Amanda M. Payne is an associate in the Litigation Department. Her practice focuses on complex civil litigation, including securities class actions, shareholder derivative litigation, bankruptcy litigation, and other complex business disputes. Amanda’s practice also includes antitrust and financial reporting matters. Amanda has experience representing companies in government investigations, including those brought by the SEC, PCOAB, and DOJ.
Experience
- In re FirstEnergy Corp. Securities Litigation: Where Macquarie Meets Affiliated Ute, 30 FORDHAM J. CORP. & FIN. L. 343 (2025) [Co-author]
- “The Securities Litigation Trends That Will Matter Most In 2025,” Law360 (January 1, 2025)
- “No Statement? Then No Liability Under Rule 10b-5,” Willkie Client Alert (April 12, 2024)
- “2nd Circ. Goldman Ruling May Hinder Securities Cases,” Law360 (August 28, 2023)
- “Pending 6th Circ. Ruling Has Broad Class Action Implications,” Law360 (August 16, 2023)
- “Finally!: Second Circuit Reverses Class Certification Decision Seemingly Resolving the Longstanding Goldman Sachs CDO Securities Class Action Litigation Saga,” Willkie Client Alert (August 11, 2023)
- Taking Innovation Seriously: A Dynamic Competition Model for Antitrust Law, 2023 COLUMBIA BUS. L. REV. 338 (2023) [Co-author]
- “Supreme Court Rules that Plaintiffs Must Plead and Prove that Shares Purchased in a Direct Listing Are Traceable to a Registration Statement Under Section 11,” Willkie Client Alert (June 5, 2023)
- “The Securities Litigation Issues That Matter Most For 2023,” Law360 (January 5, 2023)
- “Securities Litigation Trends To Watch This Year,” Law360 (January 31, 2022)
- FTC to Issue Open-Investigation HSR Letters, Presenting Post-Closing Antitrust Risk and Raising Possible Contractual Issues,” Willkie Client Alert (August 6, 2021)
- Supreme Court Rules that Price Impact Evidence (Even If It Overlaps with Merits Issues) Must Be Considered at Class Certification Stage,” Willkie Client Alert (June 21, 2021)
- “Securities Litigation Trends That Will Matter Most In 2021,” Law360 (January 4, 2021)
- In re Wells Fargo & Company Hiring Practices Derivative Litigation (N.D. Cal.) – Representing current & former independent directors of a large bank in derivative litigation asserting claims for breach of fiduciary duties and violations of the federal securities laws in connection with the Board's alleged failure to monitor Wells Fargo's allegedly discriminatory lending and hiring practices.
- New York City Employees' Retirement System, et al. v. Discover Financial Services, et al. (N.D. Ill.) – Representing the outside directors of Discover in securing the dismissal of a federal putative securities class action in connection with misclassified credit cards, student loan servicing practices, and other compliance matters.
- Whittaker, Clark, & Daniels, Inc., et al. (Bankr. N.J.) – Representing the Future Claimants' Representative in a mass tort bankruptcy.
- In re Uber Technologies IPO Securities Litigation (N.D. Cal.; Cal. Super. Ct.) – Represented 30 underwriters, including Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC in purported securities class action litigation filed in connection with Uber’s $8.1 billion IPO.
- Lange v. Houston County, Ga. et al – Obtained jury verdict in favor of Deputy Sheriff in Houston County, Georgia in federal court challenge to the County’s maintenance of blanket exclusion medical treatment gender dysphoria from employee health plan.
- Counsel to amicus curiae in the following matters:
- Arkansas Teachers Retirement System v. Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (2nd Circuit; Supreme Court)
- In re FirstEnergy Corp. Securities Litigation (6th Circuit)
- Sjunde AP-Fonden v. Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (2nd Circuit)
- In re The Boeing Company Securities Litigation (4th Circuit)
- Arkansas Teachers Retirement System v. Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (2nd Circuit; Supreme Court)
Credentials
Education
University of Georgia School of Law, J.D., 2019 Florida State University, B.S. (magna cum laude), 2015
Bar Admissions
Court Admissions
United States Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit United States Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit United States District Court, Eastern District of New York United States District Court, Southern District of New York