Robert W. Cobbs is a partner in Cohen Milstein’s Antitrust practice. In this role, he represents individuals and organizations in civil litigation, particularly antitrust class actions.
Rob is highly regarded for helping manage large, high-profile antitrust class actions involving collusion in the financial markets for specialist investment products, where he represents workers’ pension funds suing the world’s largest investment banks.
He is also known for his analysis of the underlying economic and legal issues and developing deep and nuanced understandings of complex fact patterns and is regularly called upon to participate in large cases against tech giants, oil and gas companies, and other powerful corporations.
During law school, Rob served as a notes editor of the Yale Law Journal and as a submissions editor of the Yale Journal on Regulation.
From 2007-2010 Rob served as a staffer for Chairman Henry Waxman on the House Oversight Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where he worked on energy and climate policy.
- District of Columbia
- New York
- Yale Law School, J.D., 2013
- Amherst College, B.A., magna cum laude, 2006
- Hon. Pierre N. Leval, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- Hon. J. Rodney Gilstrap, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
Current Cases
In re Interest Rate Swaps Antitrust Litigation
In re Interest Rate Swaps Antitrust Litigation (S.D.N.Y.): Cohen Milstein serves as Co-Lead Counsel and represents the Public School Teachers’ Pension and Retirement Fund of Chicago and other proposed buy-side investor class members in this ground breaking putative antitrust class action against numerous Wall Street investment banks. Plaintiffs allege that the defendants conspired to prevent class members from trading IRS on modern electronic trading platforms and from trading with each other, all to protect the banks’ trading profits from inflated bid/ask spreads.
Scharpf, et al. v. General Dynamics Corp., et al.
Scharpf, et al. v. General Dynamics Corp., et al. (E.D. Va.): Cohen Milstein represents naval architects and marine engineers in a putative antitrust wage suppression class action against the nation’s largest military shipbuilders and naval engineering consultancy firms. Plaintiffs allege that starting in at least 2000, Defendants engaged in a “no poach” conspiracy by adhering to an informal “gentlemen’s agreement” among themselves not to recruit each other’s naval engineers.
Stock Loan Antitrust Litigation
Iowa Public Employees Retirement System et al. v. Bank of America Corp. (S.D.N.Y.): Cohen Milstein is co-counsel in this groundbreaking putative class action, in which investors accuse Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, UBS, J.P. Morgan, and other Wall Street banks of conspiring to thwart the modernization of and preserve their dominance over the $1.7 trillion stock loan market. On September 1, 2023, the court granted preliminary approval of a historic settlement of $499 million in cash along with injunctive relief against defendants Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, UBS, JP Morgan, and EquiLend, bringing total settlements to $580 million thus far. Litigation against Bank of America continues.
Tellis et al. v. LeBlanc et al.
Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC worked with Disability Rights Louisiana and the ACLU of Louisiana to certify a class action in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana against the Louisiana Department of Corrections and David Wade Correctional Center (DWCC) on behalf of DWCC inmates. Plaintiffs allege that DWCC’s practice […]
Past Cases
ExxonMobil -Villagers of Aceh Litigation
Doe, Aceh, Indonesia v. ExxonMobil Corporation (D.D.C.): Cohen Milstein represented eleven villagers from Aceh, Indonesia, who alleged that they or their relatives endured horrific human rights abuses, including murder, torture, sexual violence, and kidnapping, at the hands of Indonesian soldiers contracted by ExxonMobil to guard its oil operations in the region. On May 15, 2023, a week before a jury trial was to start and after 20 years of litigation, the case settled. Although the case was litigated in U.S. federal court, Indonesian law applied to Plaintiffs’ claims and was applied by the Court. The case set numerous legal precedents during its 20-year history, during which it saw two trips to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals (decided January 2007 and July 2011) and one to the Supreme Court (certiorari was denied in 2008). Each time, novel issues of foreign policy impact, extraterritorial jurisdiction, and choice of law were briefed and considered by the Court of Appeals. In August 2022, months before trial, the Court largely denied ExxonMobil’s motion for summary judgment, finding most of its arguments “entirely meritless.”
In re Google LLC Street View Electronic Communications Litigation
In re Google LLC Street View Electronic Communications Litigation (N.D. Cal.): Cohen Milstein was co-lead counsel in a nationwide class action alleging that Google violated the Wiretap Act when its Street View vehicles secretly collected payload data from unencrypted Wi-Fi networks. Plaintiffs defeated a motion to dismiss raising novel Wiretap Act issues, and the ruling was affirmed on interlocutory appeal to the Ninth Circuit. The court approved a $13 million settlement in March 2020.
Investigations
Small Business Gas Purchase Investigation
We believe that small businesses in the U.S. may have paid inflated prices for gasoline bought at retail gas stations since 2021 as a result of potentially unlawful activity by certain producers of shale oil. If you are the owner of a small business that bought gasoline at retail gas stations in any of the […]
- The Best Lawyers in America, Antitrust Law, Washington, DC (2024)
October 10, 2023
Shipbuilders Accused Of No-Poach ‘Gentlemen’s Agreement’
A pair of former warship designers filed a proposed class action in Virginia federal court against two major shipbuilders for the U.S. military, General Dynamics and Huntington Ingalls Industries, and other companies allegedly involved in a decades-long conspiracy to suppress their wages through a no-poach “gentlemen’s agreement.” Plaintiffs Susan Scharpf and Anthony D’Armiento are seeking […]
In the News | Law360
October 12, 2023
Naval Architects & Marine Engineers File Wage-Suppression Suit Against Nation’s Largest Military Shipbuilders
Naval Architects & Marine Engineers File Wage-Suppression Suit Against Nation’s Largest Military Shipbuilders Defendants allegedly engaged in “no poach” conspiracy in highly skilled, niche industry for decades. Recruiting agency facilitated information exchange and aided the conspiracy. Washington, DC – A trio of premier plaintiffs’ class action law firms filed an antitrust class action on behalf […]
Press Releases
October 9, 2023
General Dynamics, Huntington Ingalls Sued in Engineers’ ‘No Poach’ Lawsuit
Defense contractors General Dynamics (GD.N) and Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII.N) have been sued in U.S. court by naval engineers who allege industry-wide curbs on employee mobility have artificially reduced worker compensation by hundreds of millions of dollars. The prospective class action lawsuit filed on Friday against General Dynamics, Huntington and various subsidiaries of the two […]
In the News | Reuters
May 15, 2023
Indonesian Villagers Achieve Settlement from ExxonMobil on Eve of Human Rights Trial and After Two Decades of Litigation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Contact: cohenmilstein@berlinrosen.com Indonesian Villagers Achieve Settlement from ExxonMobil on Eve of Human Rights Trial and After Two Decades of Litigation In an August 2022 Decision on the Motion for Summary Judgment, the Court Ruled that the Majority of ExxonMobil’s Arguments were “Entirely Meritless” WASHINGTON, D.C. – Eleven villagers who alleged that they […]
In the News
August 5, 2022
ExxonMobil Bid to End Indonesia Lawsuit Found ‘Meritless’
US judge dismisses oil and gas giant’s arguments for avoiding trial over alleged human rights abuses in Indonesia. A United States judge cleared the way for 11 Indonesian villagers to sue ExxonMobil for alleged human rights abuses after finding the majority of the gas and oil giant’s arguments to be “entirely meritless”. In a searing […]
In the News | Al Jazeera
August 3, 2022
Confessions of Victims of Alleged Human Rights Violations by ExxonMobil and Military Personnel in Aceh Revealed After 20 Years
For the first time after 20 years of legal proceedings, the Washington DC District Court, United States, issued a document to the public revealing the testimonies of victims of alleged human rights violations allegedly committed by the ExxonMobil company in Aceh by hiring a number of Indonesian military personnel. Judge Royce C. Lambert, Tuesday (02/08), […]
In the News | BBC
August 2, 2022
Judge Allows Historic Human Rights Lawsuit Against ExxonMobil to Proceed to Trial
After 20 Years of Litigation, Victims’ Stories of Abuses by Security Forces Finally Told WASHINGTON DC – A federal judge today released a detailed and pointed 86-page opinion that largely denied ExxonMobil Corporation’s motion for summary judgment in a long-running human rights lawsuit, brought by eleven Indonesian citizens. This decision paves the way for trial […]
In the News
July 1, 2022
Judge Says Stock Loan Antitrust Class Should Be Certified
A federal magistrate judge has called for the partial certification of a proposed class of investors who accused major banks including JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs of colluding to kill competition in the stock loan market, saying that the class meets all the necessary requirements, but the class period should not be expanded. U.S. Magistrate Judge […]
In the News | Law360
July 1, 2022
Stock-Loan Case Against Goldman, Other Banks Takes Step Toward Class Certification
Pension funds allege “group boycott” of startup platforms in stock loan market Manhattan federal judge in 2018 declined to dismiss case Credit Suisse in February first to settle, for $81 million A Manhattan federal judge on Thursday recommended the certification of a class of investors who have alleged Goldman Sachs Group Inc, JPMorgan Chase & […]
In the News | Reuters
February 11, 2022
“Credit Suisse Investors Ink $25M ‘Icebreaker’ Rate Swaps Deal”
Institutional investors leading sprawling multidistrict litigation against nearly a dozen megabanks that allegedly colluded to control the interest rate swaps market told a New York federal judge Friday they’ve reached a $25 million “icebreaker” settlement with Credit Suisse. Along with the $25 million cash award, the proposed settlement calls for Credit Suisse Group AG to […]
In the News | Law360
February 11, 2022
Credit Suisse to Pay $81M to Exit Stock Loan Antitrust Suit
Credit Suisse has agreed to pay investors $81 million to be the first bank to exit a putative New York federal court class action accusing banks of colluding to kill competition in the stock loan market, the investors said in a bid for preliminary approval of the so-called icebreaker deal Friday. As a part of […]
In the News | Law360
February 3, 2022
“9th Circ. Denies Panel Rehearing on $13M Google Deal”
The Ninth Circuit on Thursday denied an objector’s petition to rehear a decision that gives $13 million to internet privacy advocates and lawyers to end allegations that Google’s Street View car fleet illegally gathered Wi-Fi network data, but no money for 60 million class members. On a 2-1 vote, the panel that issued the December […]
In the News | Law360
December 27, 2021
“Google $13 Million Street View Privacy Deal Survives Appeal Bid”
Google‘s $13 million class settlement resolving claims over personal data collected by its Street View vehicles remains intact after the Ninth Circuit rejected arguments Monday it unfairly benefited charitable groups at the expense of consumers. Settlements that provide monetary relief only in the form of cy pres payments to third parties may be appropriate where […]
In the News | Bloomberg Law
March 19, 2020
“Google’s $13M Street View Deal OK’d Over AGs’ Objections,” Law360
A California federal judge has given a final blessing to a $13 million cy pres settlement resolving allegations that Google illegally gathered Wi-Fi network data with its Street View car fleet, despite objections from a number of state attorneys general that the deal doesn’t directly benefit consumers. U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer gave his […]
In the News
September 27, 2018
Goldman, JPMorgan, Four Others Must Face Stock Lending Antitrust Case
A U.S. judge on Thursday ordered Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N), JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) and four other large banks to face an antitrust lawsuit by investors who said they conspired to stifle competition in the nearly $2 trillion stock lending market. U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla in Manhattan rejected the banks’ arguments […]
In the News | Reuters
August 17, 2017
Pension Funds Sue 6 Investment Banks Over Securities Lending Market Collusion
Three public pension funds claim in a federal class-action lawsuit filed Thursday that six major investment banks colluded to overcharge investors and maintain control of the $1.72 trillion stock loan market, according to a court document. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in New York by the $28.5 billion Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement […]
In the News | Pensions & Investments
August 17, 2017
Top Wall Street Banks Accused of Conspiracy to Control Stock Lending Market Via Threatening Tactics and Boycotts
Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, UBS, Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America Face Antitrust Allegations NEW YORK—Several of the world’s largest investment banks have colluded, in violation of federal antitrust laws, to create and maintain exclusive control of the more than $1 trillion stock loan market, reaping massive profits at the expense of investors, […]
In the News