Karla focuses her practice on high-stakes financial services and class action litigation.
She represents financial industry clients in state and federal courts around the country, in all stages of litigation and alternative dispute resolution. She has significant experience representing major financial institutions in matters involving mortgage lending and servicing, allegations of discriminatory lending, exposure relating to the operation of Ponzi schemes, auto lending and repossession issues, and securities lending programs and investments losses. Karla has significant experience negotiating class action settlements, including drafting of settlement papers, obtaining court approval, and handling administration issues in a wide variety of complex matters. She also has experience defending financial industry clients from subpoenas arising out of a variety of situations, including the most complex litigation.
Karla also regularly represents individuals on a pro bono basis in obtaining protection from abuse orders in situations of domestic violence within the Allegheny County Courts.
Experience
- Represented a bank client in nationwide class action resulting in denial of class certification of claims arising out of interest payments on FHA-insured mortgages.
- Successfully defended bank client against class allegations of improper credit reporting in forbearance under the CARES Act.
- Successfully defended bank client against class allegations of improper loss mitigation procedures and responses to Requests for Information and Notices of Error under RESPA.
- Represented multiple financial institutions defending allegations of discriminatory lending based on considerations of temporary immigration status.
- Represented various financial institutions in defending class allegations relating to auto repossession notices and compliance with the Uniform Commercial Code.
- Advocated successfully to strike the class allegations in multiple matters based on “fail-safe” class definitions.
- Defended a bank client in a jury trial in federal court arising out of alleged losses in a securities lending program relating to the bankruptcy of Lehman BrothersRepresented multiple major financial institutions in numerous complex actions in state and federal courts relating to securities lending investment programs.
- Defended multiple bank clients in state and federal courts alleging aiding and abetting and fraudulent transfer claims relating to the operation of Ponzi schemes.
- Argued successfully at the Pennsylvania Superior Court for financial institution in matter challenging viability of mortgage lien.
- Defended multiple financial institutions from subpoena inquiries arising out of the most complex litigation.
- Drafted class settlement papers and handled court approval and administration of a wide variety of complex class actions.
- Drafted a wide variety of settlement papers in a significant number of high stakes matters for financial industry clients.
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University of Pittsburgh School of LawJD
summa cum laude, Order of the Coif, Managing Editor, University of Pittsburgh Law Review
2009 -
Washington & Jefferson CollegeBA
summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa
2006
Member, Allegheny County Bar Association
- Pennsylvania
- Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
- Author, Fourth Circuit Vacates, Remands Class Certification, Applying Ramirez to Standing in Mortgage Case, Class Action Countermeasures, November 22, 2022
- Author, No Private Right of Action to Enforce CARES Act; Expect Claims Under State Consumer Protection Laws, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, April 22, 2020
- Author, 11th Circuit Ruling Calls Text Message TCPA Class Actions Into Question, Class Action Countermeasures, August 30, 2019