- OVERVIEW
- EXPERIENCE
- INSIGHTS
- NEWS & EVENTS
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Education
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University of Virginia School of Law,
J.D., 1993
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University of Maryland,
B.A., magna cum laude, 1990
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Admissions
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Alabama
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Recognitions
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Listed in The Best Lawyers in America (by BL Rankings), 2024
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Lorrie Hargrove has honed her skills as a strong litigator since the early '90s, when Alabama's reputation was "tort hell." She now brings 30 years of nationwide and broad litigation experience to the table.
Lorrie has handled almost every variety of litigation but has focused deeply on class action defense, civil RICO defense, appellate litigation, and corporate disputes. She is often defending clients in cases others fear. An experienced trial attorney, she has won a two-week antitrust trial in federal court in a "bet the company case." She advocates on behalf of clients in higher education, financial services, and numerous other industries.
Lorrie's national litigation practice is well-recognized, and she has successfully defended class action lawsuits in federal courts in the First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, and Eleventh Circuits. She has also won numerous appeals in the Alabama Supreme Court, as well as in the Seventh, Eighth, and Eleventh Circuits.
She has represented clients in class action litigation, labor and employment law and litigation, civil RICO litigation, appellate litigation, insurance and financial services litigation, and product liability. Her experience includes defending hundreds of class action opt-out cases for Fortune 500 companies in nearly every county in Alabama. Her experience also includes successfully defending a Venezuelan family in a case making civil RICO claims seeking over $2 billion.
Lorrie previously practiced litigation and labor and employment law at two full-service law firms and clerked for the Honorable William M. Acker of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.
Successfully defeated plaintiff's motion to remand a nationwide class action in Racca v. Efg. Gen. Partner Corp. Educ. Futures Mgmt., Co., 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 127738 (E.D. Tex. July 7, 2022)
Successfully defeated a nationwide class certification motion in Roberts v. Garrison Property and Casualty Ins. Co., No. 2:19cv1232 (D. Ariz.) April 7, 2021
Successfully obtained an order denying class certification in a case making ERISA claims in Crosby v. California Physicians' Service, et al., 498 F. Supp. 3d 1218, 2020 WL 6535790 (C.D. Cal. Nov. 2, 2020)
Successfully obtained order dismissing purported nationwide class action claims in Miller v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., 2019 WL 4450637 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 17, 2019)
Successfully obtained order granting renewed motion to compel arbitration and to strike plaintiff's class action claims in Garcia v. Willis Stein & Partners, L.L.C., 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 241749 (E.D. Tex. Aug. 5, 2019)
Successful petition for writ of mandamus as to denied summary judgment order in wrongful death action in Ex parte Continental Motors, Inc., 270 So. 3d 1148 (Ala. 2018)
Successfully obtained order staying discovery pending the court's ruling on a motion to dismiss a purported nationwide class action in Weaver v. National Better Living Association, 2014 WL 1621951 (N.D. Ala. April 22, 2014)
Successfully obtained reversal of trial court's order certifying a nationwide class action in data breach case in Bliss & Glennon, Inc. v. Ashley, 420 S.W. 3d 379 (Tex. App. – Hous. (1 Dist.), Jan. 7, 2014)
Successfully obtained vacatur of district court's order dismissing the motion to compel arbitration in CMH Homes, Inc. v. Goodner, 729 F. 3d 832, 2013 WL 4749906 (8th Cir. Sept. 5, 2013)
Successfully obtained approval of nationwide class action settlement and defeated objector in In re Southwest Airlines Voucher Litig., 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 120735 (N.D. Ill. Aug. 26, 2013)
Successfully obtained district court's order granting client's motion to strike plaintiff's nationwide class action in Lawson v. Life of the South Insurance Company, 286 F.R.D. 689 (M.D. Ga. Sept. 28, 2012), and successfully defeated appeal of that order in Lawson v. Life of the South Insurance Company, No. 12-90036-A (11th Cir. Dec. 7, 2012) (denying plaintiff's Rule 23(f) petition for permission to appeal)
Successfully obtained reversal of jury verdict for borrowers on RICO/fraud/statutory claims and judgment for lender in Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance, Inc. v. Flores, 692 F. 3d 358 (5th Cir. Aug. 23, 2012)
Successfully defeated nationwide class action claims in Bishop's Prop. & Investments v. Protective Life Insurance Co., 255 F.R.D. 619 (M.D. Ga. 2009)
Blogs
Higher Education: The Road to Nonprofit Status Just Got a Little More Paved
Publications
Co-author, “Arbitrations and Class Actions” chapter,
A Practitioner's Guide to Class Actions, Second and Third Editions, American Bar Association
Co -author, “The Extraterritorial Defense: A Border to RICO Claims Arising from International Transactions,”
Defense Counsel Journal