Stewart Haskins is a partner in King & Spalding’s Business Litigation Practice Group. Mr. Haskins’ practice concentrates on consumer class actions and other complex commercial litigation.
Consumer Class Action Experience
Mr. Haskins has represented clients in a variety of consumer class action suits across the country in which the defendants defeated the plaintiffs’ class claims, including cases involving allegations of fraud, violations of state and federal consumer protection statutes, breaches of contract and breaches of fiduciary duty. Some of the clients Mr. Haskins has represented in consumer class actions include GE Capital, GMAC, USAA, The Home Depot, and Staples.
Mr. Haskins’ representative consumer class action matters include:
- Represented a mortgage insurance company in a nationwide federal class action which alleged that the company violated the Real Estate Settlement Practices Act by providing illegal kickbacks to lenders. The district court denied class certification and the case settled on an individual basis for a nominal amount.
- Represented a national insurance company in a suit in Washington state court alleging claims arising out of the insurer’s automobile insurance claims practices. The trial court denied class certification and dismissed the class claims, and the Washington Court of Appeals affirmed.
- Represented a national office supply retailer in a nationwide class action alleging violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The plaintiff dismissed the case with prejudice after the defendant successfully opposed the plaintiff’s motion for class certification.
- Obtained dismissal of a nationwide class action against an automobile manufacturer claiming that the manufacturer improperly failed to refund unearned portions of its vehicle service contracts to consumers.
Commercial Litigation Experience
In addition to his consumer class action practice, Mr. Haskins has represented clients in many types of business disputes, including securities and shareholder litigation, product liability actions, false advertising claims, and telecommunications suits. He has represented clients in proceedings before various government agencies, including the SEC, the NASD, and state consumer protection agencies.
Some of Mr. Haskins’ representative commercial litigation matters include:
- Defended directors and officers in a derivative lawsuit arising out of the sale of one of the company’s subsidiaries at an allegedly below-market price. The district court entered summary judgment in favor of the directors and officers and the ruling was affirmed by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
- Represented a manufacturer in a wrongful death product liability action. After a two-month trial, the jury returned a defense verdict for the manufacturer.
- Represented telecommunications carriers in cases asserting that access charges were illegally charged on wireless-originated telephone calls.
Mr. Haskins graduated, magna cum laude, from the Mercer University School of Law in 1997. In law school, Mr. Haskins was the Senior Managing Editor of the Mercer Law Review, served on the Moot Court Board and was a member of the Brainerd Currie Honor Society. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia in 1990 (B.B.A. Economics). Before entering law school, Mr. Haskins managed a branch office for one of the nation’s leading mortgage companies.
Mr. Haskins is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fourth, Sixth and Eleventh Circuits, and Georgia state courts.
