Claire C. Cecchi

Claire Cecchi
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
Incumbent
Assumed office June 14, 2011
Appointed by	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Joseph A. Greenaway Jr.
Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
In office 2006 – June 14, 2011
Personal details
Born	Claire Claudia Chadirjian (1964-01-18) January 18, 1964 Queens, New York, U.S.
Education	Barnard College (BA) Fordham University (JD)

Claire Claudia Cecchi (née Chadirjian; born January 18, 1964) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey sitting in Newark, New Jersey. She joined the court as a United States magistrate judge in 2006.

Early life and education

Born in Queens, Cecchi graduated from the Bronx High School of Science in 1982. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Barnard College in 1986 and a Juris Doctor from the Fordham University School of Law in 1989.

Career

Following graduation from law school, Cecchi worked in the New York City Law Department, where she handled litigation matters. She was an associate at Robinson, St. John & Wayne from 1992 to 1996 and its successor firm, Robinson, Lapidus & Livelli in 1996. From 1997 to 2001, Cecchi was an associate at the firm of Carpenter, Bennett & Morrissey and a partner from 2001 to 2004. Between 2005 and 2006, she worked as a partner at McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, LLP. Cecchi is a fellow of the American Bar Association, a director to the Historical Society of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, and a master of the William J. Brennan, Jr./Arthur T. Vanderbilt American Inn of Court.

Federal judicial service

On the recommendation of Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, Cecchi was nominated to the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey by President Barack Obama on December 1, 2010, to a seat vacated by Joseph A. Greenaway Jr., who was elevated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on February 24, 2010. On June 14, 2011, the United States Senate confirmed Cecchi by a 98–0 vote. She received her commission on the same day.

Personal life

Cecchi met her husband, James Cecchi, in law school. James is a partner at Carella, Byrne, Cecchi, Brody & Agnello in Roseland, New Jersey where he specializes in class action lawsuits and founded and directs the firm's class action practice. Some notable cases in which James has been involved with include: Volkswagen "Clean Diesel" Litigation where Cecchi was appointed to the Steering Committee concerning Volkswagen's use of defeat devices to cheat U.S. emissions regulations. This case led to a settlement exceeding $15 billion; Takata Airbag Litigation, where Cecchi served on the Steering Committee, securing a $1.5 billion settlement for claims arising from defective airbags. This case continues against some defendants; American Medical Collection Agency Data Breach, where Cecchi was lead counsel addressing significant data breach involving medical records; Vytorin/Zetia Litigation, where Cecchi was co-lead counsel in a case relating to the marketing and sale of anti-cholesterol drugs, resulting in a $41.5 million settlement in consumer cases and a $688 million settlement in securities cases; Liquid Aluminum Sulfate Antitrust Litigation, where Cecchi led a case in which companies were accused of price-fixing for water treatment chemicals, securing over $100 million in settlements; National Prescription Opioid Litigation, where Mr. Cecchi was appointed to Plaintiffs' Executive Committee relating to marketing of opioid drugs. He was the sole negotiator between the State of New Jersey and its subdivisions regarding the allocation of settlement funds from the nation's largest drug distributors and Janssen Pharmaceutical, ultimately achieving a 50% allocation (more than $300 million) to the subdivisions; Mercedes-Benz Emissions Litigation, where Mr. Cecchi was appointed as Interim Co-Lead Counsel for Plaintiffs and the Proposed Class in a case arising out of the alleged use of a defeat device to evade U.S. emissions regulations. The settlement with value in excess of $700 million granted final approval. Judge Cecchi's husband James continues to be among the most successful class action attorneys in the country. Together, they have one son, James Jr.

External links

• Claire C. Cecchi at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• Claire C. Cecchi at Ballotpedia