Jordan D. Peterson, P.C.
Partner
Litigation
Overview
Jordan Peterson is a litigation partner in the New York office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Jordan has worked on a broad range of complex litigation matters, representing public and private companies in the areas of securities, M&A, antitrust and commercial disputes. He also counsels clients on issues of corporate governance and litigation, often in connection with major strategic transactions. Jordan is a member of Kirkland's Diversity & Inclusion Committee.
Experience
Representative Matters
Securities Litigation
- Representing Sumo Logic and certain of its officers in securities litigation arising out of Francisco Partners’ $1.7 billion take-private acquisition of Sumo Logic, a SaaS analytics platform to enable reliable and secure cloud-native applications.
- Representing Lannett Company in a securities class action in Pennsylvania federal court relating to alleged anticompetitive conduct concerning the pricing and market for certain generic pharmaceutical products. Won motion to stay the class action and secured an interlocutory appeal on class certification.
- Represented Amneal Pharmaceuticals and certain of its current and former officers and directors in putative class action litigation alleging Securities Act violations relating to its merger with Impax Laboratories. Settlement achieved.
- Represented Credit Suisse as national coordinating counsel in dozens of actions in multiple federal and state courts brought by private and governmental plaintiffs related to billions of dollars in securities.*
M&A / Corporate Governance Litigation
- Representing cryptocurrency company and its officers in a putative class action in the Delaware Chancery Court alleging breach of fiduciary duty and related claims arising from a multi-billion dollar corporate transaction.
- Represented a publicly-traded information technology services company in litigation involving hundreds of millions of dollars in alleged damages related to a spin-off transaction. Tried to verdict.
- Represented Whiting Petroleum Corporation and several of its officers and directors in shareholder litigation, a putative class action alleging breach of fiduciary duty and a related books and records demand stemming from its $6 billion merger with Oasis Petroleum. Defeated a motion to enjoin the stockholder vote on the proposed merger in the class action in the Delaware Court of Chancery, and all related cases were voluntarily dismissed.
- Represented HGGC, LLC and one of its affiliated funds in a putative class action filed in the Delaware Court of Chancery arising from its $446 million take-private acquisition of Nutraceutical International Corporation. Settlement achieved.
- Represented Fox Corporation and certain former officers and directors of 21st Century Fox, including Rupert Murdoch and his sons, and won dismissal in June 2020 of a shareholder derivative lawsuit filed in the Delaware Court of Chancery arising out of 21st Century Fox’s $73 billion merger with The Walt Disney Company and the separation of Fox Corporation.
- Represented Palantir Technologies in multiple lawsuits brought by a shareholder in the Delaware Court of Chancery and Delaware Superior Court.*
- Represented multiple clients in defending Section 220 and other similar books and records actions brought by shareholders.
Other Commercial Litigation
- Defending Constellation Brands and a number of its subsidiaries in two lawsuits in New York federal court alleging breach of contract and trademark infringement arising out of a licensing agreement with Modelo de Mexico, an Anheuser-Busch InBev company.
- Represented a private investment firm in a $100 million dispute brought by a terminated former partner alleging more than a dozen contractual and equitable claims. Tried to verdict. The arbitration panel denied all of the former partner’s claims for damages and found that he was in breach and had to return millions in escrowed severance.
- Represented Qualcomm Incorporated in antitrust litigation and investigations in the U.S. and abroad, including coordinated litigation against another technology company and the Federal Trade Commission in federal court in California. Tried to verdict action brought by the Federal Trade Commission.*
- Representing Caterpillar in defending and prosecuting applications under Section §1782 seeking to obtain discovery for use in a foreign proceeding. Defeated the petition seeking discovery of Caterpillar in 2022 and argued appeal in the Seventh Circuit.
- Represented PG&E in litigation with plaintiffs alleging billions of dollars in damages related to wildfires and in related governmental investigations.*
*Representations occurred prior to joining Kirkland
Clerk & Government Experience
Law ClerkHonorable Thomas P. GriesaUnited States District Court for the Southern District of New York
Law ClerkHonorable Ronald M. GouldUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Prior Experience
Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP
Pro Bono
Jordan maintains an active pro bono practice, including representing clients seeking asylum in the United States and participating in non-partisan project to ensure protection of the right to vote.
More
Credentials
Admissions & Qualifications
- New York
- Illinois
Courts
- United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
- United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
Education
- University of Michigan Law SchoolJ.D.magna cum laude
Order of the Coif
Campbell Moot Court Competition (semifinalist)
Contributing Editor, Michigan Law Review
Managing Notes Editor, Michigan Journal of Environmental & Administrative Law
- New York UniversityM.A., Higher Education AdministrationEditor-in-Chief, Journal of Student Affairs at New York University
- Cornell UniversityCollege Scholar Program; Government
Dean's List
Pi Sigma Alpha (National Political Science Honor Society)
News &
Insights
Kirkland Advises GIC on Long-Term Minority Investment in Messer