Adam John Zapala

Adam J. Zapala is a partner at Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP, where he focuses on complex litigation, including antitrust, employment & civil rights, privacy & cybersecurity, qui tam/false claims, consumer protection and class actions generally.

Adam has served as lead counsel, or in other court-appointed leadership positions, in some of the largest and most complex litigation matters in the United States and has obtained outstanding results. Adam is known for his deep understanding of antitrust law and class action practice and procedure. Additionally, Adam regularly represents executives and employees in complex employment litigation, securing substantial settlements and judgments for his clients.

Adam has been recognized by courts, his peers, and by various publications for his outstanding work. Since 2014, Adam has been recognized as a Super Lawyer Rising Star, or Super Lawyer. In 2019, the American Antitrust Institute (“AAI”) recognized the work of Adam and his colleagues in the groundbreaking Auto Parts antitrust litigation, where CPM represents the end-payor plaintiffs and has recovered over $1 billion in settlements on their behalf. In 2020, the Daily Journal recognized Adam as one of the top antitrust lawyers in California. His work on cases has regularly appeared in Top Settlements & Verdicts.

Adam received a B.A. from Stanford University and his J.D. from University of California, Hastings College of the Law. Prior to joining CPM, Adam worked at Davis, Cowell & Bowe, LLP (now known as McCracken, Stemerman & Holsberry, LLP) in San Francisco, where he represented labor unions, Taft-Hartley Pension and Health & Welfare funds, and employees and consumers in complex litigation, arbitration and NLRB proceedings. While at DCB, Adam served as trial counsel in countless arbitrations on behalf of labor unions and employee benefit funds. He has argued cases before the California First, Third, and Sixth District Courts of Appeal.

Adam also previously served as a staff attorney with Bay Area Legal Aid, where he focused on representing indigent clients in a wide variety of civil litigation matters. While there, Adam developed expertise in Medi-Cal, Medicare and other publicly-financed healthcare systems. While in law school, Adam also worked for the public interest law firms of Public Advocates, Inc. and Public Justice, focusing on civil rights class action litigation. Adam also has legislative and policy experience, working on Capitol Hill as a policy aide for Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) in Washington D.C.

Adam has deep ties to the Bay Area. He grew up in San Jose, California and attended Bellarmine College Preparatory. While at Stanford University, Adam became a four-time Academic All-American, a four-time All-American, and Captain of the Stanford Men’s Soccer Team. In 2001, he was drafted in the Major League Soccer (“MLS”) Super Draft by the Dallas Burn (now FC Dallas).

Representative Matters:

Adam has served as lead counsel, or in other court-appointed leadership positions, in some of the largest and most complex litigation matters in the United States, and has obtained outstanding results. For example:

In re Transpacific Passenger Air Transportation Antitrust Litigation, No. 07-cv-5634-CRB (N.D. Cal.) (serving as lead counsel and obtaining over $140 million in settlements);

Precision Associates, Inc. et al v. Panalpina World Transport (Holding) Ltd., No. 08-cv-00042 (JG) (VVP) (serving as court-appointed co-lead counsel in a case recovering over $400 million on behalf of the plaintiff class);

In re Capacitors Antitrust Litigation, No. 14-cv-02364-JD (N.D. Cal) (serving as sole Lead Counsel on behalf of a class of indirect purchasers and thus far recovering over $80 million);

In re Resistors Antitrust Litigation, No. 15-cv-03820-JD (N.D. Cal) (serving as sole Lead Counsel on behalf of a class of indirect purchaser and recovering $33.4 million);

In re Vizio, Inc. Consumer Privacy Litigation, No. 16-ml-02693-JLS (C.D. Cal) (serving as court-appointed co-lead counsel in cutting edge privacy class action recovering $17 million and substantial injunctive relief on behalf of the class);

In re Automotive Parts Antitrust Litigation, Master File No. 12-md-02311 (E.D. Mich.) (serving as co-lead class counsel for the end-payor plaintiffs in what has been described by the Department of Justice as the largest antitrust case in its history, and recovering over $1.1 billion);

In re Domestic Airline Travel Antitrust Litigation, No. 15-1404 (CKK) (D. D.C.) (serving as court-appointed co-lead counsel and thus far recovering $60 million in this ongoing case);

In re Lithium Ion Batteries, No. 13-md-02420-YGR (N.D. Cal.) (serving as co-lead counsel in case recovering over $100 million on behalf of the indirect purchasers);

In re Generic Pharmaceuticals Pricing Antitrust Litigation, MDL No. 2724 (E.D. Penn.) (appointed as a member of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in groundbreaking price-fixing coordinated action).

Renters Sue Yardi and Other California Landlords for Conspiring to Charge Inflated Rental Prices

CPM Investigates Price-Fixing in the Frozen Potato Products Industry

CPM Investigates Mass Lay-Offs as Potential WARN Act Violations

CPM Investigating RealPage for Driving Rent Up Nationwide with Software Algorithm

CPM is Investigating TikTok for Possible Violations of Federal Law in the Collection of Information About Children

CPM Investigates California High Speed Rail Project Property Valuations

CPM Investigates Healthcare Fraud

CPM Investigates Price-Fixing in the Fertilizer Market

CPM Investigates Underpayments of Crude Oil Royalties by Oil Companies

No-Poach Employee/Labor Antitrust Case Against Geisinger and Evangelical Health Systems Settlement Granted Final Approval by the Court

CPM Investigates Price Fixing & Market Suppressing in Violation of Antitrust Laws

CPM Helps Obtain a $1.011 Billion Judgment for CRT Price-Fixing Cartel

CPM Investigates Anticompetitive Practices In the Home-Health Care Industry Affecting Employees

CPM Investigating Semiconductor Components Market

Shipping Container Antitrust Litigation

Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP Investigating “No-Poach” Agreement in Aerospace Engineering Services Industry