Thomas C. Bright

Mr. Bright joined the Firm in 2002. He has substantial experience litigating federal antitrust and securities class actions, complex business matters, and intellectual property disputes.

Mr. Bright served as trial counsel in In re Polyester Staple Antitrust Litigation (W.D.N.C.), a federal antitrust case that settled with the last remaining defendant on the eve of trial (2008), ultimately recovering more than the single damages suffered by the Class.

He is currently working on several national and international antitrust class actions; including In re Rail Freight Fuel Surcharge Antitrust Litigation (D.D.C.) (national shippers seeking damages for alleged price fixing of rail freight fuel surcharges by the nation's dominant freight-shipping railroads); In re Egg Products Antitrust Litigation (E.D.Pa.) (price fixing claims against the major U.S. producers of eggs and egg product); In re Aircargo Shipping Services Antitrust Litigation (E.D.N.Y.) (national and international shippers seeking damages for alleged price fixing of various air cargo surcharges by the dominant national and international airlines); In re Refrigerant Compressors Antitrust Litigation (E.D. Mich.) (price-fixing claims against manufacturers of refrigerant compressors).

Additionally, Mr. Bright served as co-lead counsel on a class arbitration regarding alleged customer allocation and bid rigging in the parcel tankers shipping industry that was ultimately decided by the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Bright was on the brief.

Mr. Bright also litigates federal securities fraud class actions. He assisted in the in the prosecution of In re Peregrine Systems Securities Litigation (S.D. Cal.), opposing multiple motions to dismiss and appearing on the brief in the appeal to the Ninth Circuit. The firm obtained what is believed to be the largest monetary recovery from individual outside directors of a public company not funded by insurance in the history of class action securities litigation, in excess of $55 million. The total recovery in the case was approximately $117 million.

Mr. Bright is currently prosecuting a number of other securities cases, including In re Tronox Securities Litigation (S.D.N.Y.), and In re Frontier Financial Corporation Securities Litigation (W.D.Wash.). Mr. Bright also has significant appellate experience in securities law.

For three years prior to joining the Firm, Mr. Bright worked for an antitrust, intellectual property and business litigation firm located in San Francisco whose clients were small to medium-sized businesses including listed, public companies.

Prior to his relocation to San Francisco, Mr. Bright engaged in complex business and insurance litigation for four years in the Southern California office of a national firm based in New York. In addition to litigating primarily commercial liability coverage disputes, tort, employment and business matters, Mr. Bright was an entertainment lawyer and assumed various roles in attorney fee matters, ranging from performing internal audits to serving as counsel in litigated matters.

After law school, Mr. Bright worked in the motor sports division of International Management Group, the country's largest sports agency.

Mr. Bright graduated from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee with a Bachelor of Arts degrees in History. He received his Juris Doctor from the Pepperdine University School of Law in Malibu, California. During his final year of law school, Mr. Bright was an extern under Justice Mildred Lillie for the California Court of Appeals, Second Appellate District, Division Seven.

Mr. Bright is a member of the State Bar of California, the State Bar of New York, and the District of Columbia Bar. Mr. Bright is also admitted to practice in the Southern District of California, Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California; 8^th Circuit Court of Appeals, and 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals.