Mason A. Barney is an experienced trial attorney who for over eighteen years has represented both individuals and corporations in complex litigations.  Having seen litigation from both sides, Mr. Barney now primarily applies his decades of experience to representing consumers and employees who have been wronged by the actions of large corporations.

Mr. Barney received his J.D., summa cum laude from Brooklyn Law School, in 2005, where he graduated second in his class of nearly 500 students, and received numerous academic honors, in addition to being an editor on the Brooklyn Law Review.  He then served as a law clerk to the Honorable Judge David G. Trager in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.  After clerking, he joined the litigation department at Latham & Watkins LLP, one of the largest, most well-regarded firms in the world, and later joined Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP a large established New York City law firm.  Before law school, Mr. Barney earned his B.A. from Bowdoin College, where he double majored in Computer Science and Studio Art, and after college he served as a lead database developer for three years at a successful Internet start-up in Washington D.C.

In recent years, Mr. Barney has focused his practice on class actions and representing individuals in complex litigations.  In this practice he has won tens of millions of dollars for his clients.  Among other matters, Mr. Barney has fought to stop companies from illegally spamming consumers with unwanted phone calls, has worked to stop companies from illegally obtaining their customers’ biometric information (e.g., facial scans and fingerprints), and obtained recovery for numerous victims of data breaches.

Mr. Barney has appeared in the New York Super Lawyers Rising Stars list, a Thomson Reuters lawyer rating service for lawyers under 40.  He was also recognized by the New York Legal Aid Society for his outstanding pro bono work representing indigent individuals in matters concerning prisoners’ rights, immigration, and special education.

In addition, Mr. Barney is an adjunct professor, having taught at the City University of New York, and at Brooklyn College, teaching a graduate level course on education law, and he has published numerous articles on a variety of legal topics.

Recent Representative Matters

• Obtained $25 million settlement in robo-call case against worlds largest satellite radio provider – Buchanan v. Sirius XM Radio, Inc., Case No. 3:17-cv-00728 (N.D. Tex.)
• Obtained $1.08 million settlement for a class of employees regarding the mismanagement and termination of an employee stock ownership plan – Kindle v. Dejana, No. 14-cv-06784 (E.D.N.Y.)
• Obtained $4.35 million for victims of a data breach that resulted in the theft of thousands of credit cards – In re: Herff Jones Data Breach Litigation, Case No. 1:21-cv-01329 (S.D. Ind.)
• Recovered more than $2 million for not-for-profit New York City hospital in disputes regarding payouts from a malpractice insurance merger
• Won reversal of decision at New York’s highest court on behalf of Bermuda company concerning motion to compel arbitration
• Obtained significant financial recovery for group of 10 nurses in Title VII religious discrimination case
• Successfully represented parent challenging admission requirement for California public school system.

Selected Legal Publications

• Article: The FBI vs. Apple: What Does the Law Actually Say?, Inc. Magazine (February 2016)
• Article: Is Forcing Apple to Bypass its Own Security Technology Unreasonably Burdensome?, Bloomberg BNA (February 2016).
• Article: RadioShack Bankruptcy Deal to Sell Customer Data is a Cautionary Tale for Companies, Advertising Law Blog (June 2015).
• Article: Georgetown’s Third Annual Cybersecurity Law Institute – A Recap of Informative Programming, eWhite House Watch (June 2015).
• Article: Legal Landscape for Cybersecurity Risk is Changing as Federal Government and SEC Take Action, Inside Counsel Magazine (May 2015).
• Article: Can Lawyers Be Compelled to Produce Data They Compile? An Emerging Front in the Trenches of e-Discovery Battles, Bloomberg BNA (May 2015).
• Client Alert: New DOJ and SEC Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Guide a Useful Company Resource (November 2012).
• Client Alert: Federal Court Endorses Computer-Assisted Review in e-Discovery (March 2012).
• Article: Tellabs v. Makor, One Year Later, Securities Law 360 (July 2008).
• Comment: Not as Bad as We Thought: The Legacy of Geier v. American Honda Motor Co.in Product Liability Actions, 70 Brooklyn L. Rev. 949 (Spring 2005).