate Investigations Litigation Practice. Robert focuses on complex commercial litigation, mass tort defense, and environmental law. Most recently, Robert was part of the team that successfully defended a former corporate executive in United States v. W.R. Grace et al.—a case described as the largest and most complex criminal environmental prosecution in the nation’s history. After a 12-week trial in Montana, his client was acquitted of all charges, including conspiracy and multiple counts of violating the “knowing endangerment” provisions of the Clean Air Act.
Robert has represented a variety of companies in high-stakes litigation matters, including shareholder derivative actions, product liability lawsuits, and breach of contract and fraud claims, at both the trial and appellate levels. He currently represents one of the nation’s largest retirement savings companies in a suit seeking to recover US$800 million in damages arising from the fraudulent acquisition of the assets of an insurance company in California.
Robert also has significant experience in mass tort litigation. He is part of the team representing current and former welding electrode manufacturers in mass product liability actions in state and federal courts alleging neurological injury from manganese exposure.
Robert has experience in a wide variety of other commercial litigation matters including:
Representing the chief executive of a dental products company accused of committing fraud;
Representing the owner of portions of “unitized” oilfield in a multimillion dollar appeal concerning the extent of the owner’s equity interests in the field;
Representing the outside directors of a publicly traded brokerage firm against claims of fraud;
Representing a major public utility company in an action to acquire an easement for a water pipeline to a proposed development; and
Representing an insurance company at trial in an action concerning coverage for environmental liabilities for groundwater contamination.
