B. Warren Pope (Warren)

• Defended Newell Brands and certain of its directors and officers in securities class action arising out of stock price drops following disappointing financial results. Won motion to dismiss; affirmed on appeal.
• Defended Floor & Decor and its officers in securities litigation following stock price drop. Won motion to dismiss; no appeal. Derivative litigation ongoing.
• Defended National Vision Inc. and its officers in securities litigation following stock price drop. Won motion to dismiss.
• Defended ADTRAN and its officers in securities litigation following stock price drop. Won motion to dismiss; no appeal.
• Represented Triangle Capital Corporation in securities class action arising out of disappointing quarterly results. Won motion to dismiss; affirmed on appeal. Defended M&A litigation against TCAP challenging $1 billion in transactions with Benefit Street Partners and Barings. Defeated attempt to stop transactions.
• Defended Aaron's, Inc. and certain of its directors and officers in securities class action litigation arising out of quarterly earnings miss and revised financial guidance. Won motion to dismiss. No appeal.
• Defended Progressive Holdings, Inc. and Aaron’s Inc. and certain of their officers in securities litigation following announcement of settlement with Federal Trade Commission. Won motion to dismiss. No appeal.
• Defended Equifax, Inc. and certain of its directors and officers in securities and derivative litigation arising out of 2017 data breach incident.
• Defended Capitala Finance Corp. and certain of its directors and officers in securities class action litigation arising out of disappointing quarterly results. Won motion to dismiss. No appeal.
• Defended Special Committee of Books-A-Million Board in an action challenging a going-private transaction in Delaware Chancery Court; obtained dismissal of all claims, affirmed on appeal by Delaware Supreme Court.
• Defending FleetCor Technologies, Inc. and its officers in derivative litigation arising out of short-seller reports criticizing Company's business practices.
• Defended Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings in various 10b-5 securities class actions in the Middle District of North Carolina, obtaining dismissal of all claims.
• Defended Commscope and its officers in 10b-5 litigation in the Western District of North Carolina, obtaining dismissal of all claims. No appeal.
• Defended Galectin Therapeutics, Inc. and its directors and officers in securities class action and derivative action, obtaining dismissal of all claims at district court level. Successfully argued appeal to the Eleventh Circuit, which affirmed dismissal.
• Represented TransEnterix in 10b-5 securities class action in the Eastern District of North Carolina and certain of its officers and directors in related derivative litigation. Won dismissal of class action which led to voluntary dismissal of derivative action. No appeals.
• Defended the Carmike Cinemas Board of Directors in the Middle District of Georgia against securities and fiduciary duty claims arising out of its proposed merger with AMC; obtained denial of TRO motion to enjoin shareholder vote. Case later dismissed.
• Represented Eclipsys Corporation and its directors in shareholder class actions challenging the $1.3 billion merger of Eclipsys and Allscripts in the Georgia state courts; obtained a full dismissal with prejudice.
• Defended Caremark Rx, Inc. and its directors and officers in class action and shareholder derivative litigation in both Delaware and Tennessee regarding the Company's $26 billion merger with CVS Corporation.

Warren Pope defends companies and their directors and officers against a broad range of shareholder claims and advises on related investigatory and regulatory matters. Warren is a partner in the firm's Securities and Shareholder Litigation practice, which has been recognized by Law360 as a Securities Group of the Year and by U.S. News & World Report as a National Tier 1 practice. Legal 500 has recognized Warren as a "leading lawyer" and a "standout" in securities litigation defense.

Warren represents clients in class actions and shareholder derivative litigation involving federal and state securities laws, directors' and officers' fiduciary duties, and other corporate governance and transactional litigation matters. He also represents corporations, directors, and officers in internal and government investigations and related litigation.

Warren’s work has been recognized by leading legal directories, including Chambers (Band 1) and Legal 500 for securities litigation and M&A-related disputes. He has also been named a Georgia Super Lawyer, and Legal 500 has recognized him as a “leading partner” and a “standout” in securities litigation defense. Clients say he is “an excellent attorney who not only provides a smart and aggressive defense, but is also a strategic legal partner who understands our business” and that he “is a bulldog [who] does the work necessary to put his clients in the best position possible.”