Russell Rennie

Trial lawyer Russell Rennie plays an integral role in each case he takes on. From intellectual property to False Claims Act and securities litigation to contract disputes, Russell has a diverse background litigating complex matters and securing important wins for his clients. He has appeared in Court many times; taking an active role in high profile trials, arguing critical motions, and examining key witnesses. Clients and colleagues alike trust Russell’s commitment to their success, ability to understand complex subject matter, and talent for synthesizing large volumes of intricate data into compelling arguments for judges and juries.

Russell joined Susman Godfrey after clerking for Judge Marsha Berzon on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and for Judge Jesse Furman on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. He graduated from Harvard University and received his J.D., summa cum laude, from New York University School of Law, where he served as an Articles Editor for NYU Law Review.

Noteworthy Litigation

For Dutch telecommunications company Koninklijke KPN N.V. (“KPN”), Russell served as trial counsel and helped win a $31.5 million jury victory against Swedish telecom giant Ericsson over patent infringement claims relating to telecom networks. The verdict concluded a more than five-year dispute between the companies, with the jury awarding KPN the entire damages model outlined by the Susman Godfrey team. Russell was responsible for putting on KPN’s infringement case. He was profiled by the National Law Journal about his integral role leading up to and at trial. Read more.

In United States of America et al. ex rel. Martinez et al., v. Apria Healthcare Group, Russell was part of team of lawyers that secured a $40.5 million settlement in a False Claims Act case from Apria Healthcare Group, Inc. and its affiliate, Apria Healthcare LLC (Apria). Russell represented qui tam whistleblowers who, together with former Apria employees, alleged that Apria continually charged federal health programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, for rentals of non-invasive medical ventilators that were not being used by patients, or that were being used in a therapy mode that did not qualify for the billing codes used. After investigating relators’ allegations, the United States government intervened in the case and filed its own complaint, which closely tracked the allegations first made by the firm’s clients. The relators represented by Susman Godfrey recovered $4.34 million. Read more,

In a separate FCA matter, Russell helped secure a deal with Philips RS North America LLC (f/k/a Respironics Inc.), a manufacturer of durable medical equipment (DME) based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, valued at $24 million to resolve allegations that it misled federal health care programs by paying kickbacks to DME suppliers.

Russell previously served as counsel for WeWork founder, Adam Neumann, against SoftBank after SoftBank withdrew its offer to buy up to $3 billion in WeWork stock from Mr. Neumann and other shareholders. This lawsuit represents one of the largest individual claims to be litigated this century.  The litigation was placed on an expedited schedule in the Delaware Chancery Court. A week before trial, the case settled as reported by media outlets throughout the world. The New York Times’ coverage of the lawsuit can be accessed here and here.

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