Amanda Pickens Nitto

Class Actions & Multidistrict Litigation

• Represents the Southeastern Conference in several putative class actions filed by former student-athletes challenging NCAA rules and claiming a right to be paid for playing in televised games.
• Co-lead national counsel representing a publicly traded, international company facing litigation in the third-largest pending MDL.
• Represents the Southeastern Conference in an MDL with claims by former football student-athletes related to concussions in college sports.
• Represented Fortune 50 national retail corporation with nearly 300,000 employees in numerous individual claimant arbitrations and 19 separate state class actions, consolidated as MDL proceedings with a nationwide collective action under the FLSA, regarding allegations of unpaid wages for hourly managers.
• Successfully represented a private university in a putative class action filed by applicants challenging the university's admissions process and standards relating to the Varsity Blues scandal. Case dismissed at the pleadings stage.
• Represented a Fortune 500 global energy and environmental technology company in putative class action brought by former employees alleging violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Case dismissed and settled on favorable terms for client.
• Successfully obtained denial of class certification for Family Dollar in a putative national class action brought by 30,000 individual store managers challenging pay and promotion decisions, including an interlocutory appeal in the Fourth Circuit and a petition for certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court.
• Represented a Fortune 500 global supplier of highly engineered products and technologies in a putative class action filed by former union workers demanding lifetime health care benefits. Successful in defeating preliminary injunction, opposing class certification and obtaining summary judgment dismissal.
• Successfully defended an insurance company against a putative class action brought under the Medicare Secondary Payer Act. Case dismissed at the pleadings stage.

Complex Business Litigation

• Represents the owners of a global health care company in a multinational business dispute arising out of COVID-19.
• Advised a Fortune 100 global technology government contractor through disputes with a state agency in connection with a $450 million contract to develop and service a health services technology platform.
• Represented a global manufacturing company in a dispute with an international firm concerning multiple issues arising from the supply of critical parts to nuclear power facilities.
• Advised a women-owned health care business in a case against a regional hospital involving breach of contract and unfair business practices.
• Represented a private equity-backed health care company in a shareholder action, which involved a significant privilege dispute.
• Successfully defended a national gas distributor in a case alleging unfair business practices and related claims. The case settled on favorable terms while our client's motion for summary judgment was pending.
• Advised multiple special committees to boards of directors on the investigation of shareholder demands attempting to block bank mergers.

Employment

• Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a Fortune 100 social media employer in a case alleging race discrimination and retaliation in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 1981.
• Represented a private university in a case brought by a former employee alleging race, gender and national origin discrimination and retaliation in violation of Title VII.
• Defended a restaurant against claims of sexual harassment and gender discrimination against a case brought by the EEOC.
• Conducts internal investigations of claims of discrimination and harassment on behalf of public and private businesses.
• Represents multiple public and private businesses in cases alleging sexual harassment and gender discrimination; violations of wage and hour statutes; race, gender and age discrimination; and/or retaliation.

Honors & Recognitions

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