Abena Mainoo
Partner
“They’ve Got Next: The 40 Under 40” Honoree
Bloomberg Law
Among Top 100 Women in Investigations
Global Investigations Review
Abena Mainoo has conducted high-stakes investigations involving a range of misconduct (including financial crimes and environmental law violations) and counseled clients in investigations by the authorities.
Abena has litigated high-profile torts, securities, and consumer protection cases. She has experience with federal court, state court, bankruptcy court, and administrative hearings and has argued pre-trial, dispositive, and discovery motions.
Abena joined the firm in 2009 and became a partner in 2018.
Notable Experience
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Bosch in investigations and follow-on putative class actions and individual actions in multiple U.S. federal and state courts relating to diesel emissions, including winning summary judgment motions terminating putative class actions asserting civil RICO and state law consumer protection claims in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
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BNP Paribas and HSBC banks in winning the dismissal of civil RICO and state law claims for fraudulent transfer and tortious interference in follow-on litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and on appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in connection with U.S. sanctions violations.
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Citigroup in parallel investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice and bank regulators in the U.S. and Asia involving financial benchmarks, including foreign exchange and interbank offered rates, and related compliance reviews.
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Non-U.S. financial institution in internal investigation of whistleblower complaint alleging tax fraud and related investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice, Securities and Exchange Commission, and Internal Revenue Service.
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Non-U.S. financial institution in investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice and Office of Foreign Assets Control of potential violations of U.S. sanctions.
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Non-U.S. financial institution in internal investigation of whistleblower complaint alleging regulatory violations and retaliation.
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Bank of America in investigation by the New York Attorney General into representations relating to the purchase, securitization, and underwriting of residential mortgage-backed securities.
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Non-U.S. energy company in investigation by the New York Attorney General into alleged price-gouging.
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Allergan and certain executives in winning summary judgment motion terminating securities fraud class action concerning silicone-gel breast implants in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
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Residential mortgage servicer Nationstar Mortgage Holdings Inc. and certain of its current and former officers and directors in winning dismissal of putative securities fraud class action concerning the impact of interest rates on its business in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
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Non-U.S. company in winning dismissal of civil RICO claims in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York based on forum non conveniens and lack of personal jurisdiction.
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Commercial real estate company in defeating motion to dismiss counterclaim in dispute over common charges and obtaining favorable settlement providing for full payment of outstanding common charges, including interest and attorney’s fees.
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Brazilian energy company Petrobras and individual officers and directors in follow-on securities class action and multiple individual actions in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in connection with Brazil’s Operation Car Wash anti-corruption investigation.
Selected Activities
trigger- Federal Bar Council
- Merit Selection Panel for Magistrate Judges for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
Publications
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DOJ New Safe Harbor Policy for Voluntary Self-Disclosures in M&A
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Managing U.S. Enforcement and Civil Risks Relating to ESG Issues: Greenwashing
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Rule 7.1 Amendment Puts Spotlight on Citizenship of Foreign Business Entities
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U.S. Federal Rule Amendment Puts Spotlight on Foreign Businesses’ Citizenship
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U.S. Federal Judge Finds Probable Cause for Conspiracy to Violate U.S. Sanctions
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Authorities in U.S. Take Steps to Strengthen Enforcement of U.S. Measures Against Russia
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Global Economic Sanctions Regimes: Implications for Multinational Companies
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Congress Overhauls AML Framework, Mandating Disclosure of Beneficial Ownership Information
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SEC Chief Accountant Weighs in on Accounting Issues During the COVID-19 Outbreak
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Priorities, Trends and Developments in Enforcement and Compliance
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U.S. Supreme Court Holds That Securities Act Class Actions May Be Brought in State Court
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Second Circuit Further Addresses Defendants’ Burden in Rebutting Basic Presumption
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Supreme Court to Consider Whether Subsequent Class Actions May Benefit from American Pipe Tolling
Events
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March 2, 2021
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December 9, 2019
PLI’s Annual Disclosure Documents 2019: Current Developments and Best Practices
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April 30, 2019
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December 10, 2018
PLI’s Annual Disclosure Documents 2018: Current Developments and Best Practices
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December 11, 2017
PLI’s Annual Disclosure Documents 2017: Current Developments and Best Practices