Karl P. Barth

Karl represents investors seeking to protect assets and recover investment losses from companies engaged in securities and accounting wrongdoing. Prior to starting the Bellevue office of LM&B, Karl was a partner at another national firm specializing in securities class action litigation. Formerly, he was a Senior Consultant at a national financial consulting firm specializing in expert witness testimony on accounting and financial issues.

Karl has performed the preliminary investigation and drafted the initial complaint in numerous high-profile securities fraud cases that have won large recoveries for his clients against 12 companies such as Boeing, Einstein Noah Bagel Corp., Identix, Midcom Communications, Midisoft, Oppenheimer Delta Partners, Pepsi Puerto Rico Bottling Co., PriceCostco, Templeton Vietnam Opportunities Fund and Wall Data. These cases typically assert claims against the officers and directors of the corporate defendant, its outside auditors, and other responsible parties and involve sophisticated financial and accounting issues.

Karl has worked on the legal, financial and accounting aspects of numerous cases, including the following representative sample:

• In the Identix litigation, Karl had primary responsibility for his firm’s position as co-lead counsel in this securities fraud case that was filed in the Northern District of California. Karl researched the legal, accounting and factual aspects of the complaint, which included allegations that the Company falsified revenues in its financial statements in violation of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) and SEC regulations. The case settled for a large percentage of estimated losses, and the recovered money has been distributed to class members;

• In the Pepsi Puerto Rico Bottling case, Karl performed the initial analysis and drafted the initial complaint on behalf of an institutional investor acting as a class representative for all injured investors. The case involved allegations of fraudulent financial reporting, and was resolved on very favorable terms for the class;

• In Boston Chicken Securities Litigation, Karl uncovered Boston Chicken’s complex financial accounting and reporting structure and revealed massive fraud to shareholders and bondholders. Karl drafted and filed the first securities fraud complaint against the company, its’ officers, accountants and underwriters; and

• In the Morrison Knudsen Securities Litigation, Karl investigated the widespread accounting and auditing improprieties committed by MK and its independent auditor and prepared an amended complaint making detailed allegations of the accounting misconduct by the Company, and audit misconduct by its independent accountant. Shortly after this amended complaint was filed, the case settled for approximately $70 million, including a multimillion dollar settlement from the auditor, making it one of largest securities settlements in the history of the Pacific Northwest.

Karl graduated from Georgetown University Law Center, and from the University of Virginia with a B.S. in Accounting. Karl is a licensed Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Fraud Examiner. He is admitted to practice in various state and federal courts throughout the country.