Jonathan Gardner

Jonathan Gardner serves as the Managing Partner of Labaton Keller Sucharow LLP and as a member of its Executive Committee.  He is based in the Firm’s New York office.  Jonathan helps direct the growth and management of the Firm.

With more than 30 years of experience, Jonathan serves as the Firm’s Head of Litigation, overseeing all litigation matters, including the prosecution of complex securities fraud cases on behalf of institutional investors.  He has played a pivotal role in developing the Firm's groundbreaking Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Practice in response to the increasing use of mandatory arbitration clauses in consumer contracts.  

Recognized as a "Star" by Benchmark Litigation and praised by peers as "engaged and strategic," Jonathan has also been named an "MVP" by Law360 for securing significant successes in high-stakes litigation and complex global matters.  Ranked by Chambers & Partners USA for Securities Litigation, he is described as "an outstanding lawyer who knows how to get results," while The Legal 500 highlights his ability to "understand the unique nature of complex securities litigation and strive for practical, results-driven outcomes."  Crain’s New York Business named Jonathan a “Notable Leader in Law” and he is also recognized by Lawdragon among the top "Global Plaintiff Lawyers," one of the country’s "Leading Lawyers," "Leading Litigators in America," and "Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers."

Jonathan has played an integral role in securing some of the largest class action recoveries against corporate offenders since the global financial crisis.  He oversaw the Firm’s team in the investigation and prosecution of Boston Retirement System v. Uber Technologies, Inc., which resulted in a $200 million recovery (pending final court approval), and In re Barrick Gold Securities Litigation, which resulted in a $140 million recovery, among other cases.  He has also served as the lead attorney in numerous cases resulting in significant recoveries for injured class members, including In re Hewlett-Packard Company Securities Litigation ($57 million recovery); Public Employees’ Retirement System of Mississippi v. Endo International PLC ($50 million recovery); Medoff v. CVS Caremark Corporation ($48 million recovery); In re Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc., Securities Litigation, ($47 million recovery); In re Intuitive Surgical Securities Litigation ($42.5 million recovery); In re Carter’s Inc. Securities Litigation ($23.3 million recovery against Carter’s and certain officers, as well as its auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers); and In re Aeropostale Inc. Securities Litigation ($15 million recovery).

Jonathan has led the Firm’s representation of investors in many high-profile cases including Rubin v. MF Global Ltd., which involved allegations of material misstatements and omissions in a Registration Statement and Prospectus issued in connection with MF Global’s IPO.  The case resulted in a recovery of $90 million for investors.  Jonathan also represented lead plaintiff City of Edinburgh Council as Administering Authority of the Lothian Pension Fund in In re Lehman Brothers Equity/Debt Securities Litigation, which resulted in settlements exceeding $600 million against Lehman Brothers’ former officers and directors, Lehman’s former public accounting firm, as well as the banks that underwrote Lehman Brothers’ offerings.  In representing lead plaintiff Massachusetts Bricklayers and Masons Trust Funds in an action against Deutsche Bank, Jonathan secured a $32.5 million recovery for a class of investors injured by the bank’s conduct in connection with certain residential mortgage-backed securities.

Jonathan has also been responsible for prosecuting several of the Firm’s options backdating cases, including In re Monster Worldwide, Inc. Securities Litigation ($47.5 million settlement); In re SafeNet, Inc. Securities Litigation ($25 million settlement); In re Semtech Securities Litigation ($20 million settlement); and In re MRV Communications, Inc. Securities Litigation ($10 million settlement).  He also was instrumental in In re Mercury Interactive Corp. Securities Litigation, which settled for $117.5 million, one of the largest settlements or judgments in a securities fraud litigation based on options backdating.  Jonathan also represented the Successor Liquidating Trustee of Lipper Convertibles, a convertible bond hedge fund, in actions against the fund’s former independent auditor and a member of the fund’s general partner as well as numerous former limited partners who received excess distributions.  He successfully recovered over $5.2 million for the Successor Liquidating Trustee from the limited partners and $29.9 million from the former auditor.

Jonathan is a member of the Federal Bar Council, New York State Bar Association, and Association of the Bar of the City of New York.

Jonathan earned his Juris Doctor from St. John’s University School of Law.  He received his bachelor’s degree from American University.