ProfessionalsNina Kovalenko
Tel: +1-212-373-3479
Fax: +1-212-492-0479
nkovalenko@paulweiss.com
nkovalenko@paulweiss.com
1285 Avenue of the Americas
New York,
NY
10019-6064
Fax: +1-212-492-0479
A partner in the Litigation Department, Nina Kovalenko specializes in complex civil litigation and trial practice across a range of substantive areas, including matters involving antitrust allegations, M&A and deal-related disputes, commercial disputes, bankruptcy litigation and ERISA and fiduciary duty litigation. Nina has represented multinational corporations, major financial institutions, private equity funds and individual executives in federal and state courts across the country, as well as in appeals and arbitration matters.
EXPERIENCE
Nina maintains a multifaceted practice with a particular emphasis on handling the most procedurally complex litigations, including multidistrict litigations and other matters spanning multiple federal and state courts. She also has experience representing clients in high-stakes commercial disputes, antitrust and securities class actions and state attorneys general actions. Nina’s clients have spanned the technology, private equity, financial services, telecommunications, real estate and pharmaceuticals industries.
Nina’s significant representations include:
- DST Systems, a subsidiary of leading financial services software provider SS&C Technologies, in the global settlement of highly complex ERISA matters nationally, involving a mandatory class action, a government enforcement action by the Department of Labor and hundreds of individual actions, both in federal court and in over 500 arbitrations, brought by current and former DST employees alleging breaches of fiduciary duty and other ERISA violations related to the management of DST’s 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan.
- Mastercard Incorporated in complex multidistrict litigation involving millions of U.S. merchants and multiple actions challenging the “interchange” fees associated with payment card transactions, as well as certain network rules governing merchants’ acceptance of payment cards.
- Oak Hill Capital Partnersand individual directors of Oversee.net at trial in the Delaware Court of Chancery over Oak Hill's redemption of preferred equity, resulting in dismissal of all claims. The court found that defendants proved at trial that their conduct was entirely fair under Delaware’s most exacting standard of review—an exceedingly rare outcome.
- Sharp Corporation, Sharp Electronics Corporation and its affiliates as opt-out plaintiffs in securing favorable resolutions with various defendants related to antitrust litigation alleging a wide ranging price-fixing scheme among manufacturers of cathode ray tubes.
- A group of investment funds that hold notes issued by JUUL Labs as trial counsel in an action brought in the Delaware Court of Chancery in connection with the attempted conversion of the notes.
- A global investment company in a putative class action against dozens of defendants brought by former customers of cryptocurrency exchange platform FTX.
Nina maintains an active pro bono practice, focusing on immigration and civil rights matters. She has represented individuals seeking asylum, citizenship, permanent resident status, temporary protected status and protections due to unaccompanied immigrant children. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Nina represented several medically vulnerable petitioners seeking immediate release from immigration detention facilities. Nina has also represented defendants in criminal actions and plaintiffs in Section 1983 excessive force cases through trial and appeal.