Michael K. Yarnoff, Esq.

Michael has more than 30 years of experience, including 20 years prosecuting complex securities fraud class actions in federal courts involving claims under both the Securities Act of 1933 and the Exchange Act of 1934. Throughout his career, Michael has represented large institutional clients and individual shareholders and has acted as lead or co-lead counsel in many high-profile securities cases, which, collectively, have settled for billions of dollars. Some of the highlights of Michael’s litigation career include the following cases:

Tyco International Ltd. – A landmark $3.2 billion settlement including the then largest securities class-action recovery from a single corporate defendant ($2.975 billion) and the second largest auditor settlement ($225 million).

Delphi Corporation – A $300 million class-action settlement against auto-parts manufacturer Delphi Corporation (reduced because of bankruptcy), including an additional $38 million recovery against Delphi’s outside auditor.

CVS Corporation – A $110 million recovery on behalf of a group of injured shareholders, representing one of the largest settlements in a securities class-action in First Circuit history.

MDL Mutual Fund Litigation – A six-year litigation that resulted in more than $80 million in recoveries against a number of mutual fund companies, including Alliance, Alger, and Excelsior.

United Development Funding IV – Kehoe Law Firm served as Lead Counsel in litigation stemming from allegations that UDF IV and UDF V were operating Ponzi-like schemes in violation of federal and Texas state law, using money raised in new offerings to pay investors in earlier offerings through opaque lending practices and misleading disclosures. On February 15, 2019, the Court granted final approval to a $13.5 million settlement on behalf of investors. 

Viega Antitrust Litigation – Representing heating and plumbing companies that were indirect purchasers of Viega ProPress® copper press fittings, attorneys with Kehoe Law Firm helped prosecute various related cases pending before Chief Judge Christopher Conner in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The lawsuits alleged that Viega LLC, a plumbing and HVAC equipment manufacturer, used its monopoly power to undermine competitors in the market for copper press fittings. On December 18, 2020, Judge Conner granted final approval to a $15 million antitrust settlement on behalf of damaged purchasers. 

Prior to joining the Kehoe Law Firm, Michael was an attorney at a large plaintiff’s class-action law firm where he served as a senior-level partner in the securities department for over nine years. During his tenure, Michael also litigated cases against large mortgage lenders for violations of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974, patent infringement matters, and appellate matters before multiple Circuit Courts of Appeal.

Michael is a member of the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware Bars, as well as the Courts of Appeal for the First, Second, Third, Sixth, and Eleventh Circuits. He received his juris doctorate from Delaware Law School in 1991 and his undergraduate degree from George Washington University in 1988. While at George Washington University, he served as a political intern for the late Senator John Heinz (Pennsylvania).

Michael is a married father of two children, and he spends much of his free time playing sports, traveling, and volunteering with his family at Northern Children Services, an after-school program for at-risk children in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.