Picture of Irwin B. Levin

Irwin B. Levin

Managing Partner
ilevin@cohenandmalad.com
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Phone: 317.636.6481
Fax: 317.636.2593

One Indiana Square
Suite 1400
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204

Irwin is the managing partner of Cohen & Malad, LLP. He has practiced with the firm since 1978. While his practice is concentrated in the areas of commercial litigation and class actions, Irwin was one of the lead counsel in the Indianapolis Ramada Inn/United States Air Force crash and the Greenwood air crash disaster, among other prominent cases. He has been counsel in class actions involving securities fraud, insurance and consumer protection throughout the United States, and has actively litigated in the drug litigation arena.

Recently, Irwin has acted as Co-Lead Counsel in antitrust litigation against the concrete industry in central Indiana, resulting in a certified class and $53 million in settlements. He was also selected by the Indiana Department of Insurance to represent it in claims against those responsible for the demise of the Indiana Construction Industry Trust. Through settlements and trial, the litigation collected over $24 million, exceeding the $18 million of claims. The case included an $17.99 million jury verdict, affirmed on appeal, in a legal malpractice action against the Trust's lawyers and a $16.5 million settlement of the bad faith claim against the lawyers' insurance carrier.

In 1996, Irwin became active in the first class action case to be filed in the United States against Swiss Banks on behalf of Holocaust survivors. He and other lawyers from Cohen and Malad took a hands-on role into both the factual investigation of archived materials stored in the U.S. National Archives and the legal work before the Court. In 1997, the Swiss Bank litigation was consolidated before a U.S. District Court judge, who appointed an executive committee composed of 10 lawyers from around the nation to manage the litigation. Irwin was one of the ten chosen. On this committee, he continued to play a significant role in the litigation, researching many of the unusual legal issues presented by this unique litigation and preparing briefs submitted to the Court. Irwin also played a significant role in the lengthy negotiations that culminated in the $1.25 billion settlement presented to the Court. Through his expertise in class action litigation, and the settlement of such complex cases, he also has been able to provide valuable insights into the unprecedented task of notifying Holocaust survivors around the world of this historic settlement.

Irwin also participated in numerous other Holocaust-related cases against German banks and corporations that stole the assets and labor of Holocaust victims. Cases against German banks seek to recover the assets of Holocaust victims that were confiscated under the Nazis; cases pending against leading German industrial enterprises - many of which are household names today - seek to recover the value of the slave labor that those companies extracted from the bodies of concentration camp inmates.

In addition to these cases, Mr. Levin also prosecuted a class action lawsuit filed against Bayer AG brought by an Indiana resident who was subjected to medical experiments at the hands of the infamous Joseph Mengele involving chemicals supplied by Bayer and other German pharmaceutical companies.

Irwin provides information regarding Holocaust-related litigation in this video.

Irwin's practice includes the following areas of law:

  • Class Action
  • Commercial Litigation

Education

J.D., Indiana University School of Law, Indianapolis, 1978

B.A., Political Science, Indiana University, Indianapolis, 1974
Honors: Cum laude

Bar Admissions

Indiana, 1978
United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, 1978
United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, 2001
United Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, 1981

Professional Associations & Memberships

Board of Directors of the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee, Member

Federal Bar Association

Seventh Circuit Bar Association

Indiana State Bar Association

Indianapolis Bar Association

Indiana Trial Lawyers Association

American Association for Justice

Israel Bonds, 1996 - 1998, Indianapolis Chairman

Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis, 1996 - 2000, Board Member, 2006 - present, Vice President

American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Indiana Chair, AIPAC National Council

Lectures & Seminars Taught

Multiple seminars and presentations on:

  • Complex Litigation
  • Class Action Litigation
  • Commercial Litigation

Honors & Awards

Indiana Super Lawyer, Thomson Reuters 2004-2013 voted Top 10 ranking 2008-2012, voted Top 50 ranking 2013

Hoosier Freedom Award, Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, 1998

Chambers USA: Class Action Litigation, Band 1

Indiana Local Litigation Star, Benchmark Plaintiffs-- 2013 Class Action Litigation

Distinguished Alumni Award, Indiana University School of Law, 2002

   

Representative Cases

In re: Iowa Ready-Mix Concrete Antitrust Litigation (N.D. Iowa 2011)

In re: Ready-Mix Concrete Antitrust Litigation (S.D. Ind. 2009)

Dennerline v Atterholt, 886 N.E.2d 582 (Ind. App. 2008)

Allgood v. Meridian Sec. Ins. Co., 812 N.E.2d 1065 (Ind. App. 2004)

Time-Warner Entertainment Co., L.P. v. Whiteman (Ind. 2004)

Associated Medical Networks, Ltd. v. Lewis (Ind. App. 2003)

Core Funding Group, LLC v. Young (Ind. App. 2003)

In re: Austrian, German Holocaust Litigation (C.A.2 N.Y., 2001)

In re: Nazi Era Cases Against German Defendants Litigation (D.N.J. 2000)

Winter v. Assicurazioni (S.D.N.Y. 2000)

In re: Holocaust Victim Assets Litigation (E.D.N.Y. 2000)

Shelton v. Wick, 715 N.E.2d 890 (Ind. App. 1999)

Burger-Fischer v. DeGussa Ag., 65 F.Supp. 2d 248 (D.N.J. 1999)

Stransky v. Cummins Engine Co., Inc. (Fed. Sec. L.Rep., P.98, 668), 51 F.3d 1329, 63 USLW 2656 (C.A.7 1995)

American Cyanamid v. Stephen, 623 N.E.2d 1065 (Ind. App. 1993)

Gregory v. Home Insurance Co., 876 F.2d 602, Rico Bus. Disp. Guide 7231 (C.A.7 1989)

Prior results do not guarantee future outcomes. Case results vary dramatically depending on specific facts and circumstances.

Past Employment

Marion County Circuit Court, Judge Pro Tempore, 1979

Marion County Circuit Court, Master Commissioner, 1978