Erik Connolly is a litigation partner in Winston & Strawn’s Chicago office who concentrates on commercial matters. He has represented clients in a variety of industries in some of their most complex and high-profile cases. His experience includes representing companies and their executives in consumer fraud class actions, securities fraud class actions, ERISA class actions, product liability litigation, defamation and disparagement claims, auditor liability, breach of contract disputes, breach of fiduciary duty claims, and negligence claims.
PRACTICE AREAS
Food & Beverage Litigation: Mr. Connolly is a member of the firm’s Food & Beverage Litigation Task Force. He represents and advises companies and organizations on a broad range of issues impacting actual and potential claims, including offensive and defensive strategies to preserve consumer confidence in their products. He also regularly speaks on current litigation topics impacting the food and beverage industry.
Class Actions: Mr. Connolly has extensive experience in consumer and investor class actions. He has achieved several precedent setting victories for clients in these high-stakes cases, including successful motions to dismiss, defeating class certification, and obtaining summary judgment. He is a member of the steering committee for the firm’s Securities Litigation Group.
Deceptive Business Practices: Mr. Connolly regularly represents companies against consumer allegations that their business practices are unfair or deceptive, including claims for breach of warranty, statutory and common law fraud, tortious interference, and unjust enrichment. His experience includes defending a broad range of business practices from the advertising and marketing practices of member service companies to the lending terms used by Fortune 100 financial institutions.
Auditor and Accounting Claims: Mr. Connolly has significant experience with litigation based on alleged violations of Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS) and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). He has spent years defending the preparation, presentation, and auditing of financial statements. He is well-versed in not only the interpretation and application of the professional standards, but also the legal defenses available when called upon to defend the work.
