Ligaya Hernandez

Ms. Hernandez has years of experience at some of the top class action litigation firms in the country. She specializes in representing shareholders in derivative suits.
 

Ms. Hernandez has successfully served as lead and/or co-lead counsel in numerous shareholder derivative actions filed in state and federal courts all over the country that have resulted in significant monetary and corporate governance improvements for public companies and their shareholders.
 

Notable cases include:

· Harbor Police Retirement System v. Roberts, Cause No. 09-09061 (95th District Court, Dallas County, Texas). Counsel in a shareholder derivative action alleging corporate waste as to a departing executive officer’s retirement package. Settlement of the action required substantial modifications to corporate policies, designed to heighten the independence of outside directors in awarding executive compensation.

· Williams v. Nuti et al., No. 1:13-cv-01400-SCJ (N.D. Ga. Apr. 26, 2013). Counsel in a shareholder derivative action where settlement required a number of enhancements to the company’s corporate compliance program.

· In re Galena Biopharma, Inc. Derivative Litig., Case No. 3:10­cv­00382­S (D. Or. 2015). Counsel in a shareholder derivative action where management was accused of inflating the company’s share price with a misleading marketing campaign and committing insider trading. Settlement included the payment of $15 million to the company, the cancellation of certain stock options that were accused of being improperly granted, and the implementation of significant corporate governance that addressed, among other things, the company’s stock option granting policies.

· In re Altria Group, Inc. Derivative Litigation, Case No. CL20-705 (Va. Cir. Henrico Cty.). Counsel in a shareholder derivative action which alleged, among other things, that Altria Group Inc.’s officers and directors breached their fiduciary duties and committed other violations of law in connection with Altria’s December 2018 investment in JUUL Labs Inc. Settlement included new funding of $117 million to be used by Altria to implement and maintain certain policy and governance measures relating to youth tobacco usage prevention and M&A transaction oversight. This settlement was one of the largest derivative settlements in 2022.

Ms. Hernandez received her J.D. and a Health Law Certificate from Loyola University Chicago. While in law school she served as Senior Editor for the Annals of Health Law Journal and received the CALI Award for highest grade in Appellate Advocacy. Ms. Hernandez received a Master’s in Health Services Administration in Health Policy from The George Washington University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Pittsburgh. She is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.
 

Ms. Hernandez has previously also been named a “Rising Star” by Pennsylvania Super Lawyers.