Consumer/Civil Rights Attorney

Public Pension Fund Scandals

Seeking to protect state retirees and employees from losses in their retirement funds due to "pay to play" schemes, other fraud, and inappropriate, speculative, "alternative" private investments. Representing employees seeking to recover losses to public employee retirement funds caused by "pay to play" schemes in several states. Also trying to stop increases to employee payroll contributions due to fund losses caused by such schemes (AFSCME, AFT, CWA, NEA, and the Operating Engineers have filed such an action in New Mexico).

Wage Suppression

Representing nurses in antitrust actions across the country against hospitals for conspiring to depress nurse wages. SEIU is active in these actions.

Challenged Microsoft's grossly inadequate disclosure of the terms of its antitrust settlement with the federal government in federal court.

Wall Street Financial Fraud

Represent employees, shareholders, and unions trying to recover 401(k)s, pension funds, health and welfare funds, and investments in financial frauds, such as Enron, WorldCom, AOL Time Warner, etc. Developed the legal theory of "fraudulent scheme liability" in 2002 that was successful in defeating the investment banks' motions to dismiss in the Enron case, which led to settlement recoveries of over $7 billion for defrauded investors. This was the largest securities fraud recovery in history. Worked with Change to Win in their participation in the United States Supreme Court in the Stoneridge case, arguing that securities fraud encompasses fraudulent conduct as well as fraudulent statements.

Holocaust Restitution

Represented Holocaust survivors in forcing the federal government to account for Nazi-seized property on the Hungarian "Gold Train" that was appropriated by the U.S. Army immediately following World War II. The case recovered $25.5 million for Holocaust survivors and an unprecedented apology from the Bush Administration, which was the first time the U.S. government acknowledged its role in the Gold Train affair. Our firm was nominated as Trial Lawyers of the Year by the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice for this case.

Protection of the "Made in U.S.A. Label" and American Workers

Representing workers and consumers trying to stop companies from outsourcing their labor by enforcing laws designed to prohibit the false and deceptive use of the "Made in USA" label. Several unions, AFL and SEIU, and most of the major consumer groups have been actively engaged in the case.

Health Care

Representing seniors and other consumers against the major pharmaceutical companies for manipulating the prices of prescription drugs. Several major recoveries for seniors and other consumers have already been obtained.

Represented seniors against the tobacco companies to recover Medicare expenditures for the treatment of diseases attributable to smoking.

Subprime Mortgages and the Foreclosure Debacle

Representing pension funds and other shareholders against Merrill Lynch and Freddie Mac based on their reckless underwriting and investment in "sub-prime" and other high-risk mortgages and lax risk management controls, credit and underwriting standards, appraisal standards, and misrepresentations.

Privacy Rights

Stopped the nation's leading direct mail services companies from using prisoners to process consumers' personal and private information and from selling that information for direct marketing and telemarketing purposes without consent. Also obtained a recovery for Beverly Dennis, an Ohio grandmother who had been contacted by a convicted rapist in a Texas maximum-security prison, who had obtained her personal information from consumer surveys and used it to send Ms. Dennis sexually graphic and threatening letters.

Stopped Time Warner Cable from selling subscribers' personal information.

Truth-in-Leasing Violations Against Truck Drivers

Represented truck drivers against major trucking companies for imposing onerous and unreasonable working conditions.

Toxic Exposure

Represented workers at nuclear weapons plants against the United States Enrichment Corporation for exposure to radiation and other cancer-causing chemicals. Worked with PACE on this case.

Automobile Safety

Represented consumers in defective automobile cases, including a case against Ford for defective ignition modules that caused dangerous stalls without warning, which resulted in the nation's first court-ordered recall.

Represented consumers against Honda for defective windshields.

First Amendment

Represented seniors in a case seeking to uphold their First Amendment rights to communicate on Social Security issues.

Fraud

Represented consumers against Honda for misrepresenting the gas mileage of their vehicles.

Represented consumers against MCI for deceptively charging non-subscriber rates.

Represented consumers against MTel for fraudulent representations regarding pagers.

Represented AOL subscribers against AOL for failing to honor attempts to cancel service.

Advocacy

Organized a coalition of 60 unions, consumer groups, seniors groups, and others against key planks of the Newt Gingrich-led Republican Contract With America. The coalition included, among others, AFL-CIO, SEIU, AFSCME, FOP, UAW, Teamsters, International Association of Clerks, Recorders, Election Officials and Treasurers, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, AARP, National Council of Senior Citizens, Gray Panthers, Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, Public Citizen, U.S. Public Interest Research Group, Citizen Action, Consumers for Civil Justice, Coalition for Accountability & Justice, and the American Council on Education, Investors' Rights Association of America.

Advocated to preserve worker whistleblower protections against Republican efforts to weaken them.

Democratic Counsel to the United States Senate Judiciary Committee

Advised and supported Senator Joe Biden's and Senator Howard Metzenbaum's labor, consumer protection, crime, securities, and antitrust agendas as well as other issues coming before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Served as lead counsel on efforts to pass Striker Replacement legislation to prohibit companies from permanently replacing striking workers.

Served as lead counsel on gun control. Helped draft and pass the Brady Bill and the ban on assault weapons.

Served as co-Lead counsel on the Violence Against Women Act.

Served as lead counsel on efforts to preserve aiding and abetting liability.

Served as co-lead counsel on President Clinton's Crime Bill of 1994.

Served as lead counsel on other issues, including: efforts to oppose restrictions on access to courts; judicial confirmations to the U.S. Supreme Court and other federal courts; medical malpractice liability; products liability; securities liability and regulation; punitive damages; and whistleblower protections under the False Claims Act.

Special Counsel to the United States Securities & Exchange Commission

Served as Special Counsel, responsible for litigation in the U.S. Supreme Court and lower federal courts against Wall Street investment schemes and other financial frauds. Advocated in the U.S. Supreme Court for greater union and pro-worker access to the shareholder proxy materials of public companies, an effort that was designed to promote changes in corporate policies affecting the environment or the health, safety, and welfare of workers and the public. Worked with the Teamsters and other unions on the case.

Served as Coordinator of the SEC's Task Force on Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Adjunct Professor

The National Law Center, George Washington University, 1992-93

Courses: The Law of the Political Process; Advocacy; Legal Research and Writing

Political and Community Activities

Board Member, CSAAC (Community Services for Autistic Adults and Children), 2010-

Board Member, B'nai B'rith Homecrest House

Member and Brotherhood Member, Temple Shalom

Member, B'nai B'rith of Leisure World

Member, Kiwanis Club of Leisure World

Created and instituted the Civility Pledge for the local Democratic Party.

Member of the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee (MCDCC), 2002-06. While a member:

•  Chaired the Strategic Direction Committee

•  Chaired the Issues Committee.

Co-Chaired Democratic Forum, 2002-06

Co-Chair, MCDCC Spring Ball, 2000

Precinct Chair, Precinct 13-02, 1998-2002

Helped lead the Montgomery County Democratic Party's effort to build support for overriding Governor Ehrlich's vetoes of the Fair Share Health Care, minimum wage, and voting rights bills, as well as the local party's petition drive in support of the overrides.

President and Board Member, District 19 Democratic Club, 1998-2002

Created the Multi-Cultural Outreach Committee and Program in District 19 to increase minority participation in the political process.

Nominated as Montgomery County Democrat of the Year in 2001.

Member of the Mid-County Citizens' Advisory Board (MCCAB), 1998-02.

Chaired the Public Affairs Committee of the MCCAB and, among other things, helped lead the call for a multi-cultural diversity center in Silver Spring.

Founding Board Member, Family Learning Solutions (a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting child literacy in lower-income neighborhoods through a family-oriented approach)

Wheaton Boys & Girls Club baseball and basketball coach, 1996-2003

Education

Brandeis University, B.A. (Major: American Studies; Minor: Legal Studies; Concentration: Political Science), magna cum laude, Recipient of the American Studies Departmental Honors Award,", 1984

Georgetown University, M.A. (American Government), 1988

Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., 1988

Georgetown University, LL.M. (Securities Regulation), with distinction, 1992.

Senior Articles and Notes Editor, American Criminal Law Review, 1988.

Professional

Admitted to Virginia Bar, 1988 (resigned)

Admitted to Maryland Bar, 1989.

Admitted to District of Columbia Bar, 1990

Admitted to the bars of the United States Supreme Court and numerous federal courts of appeal and district courts

Member, Bar Association of Montgomery County

Personal

Born in New York, New York, February 24, 1962

Mike grew up in Queens and Spring Valley, New York

Mike resides in Silver Spring with his wife Kriszti and their twin 6-year-olds, Jason and Sabrina, who are in first grade at Georgian Forest Elementary School. Mike's older set of twins, David and Aron, are attending Brandeis University and the University of Maryland, respectively.

The Lenett family belongs to Temple Shalom in Chevy Chase, Maryland.