Erica Rutner

Member

Boca Raton

(561) 245-6120

(561) 245-6209

Recent News:

Cozen O’Connor Adds Prominent Class Action Litigator Erica W. Rutner to its Litigation Department

Rutner, who frequently defends Fortune 500 enterprises and private businesses in bet-the-company consumer class action disputes — typically in federal courtrooms across the country — joins Cozen O’Connor as a shareholder and will work out of its Boca Raton, Fla., office.

With over 15 years of experience in high stakes commercial litigation, Erica focuses her practice primarily on the defense of consumer class actions. Erica has successfully managed and defended large scale class actions  in federal and state jurisdictions across the country, ranging from claims involving consumer protection and privacy, products liability, health care, and discrimination. Drawing on her extensive experience defending both publicly traded and private companies in numerous “bet the company" cases, Erica has gained a steadfast track-record of securing dismissals, defeating class certification, obtaining summary judgment, and negotiating highly favorable class settlements for her clients. Erica is also intimately familiar with strategies for litigating complex class actions in an efficient and economical manner, ensuring that clients benefit from both cost-effective and high quality representation. In addition, Erica proactively advises clients on long term risk mitigation strategies and works with companies to minimize future class action exposure. 

Erica regularly presents and publishes on key issues impacting the defense of  consumer class actions, including as to consumer standing, defect manifestation, ascertainability, and successive class action litigation. In addition, she serves as a co-chair of a subcommittee to the American Bar Association’s Mass Torts Committee and previously served on the executive editorial board of the Florida Bar Journal.

Erica earned her B.A., summa cum laude, from Columbia University and her J.D., summa cum laude, from the University of Miami School of Law, where she graduated Order of the Coif and was a member of the University of Miami Law Review.

News

Cozen O’Connor Adds Prominent Class Action Litigator Erica W. Rutner to its Litigation Department

May 12, 2025

Rutner, who frequently defends Fortune 500 enterprises and private businesses in bet-the-company consumer class action disputes — typically in federal courtrooms across the country — joins Cozen O’Connor as a shareholder and will work out of its Boca Raton, Fla., office.

Education

  • University of Miami School of Law, J.D., summa cum laude, 2009
  • Columbia University, B.A., summa cum laude, 2006

Awards & Honors

Florida Trend, Legal Elite, Notable Women Leaders in Law, 2023 & 2024

South Florida Legal Guide, Top Lawyers, 2021

South Florida Business & Wealth, Up and Comer, 2020

Daily Business Review, Profiles in Law, 2020

South Florida Legal Guide, Top Up and Comer, 2019

Daily Business Review, On the Rise, 2018

Florida Trend, Legal Elite Up and Comer, 2018

  • Florida
  • California
  • U.S. District Court -- Middle District of Florida
  • U.S. District Court -- Northern District of Florida
  • U.S. District Court -- Southern District of Florida
  • U.S. District Court -- Central District of California
  • U.S. District Court -- Southern District of California
  • U.S. District Court -- Northern District of California
  • U.S. District Court -- Eastern District of California
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

ABA Mass Torts Committee, Young Lawyers Division, Chair

Florida Bar Journal, Executive Editorial Board, former member

Broward County Bar Association

Florida Association for Women Lawyers