Adam Levitt, Plaintiffs’ Designated Co-Lead and Co-Interim Class Counsel in this action is a partner in the Chicago office of Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLC.  Substantially all of Mr. Levitt’s practice is focused on complex commercial litigation and class action practice on both the trial and appellate court levels, in federal and state courts nationwide, with an emphasis on biotechnology and agricultural law.  Mr. Levitt has represented – and is presently representing – the interests of American farmers in a variety of actions.  For example, he has served as lead counsel in In re StarLink Corn Products Liability Litigation, MDL No.1403 (N.D. Ill.) – a case markedly similar to this one – which resulted in a $110 million recovery for U.S. corn farmers who sustained market losses arising from the defendants’ contamination of the U.S. food corn supply with an improperly bioengineered corn seed product.  Mr. Levitt also presently is serving as lead counsel in a consolidated series of thirteen class action lawsuits against the Monsanto Company, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, and E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company – Schoenbaum v. E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Co, No. 4:05-CV-1108-ERW (E.D. Mo.) – predicated, inter alia, upon those companies’ alleged RICO, antitrust, and consumer protection violations arising from their sale of genetically-engineered soybean and corn seeds.  Mr. Levitt is also an accomplished speaker on agricultural and biotechnology litigation issues and was recently the sole class action attorney invited to speak on such issues at the recent Public Interest Environmental Law Conference, held in Eugene, Oregon, from March 1-4, 2007.

In addition, Mr. Levitt is an elected member of the American Law Institute (“ALI”) and participates in the ALI’s Members Consultative Groups on, inter alia, the Principles of the Law of Aggregate Litigation and the Restatement of the Law (Third) Torts: Liability for Economic Loss.  In recognition of his achievements to date, Mr. Levitt was named one of the “40 Illinois Attorneys Under 40 Years Old to Watch” by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin and the Chicago Lawyer.

Wolf Haldenstein, Mr. Levitt’s firm, is among the most experienced class action law firms in the United States and has repeatedly been recognized for its successful class action leadership.  For example, in Smith v. Aon Corp., No. 04-C-6875 (N.D. Ill. May 3, 2005), the court appointed Wolf Haldenstein interim class counsel, noting, “Wolf meets [the Rule 23(g)] criteria . . . .  Wolf is experienced in handling complex, large-scale class actions.  Wolf’s Class Action Litigation Group consists of 30 attorneys experienced in complex class action suits.”  Id., slip. op. at 2 (see Levitt Decl., Ex. B); see also In re Comdisco Sec. Litig., 150 F. Supp. 2d 943, 951 (N.D. Ill. 2001) (Wolf Haldenstein’s credentials “are impeccable”).

In addition to the firm’s above-described agricultural and biotechnology litigation practice, Wolf Haldenstein also has extensive expertise in leading other types of class actions and complex litigations and is currently lead or co-lead counsel in dozens of other securities fraud, shareholder, consumer protection, and antitrust actions.  These responsibilities, however, do not overstretch Wolf Haldenstein’s capacity to serve as Designated Co-Lead and Co-Interim Class Counsel here because of its size and depth of resources.

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