Andrew Sutton

Andrew Sutton represents businesses and individuals in high-stakes commercial, antitrust, and class action litigation in state and federal courts across the country. He has extensive experience handling complex disputes from initial investigation through trial, including developing case strategy, managing discovery, taking and defending fact and expert depositions, leading dispositive briefing, arguing substantive motions, preparing witnesses, and examining witnesses at trial.

Mr. Sutton’s practice spans a wide range of business-critical disputes, including matters involving real estate developments, founder equity and corporate control, mergers and acquisitions, environmental liabilities, international commercial contracts, and complex financial transactions. He also has significant antitrust experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants in nationwide class actions and opt-out litigation involving major companies and financial institutions.

Clients rely on Mr. Sutton to take an active role in both the strategic and day-to-day management of complex litigation. He has served as a primary client contact, developed and executed litigation strategy, and taken the lead on critical depositions, motions, and briefing in matters involving substantial financial and operational stakes.

Prior to joining Robins Kaplan in California, Mr. Sutton practiced at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP in New York, where he handled complex commercial and antitrust litigation.

A Los Angeles native, Mr. Sutton is a gardener and competitive blind-wine-taster.

Education

• Columbia Law School, Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar (2016)
• St. John’s College, Annapolis, MD, BA in Philosophy and the History of Math and Science (2009)

Representative Matters

Represented the owners of the Kindred Resort in Keystone, CO, the first new Ski Resort in Keystone Colorado in over twenty years, in a years-long contract and fraud dispute regarding the financing and equity ownership of the resort. As the partner handling this matter, Mr. Sutton was the sole point of contact with the client, developed the litigation strategy, conducted all relevant depositions, and argued all material matters before the court. One River Run Acquisition, LLC (ORRA) and Greenwich Group International, LLC (GGI) Index No. 653389/2022, in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York. (Prior to joining Robins Kaplan LLP)

Represented Wailian, Inc., a Chinese immigration consultancy, in an eight-figure contract dispute with a New York real estate developer regarding allegations of fraud, breach of contract, and mismanagement of international investments sourced by Wailian. Mr. Sutton was instrumental in Wailian obtaining a significant settlement in this matter. (Prior to joining Robins Kaplan LLP)

Represented the founder of a cryptocurrency and information security firm in his dispute with his co-founder regarding their respective rights to equity, control, and certain stock option grants in California State Court. Mr. Sutton was the lead senior associate on this matter during the pre-trial stages. (Prior to joining Robins Kaplan LLP)

Represented the estate of FTX Trading Ltd. following the ouster of the corrupt management team led by Sam Bankman Fried in extensive claw-back litigation related to certain transfers of funds out of FTX in the months before being forced into bankruptcy. In re: FTX Trading Ltd., Case No. 22-11068, in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. (Prior to joining Robins Kaplan LLP)

Represented JBS, USA in a nationwide antitrust class action and opt-out litigation alleging a conspiracy between the largest producers of pork in the United States to drive down the supply of pork and drive up prices. Mr. Sutton served as senior associate on this matter, and was directly involved in all aspects of the case including dispositive briefing related to opt-out cases filed by various state attorney generals. Mr. Sutton defended and took critical depositions in this matter and led the team through extensive summary judgment briefing. In re Pork Antitrust Litigation is Case No. 0:18-cv-01776 (MDL No. 2998) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. (Prior to joining Robins Kaplan LLP)

Represented The Home Depot, Inc. in opt-out antitrust litigation against Visa and MasterCard alleging a conspiracy among the nation’s largest banks to illegally increase the fees paid by merchants to credit card companies. Mr. Sutton served as a senior associate on this matter for years through discovery and extensive dispositive briefing. Mr. Sutton took and defended several critical depositions in this matter and led the team through the voluminous summary judgment briefing. The Home Depot, Inc. et al v. Visa Inc. et al, is 1:16-cv-05507 in the Eastern District of New York. (Prior to joining Robins Kaplan LLP)

Represented the GAF Corporation in a bitter environmental liability contract dispute related to the sale of a legacy chemical plant to a specialty chemical company, implicating potentially billions of dollars of federal and state environmental clean-up liability. Mr. Sutton negotiated with opposing counsel, prepared the client’s witnesses for their depositions, defended and took important fact and expert depositions, and participated in extensive briefing during the course of this long litigation. Ashland Inc. (now Ashland LLC) et al. v. G-I Holdings Inc., GAF Corporation, Building Materials Corporation of America (Standard Industries Inc.), et al., MRS-L-2331-15 in New Jersey Superior Court. (Prior to joining Robins Kaplan LLP)

Represented a class of investors who alleged that major New York banks had engaged in an anticompetitive conspiracy to fix the prices, rates, and premiums charged on interest rate swaps by manipulating a financial benchmark known as ISDAfix. Mr. Sutton was a critical associate on this matter through discovery and was instrumental in the class obtaining a settlement of over $500 million from the defendant. Alaska Electrical Pension Fund v. Bank of America Corporation et al., 1:14-cv-07126, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. (Prior to joining Robins Kaplan LLP)

• Outstanding Antitrust Litigation Achievement in Private Law Practice presented by the American Antitrust Institute (2018)

Civic

• Mr. Sutton led a pro bono prisoner rights jury trial in the federal district court for the Southern District of New York regarding alleged 8th amendment violations.
• Mr. Sutton represented a disabled individual in his contentious employment litigation with a hospital which had allegedly terminated him in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, resulting in a favorable settlement.

Professional

• New York State Bar Association