Karin A. DeMasi is Managing Partner of Cravath’s Litigation Department.
Commended as an “excellent litigator” with “strong court presence,” she focuses her practice on complex litigation, including class actions, in the areas of antitrust, securities, derivative, ERISA and general commercial disputes. (The Legal 500 US)
Although many of her cases have been successfully resolved for her clients on pre‑trial motions, Ms. DeMasi’s experience also includes numerous jury and bench trials, as well as domestic and international arbitrations. She has represented a wide range of companies, including boards of directors and individuals, across industries.
Ms. DeMasi was elected in 2013 to serve as a member of The American Law Institute. She is also a member of the American Bar Association and the New York City Bar Association. She is the author of several articles, and regularly speaks on panels relating to antitrust, securities and class action litigation.
Ms. DeMasi devotes a significant portion of her practice to pro bono service. Ms. DeMasi is one of the lead partners for Cravath’s relationship with Montefiore Children’s Hospital and Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, through which the Firm represents children who need legal services related to their medical care.
Ms. DeMasi was born in San Francisco, California, and grew up in Burlington, Vermont. She received a B.S. from Northwestern University in 1993, and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1996, where she was Editor of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review. In 1996, she served as a law clerk to Hon. D. Brock Hornby of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine.
Ms. DeMasi joined Cravath in 1997 and was elected a partner in 2004. She has served as Managing Partner of the Litigation Department since September 2016.
Representing the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (“BCBSA”) and more than a dozen member plans in consolidated multidistrict antitrust class action litigation—one of the largest class actions in the country—brought by putative classes of healthcare providers and health insurance subscribers alleging that the Association and its members have used the Association’s agreements to fix prices and limit competition. Ms. DeMasi also represents BCBSA and various member plans in related opt‑out litigation across the country brought by large self‑funded subscribers and providers.
Representing Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (“BCBSA”) and several member plans in antitrust litigation brought by TranS1, a medical device company, alleging the Association and its members conspired to limit access to plaintiff’s AxiaLIF technology for performing spinal fusions.
Represented Peabody Energy and certain Peabody officers in purported class action securities litigation filed in New York federal court and in shareholder derivative litigation filed in Delaware federal court alleging Peabody and certain of its officers and executives made false and misleading statements regarding the company’s North Goonyella mine, which caught fire in September 2018. The parties reached a favorable settlement.
Represented First Solar and certain of its senior executives in winning back‑to‑back dismissals to defeat putative class action securities litigation filed in Arizona federal court alleging defendants made false and misleading statements regarding the company’s “Series 6” solar module and its project development business. Ms. DeMasi also represented First Solar in related shareholder derivative litigation, which was voluntarily dismissed.
- Represented Florida Blue in winning the dismissal in February 2021 of antitrust litigation filed by competitor Oscar Insurance alleging that Florida Blue’s exclusive agency relationships violated the Sherman Act.
- Appellate
- Class action
- Commercial disputes
- Competition/antitrust
- Dispute resolution
- Securities
- B.S., Northwestern University, 1993
- J.D., University of Pennsylvania, 1996
- The American Law Institute, 2013
- American Bar Association
- New York City Bar Association