Stuart Paynter founded Paynter Law in Washington, D.C. over ten years ago. His practice concentrates exclusively on plaintiff-side litigation with a focus on commercial and consumer litigation including class actions on behalf of consumers nationwide as well as copyright litigation and pharmaceutical litigation. Recently, Mr. Paynter was heavily involved in litigation on behalf of NCAA student-athletes seeking to protect them from exploitation by the NCAA and large corporations. Mr. Paynter also co-teaches a seminar course at Duke Law on Antitrust and Sports.
Mr. Paynter is an alumnus of Sullivan & Cromwell, where he represented Microsoft in the antitrust suit brought by the Department of Justice and several state attorneys general, as well as in numerous consumer class actions brought in federal and state courts around the country. Prior to that, Mr. Paynter clerked for the Hon. David S. Tatel of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
Mr. Paynter has also undertaken extensive pro bono work. While at Sullivan & Cromwell, Mr. Paynter represented a class of Portsmouth, Virginia residents who alleged racial discrimination by the City of Portsmouth and a private developer. That case settled on favorable terms to class members. In addition, Mr. Paynter represented the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in assisting them with storm-water advocacy in the District of Columbia.
EDUCATION
- Stanford University, J.D.
- Cornell University, B.A., History
ASSOCIATIONS
- North Carolina Advocates for Justice
PUBLICATIONS & PRESENTATIONS
- What a Tangled Family Tree We Weave: Trademarks, publicity rights, and the cross-pollination of First Amendment defenses through video games.
- Co-authored with Celeste H.G. Boyd.
- Journal of Int’l Media & Entertainment Law, Vol. 4, No. 1 (2011–2012).
- "Lithium-Ion Battery Litigation". Live Webinar. (December 2018).
STATE BAR ADMISSIONS
- North Carolina
- California
- District of Columbia
FEDERAL BAR ADMISSIONS
- Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
- Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals
- Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals
- First Circuit Court of Appeals
- D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
- U.S. District Court, District of Columbia
- U.S. District Court, Western District of North Carolina
- U.S. District Court, Middle District of North Carolina
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