MT. PLEASANT, SC – Over the past year, plaintiffs’ litigation firm Motley Rice LLC has added five attorneys to its headquarter office in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., bringing talent to the firm’s securities class action, toxic exposure, public client, and consumer fraud protection practice areas.
Olutola “Tola” Familoni (DC, SC), Kayla E. Lattimore (SC), and Neli Traykova Hines (DC, SC) joined the firm as Associate attorneys, and Vanessa A. Davis (SC) and Laura C. Rublee (SC) joined as Staff attorneys.
“As courts have opened back up, our firm’s trial schedule has tripled, and our attorneys and trial staff have been spread across the country. We are delighted to have this caliber of attorneys onboarded to assist with all our litigation matters and look forward to their contributions to our firm, our clients, and our community,” said Motley Rice Member and Hiring Committee Chair, Fred Baker.
As a part of the Public Client practice area, Familoni litigates public health issues on behalf of governmental entities. He currently represents states and municipalities in litigation against pharmaceutical drug manufacturers and distributors for the alleged deceptive marketing of highly addictive opioids. He is also involved in litigation alleging e-cigarette maker JUUL misled the public on the safety of its products while marketing to children. Prior to joining the firm, he served as an Assistant Public Defender and assisted indigent clients through the Legal Aid of North Carolina nonprofit law firm. Familoni is active in the community, serving on the Board of Directors for Charleston Legal Access, South Carolina for Criminal Justice Reform (SC4CJR) and Father to Father. An avid soccer player, he competed in the NCAA’s Little East Conference and serves as a youth soccer coach. He is a graduate of Elon University School of Law and the University of Massachusetts Boston.
Lattimore litigates on behalf of clients burdened with long-lasting effects of toxic environmental chemical exposure. Her current casework includes representing water providers in federal multidistrict litigation that alleges groundwater contamination near military bases and airports, as well as representing multiple communities that allege improper dumping of PFAS chemicals. She also fights for community members seeking accountability for toxins that are allegedly polluting the air surrounding a paper mill in Catawba, S.C. A former Motley Rice law clerk, she gained additional experience through clerkships in California, where she worked in the areas of third-party subpoenas, trade secrets, mergers and acquisitions, false advertising, and refugee rights. Prior to a legal career, she worked as a risk management intern for a consulting firm on a federal regulations compliance team. Lattimore earned a J.D. from Texas Southern University, Thurgood Marshall School of Law, a M.S. degree from Columbia University and two Bachelor of Science degrees from Tuskegee University. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the South Carolina Association for Justice (SCAJ) and the South Carolina Black Lawyers Association.
Traykova Hines pursues complex securities fraud class actions for institutional investors and individual shareholders who seek to recover losses caused by alleged corporate misconduct. She contributed to litigation and a proposed settlement reached in 2021 for Twitter shareholders. She also served as a Motley Rice summer clerk and as an honors legal intern for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) where she assisted with enforcement actions. She earned a J.D. and a B.S. degree from American University.
Davis protects the rights of individual shareholders and institutional investors by litigating complex securities fraud class actions, in addition to her work advocating for state and local governments that seek to advance public health and safety interests. Her recent work includes litigation against pharmaceutical drug manufacturers and distributors for the alleged deceptive marketing of highly addictive opioids. She also contributed to litigation and a proposed settlement reached for Twitter shareholders. Her prior work includes representing clients in family court and extensive paralegal experience at a personal injury law firm while completing her legal studies at Charleston School of Law.
Rublee litigates for consumers, unions, public pensions, and other institutional investors. She advances complex class actions that shine a light on alleged financial violations and corporate misconduct that negatively impact investors and consumers. Her litigation experience includes representing a class of patients who allege Cigna Health and Life Insurance Co. fraudulently inflated copayments and coinsurance by overcharging for medical services and products. She also represents more than a million tax return preparers who allege the IRS charged unauthorized user fees for the issuance and renewal of preparer tax identification numbers, Steele v. United States. Laura has served on additional litigation teams in class action suits filed against Medtronic, Inc., Sprint Nextel Corp., and Twitter, Inc. She earned a J.D. from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law, College of William & Mary and a B.A. from the University of Virginia.
Motley Rice LLC is one of the nation’s largest plaintiffs’ litigation firms. With a tradition of representing those whose rights have been violated, Motley Rice attorneys gained recognition for their pioneering asbestos lawsuits, their work with the State Attorneys General in the landmark litigation against Big Tobacco, and their representation of 9/11 families in the ongoing lawsuit against terrorist financiers.
The firm continues to handle complex litigation in numerous areas, including securities fraud; antitrust; consumer protection; mesothelioma; environmental contamination; prescription and over-the-counter drugs; medical devices; human rights; aviation disasters; and wrongful death. Motley Rice is headquartered in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., and has additional offices in Connecticut; Washington, D.C.; New Jersey; New York; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; and West Virginia. For more information, contact Motley Rice attorney Frederick C. Baker (NY, SC) at 1.800.768.4026 or visit www.motleyrice.com. Motley Rice LLC, a South Carolina Limited Liability Company, is engaged in the New Jersey practice of law through Motley Rice New Jersey LLC. Esther Berezofsky is the attorney responsible for New Jersey practice.
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