Mark Pifko, a Shareholder at Baron & Budd, specializes in the prosecution of high-profile class action cases against multi-national corporations. Mr. Pifko is a staunch advocate of consumers' rights and recently, he was named a "Rising Star" by Law360, a national legal news publication. Law360's Rising Star award is given annually to top attorneys under age 40. In 2016, Mr. Pifko was one of 5 attorneys in the class action area and one of 179 attorneys nationwide, across all practice areas, to receive this recognition. Since joining the Los Angeles office of Baron & Budd in 2011, Mr. Pifko's efforts have led to the return of significant sums of money to victims of corporate wrongdoing and affected changes in the automotive, financial services, and food and beverage industries.
Prior to joining Baron & Budd, Mr. Pifko spent nearly a decade representing some of the world's largest companies in high-stakes litigation. In 2010, Mr. Pifko left his position at Arnold & Porter LLP so that he could devote his entire practice to his passion ? representing the interests of plaintiffs. In connection with his corporate defense work, Mr. Pifko worked with advertising agencies who helped sell his clients' products and services and Mr. Pifko recalls that the tag line for one such agency was, "while life is busy happening, we get people to do stuff!" Corporations spend billions of dollars a year to get people to buy their offerings, but when things go wrong, Mr. Pifko wondered what individuals can do when they need to get recalcitrant companies to "do stuff," like refund money and stop unlawful practices from continuing.
Mr. Pifko believes class action lawsuits provide an important way for people to protect themselves from powerful corporations. Instead of one person taking on a billion-dollar company, class actions allow groups of people to fight back with a collective voice.
In addition to his litigation work, Pifko has been called upon to be a speaker on class action topics at legal industry conferences, and Mr. Pifko is a talented writer whose articles on class action law and consumer advocacy have been published in California Lawyer magazine and the Daily Journal newspaper.
Selected Publications
"Game On!," Daily Journal (March 14, 2011)
"Getting What You Paid For," California Lawyer (February 2010)
"AHPA Members Fight California ?Shakedown' Lawsuit: Potential Industry-wide Benefits," American Herbal Products Association (APHA) Report (October 2006)
American Bar Association, 2016 Class Action Litigation in America ? A National Symposium
Bridgeport Continuing Education, 2014 Class Action Litigation & Management Conference, Preparing and Defending Initial Pleadings: The Opening Salvo (Plaintiffs' Side)
In Re: Libor-Based Financial Instruments Antitrust Litigation, Case No. 1:11-md-02262-NRB (S.D.N.Y.) (putative class action brought on behalf of mortgage borrowers alleging that they paid inflated interest rates as a result of the artificial manipulation of the London Interbank Offered Rate).
Latara Bias, et al. v. Wells Fargo & Company, et al., Case No. 4:12-cv-00664-YGR (N.D. Cal.) (certified class action case brought on behalf of mortgage borrowers asserting civil racketeering claims concerning an alleged scheme to unlawfully charge homeowners marked-up fees for broker's price opinions).
Barbara Waldrup v. Countrywide Financial Corporation et al., Case No. 2:13-cv-08833-CAS (C.D. Cal.) (putative class action brought on behalf of mortgage borrowers asserting civil racketeering claims concerning an alleged scheme to charge homeowners for fraudulently generated appraisal reports).
In Re: Takata Airbag Products Liability Litigation, Case No. 1:15-md-02599-FAM (S.D. Fla) (putative class action concerning allegedly defective airbags installed in millions of vehicles).
In Re: MyFord Touch Consumer Litigation, Case No. 3:13-cv-03072-EMC (N.D. Cal.) (certified class action concerning alleged defects with MyFord Touch and MyLincoln Touch "infotainment" systems).
Kobe Falco v. Nissan North America, Inc., et al., Case No. 2:13-cv-00686-DDP (C.D. Cal.) (certified class action brought on behalf of owners and lessees of certain Nissan vehicles alleging that Nissan failed to disclose its knowledge of defective timing chain system that could lead to catastrophic engine failure).
Brad Aarons, et al. v. BMW of North America, LLC, et al., Case No. 2:11-cv-07667-PSG (C.D. Cal.) (class action brought on behalf of Mini Cooper owners and lessees concerning automatic transmission failures, settlement valued at $10 million).
In Re: Alexia Foods Inc. Litigation, Case No. 4:11-cv-06119-PJH (N.D. Cal.) (class action concerning "All Natural" frozen potato products, settlement valued at $3.2 million).
Claire Delacruz v. CytoSport, Inc., Case No. 4:11-cv-03532-CW (N.D. Cal.) (class action concerning Muscle Milk protein drinks, settlement valued at $5 million).
University of California, Santa Barbara (B.S., 2000)
University of California, Hastings College of Law (J.D., 2003)
California
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
United States District Court for the Southern, Central, Eastern, and Northern and Districts of California
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
Law360, Rising Stars 2016
Super Lawyers, Rising Stars Southern California (Thompson Reuters) 2013-2016
Top 40 Under 40 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyers (National Trial Lawyers, 2017)
American Bar Association
California State Bar
Los Angeles County Bar Association
