Sarah Khorasanee McGrath

Of Counsel

Sarah Khorasanee McGrath

Sarah McGrath is of counsel in the San Francisco office of Berman Tabacco. She works hard to deliver financial justice for clients.

Since joining Berman Tabacco in 2010, she has been a member of the litigation teams in several antitrust, consumer and securities class actions, returning millions of dollars to injured classes.  Sarah was named a Rising Star by Northern California Super Lawyers magazine in 2013-2015 and 2017-2019.

Sarah’s commitment to consumer protection began at the Department of Justice – Antitrust Division, where she assisted in international criminal cartel cases.  Prior to that, Sarah assisted tenants facing eviction as an attorney volunteer with the Eviction Defense Center. During law school, Sarah served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Eric Taylor of the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles.

Experience

  • Member of the litigation team in In re Optical Disk Drive Products Antitrust Litigation, No. 3:10-md-2143 RS (N.D. Cal.), which alleged violations of Section 1 of the Sherman Act for price-fixing of computer components. The team achieved a settlement of $74.9 million for direct purchasers.
  • Member of the litigation team in In re Lithium Ion Batteries Antitrust Litigation, No. 13-md-2420-YGR (N.D. Cal.). Plaintiffs defeated several motions to dismiss and for summary judgment, which involved complex issues of antitrust standing and pleading conspiracy allegations. To date, plaintiffs have negotiated proposed settlements of $164 million.
  • Represented municipalities and wastewater treatment systems in class action alleging violations of state consumer protection and warranty laws for the sale of so-called “flushable” wipes, which, as alleged, do not degrade when flushed.
  • Part of the litigation team in Layton v. Mizuho Bank Ltd., et al., No. 12-cv-03419 (S.D.N.Y); Sonterra Capital Master Fund Ltd., et al. v. UBS AG, et al., No. 1:15-cv-05844; and Sullivan v. Barclays PLC, et al., No. 1:13-cv-02811 (S.D.N.Y.)—three cases that sought to hold financial institutions responsible for their manipulation of Yen-LIBOR and EURIBOR benchmark rates.
  • Member of the litigation team in In re Bear Stearns Companies, Inc. Securities, Derivative, and “ERISA” Litigation, Master File No. 08-MDL No. 1963 (S.D.N.Y.), arising out of the company’s 2008 collapse. The firm’s efforts as co-lead counsel secured settlements with defendants totaling $294.9 million.
  • Served on team that represented lead plaintiff State Universities Retirement System of Illinois in In re General Electric Co. Securities Litigation, No. 09 Civ. 01951 (S.D.N.Y.). The case settled for $40 million.
  • Served on team in an antitrust action against Netflix and Wal-Mart in In re Online DVD Rental Antitrust Litigation, 09-cv-2029 (N.D. Cal.), which alleged an unlawful agreement between Netflix and Wal-Mart whereby Wal-Mart agreed to exit the online DVD rental market in exchange for Netflix agreeing not to sell new DVDs to its subscribers. As co-lead counsel, firm achieved a settlement of $27.25 million.
  • Experience includes (i) conducting case analysis; (ii) drafting complaints, class certification briefs, discovery-related motions and preliminary and final approval of class action settlements; and (iii) deposition practice, including preparing clients for depositions. Skilled in leading document reviews and propounding and responding to written discovery.
Sarah Khorasanee McGrath Of Counsel
San Francisco
425 California Street, Suite 2300
San Francisco, CA 94104

Sarah McGrath is of counsel in the San Francisco office of Berman Tabacco. She works hard to deliver financial justice for clients.

Since joining Berman Tabacco in 2010, she has been a member of the litigation teams in several antitrust, consumer and securities class actions, returning millions of dollars to injured classes.  Sarah was named a Rising Star by Northern California Super Lawyers magazine in 2013-2015 and 2017-2019.

Sarah’s commitment to consumer protection began at the Department of Justice – Antitrust Division, where she assisted in international criminal cartel cases.  Prior to that, Sarah assisted tenants facing eviction as an attorney volunteer with the Eviction Defense Center. During law school, Sarah served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Eric Taylor of the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles.

Education
  • New England Law | Boston (J.D., 2008)
  • University of California at San Diego (B.A. in Communications, 2002
Experience
  • Member of the litigation team in In re Optical Disk Drive Products Antitrust Litigation, No. 3:10-md-2143 RS (N.D. Cal.), which alleged violations of Section 1 of the Sherman Act for price-fixing of computer components. The team achieved a settlement of $74.9 million for direct purchasers.
  • Member of the litigation team in In re Lithium Ion Batteries Antitrust Litigation, No. 13-md-2420-YGR (N.D. Cal.). Plaintiffs defeated several motions to dismiss and for summary judgment, which involved complex issues of antitrust standing and pleading conspiracy allegations. To date, plaintiffs have negotiated proposed settlements of $164 million.
  • Represented municipalities and wastewater treatment systems in class action alleging violations of state consumer protection and warranty laws for the sale of so-called “flushable” wipes, which, as alleged, do not degrade when flushed.
  • Part of the litigation team in Layton v. Mizuho Bank Ltd., et al., No. 12-cv-03419 (S.D.N.Y); Sonterra Capital Master Fund Ltd., et al. v. UBS AG, et al., No. 1:15-cv-05844; and Sullivan v. Barclays PLC, et al., No. 1:13-cv-02811 (S.D.N.Y.)—three cases that sought to hold financial institutions responsible for their manipulation of Yen-LIBOR and EURIBOR benchmark rates.
  • Member of the litigation team in In re Bear Stearns Companies, Inc. Securities, Derivative, and “ERISA” Litigation, Master File No. 08-MDL No. 1963 (S.D.N.Y.), arising out of the company’s 2008 collapse. The firm’s efforts as co-lead counsel secured settlements with defendants totaling $294.9 million.
  • Served on team that represented lead plaintiff State Universities Retirement System of Illinois in In re General Electric Co. Securities Litigation, No. 09 Civ. 01951 (S.D.N.Y.). The case settled for $40 million.
  • Served on team in an antitrust action against Netflix and Wal-Mart in In re Online DVD Rental Antitrust Litigation, 09-cv-2029 (N.D. Cal.), which alleged an unlawful agreement between Netflix and Wal-Mart whereby Wal-Mart agreed to exit the online DVD rental market in exchange for Netflix agreeing not to sell new DVDs to its subscribers. As co-lead counsel, firm achieved a settlement of $27.25 million.
  • Experience includes (i) conducting case analysis; (ii) drafting complaints, class certification briefs, discovery-related motions and preliminary and final approval of class action settlements; and (iii) deposition practice, including preparing clients for depositions. Skilled in leading document reviews and propounding and responding to written discovery.
Honors & Distinctions
  • Named a Rising Star by Northern California Super Lawyers magazine (2013-2015 and 2017-2019)
  • Featured in San Francisco Magazine’s Top Women Attorneys in Northern California (2013-2015 and 2017-2019)
Admissions
  • State Bar of California
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
  • U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
  • Ninth Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals
Affiliations
  • Federal Bar Association – Northern District of California, Executive Committee Member (2021-2023); President (2020); President-Elect (2019); Treasurer (2018); Vice President (2016-2017); Co-Chair of the Young Lawyers Division (2013-2015)
  • Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law Section of the California Bar, Member
  • Bar Association of San Francisco, Member