David J. Ko

David is a partner in the firm’s nationally recognized Complex Litigation Group, where he represents plaintiffs in a wide variety of cases involving corporate wrongdoing.

He has helped his clients—including government entities, retirement plans, institutional investors, and consumers—obtain multimillion-dollar recoveries against some of the largest corporations in the country. He has significant trial experience, having tried months-long trials in both federal and state court.

David has been at the center of the firm’s largest and most high-profile cases. He represents government entities all over the country in In re National Prescription Opiate Litigation, MDL 2804 (N.D. Ohio)—seeking to hold manufacturers, distributors, and dispensers responsible for creating and fueling the opioid epidemic—which has resulted in over $50 billion in settlements to date. He was also one of the primary attorneys in In re Facebook, Inc. Consumer Privacy User Profile Litigation, MDL 2843 (N.D. Cal.), a class action alleging Facebook discloses user information and data without consent that recently resolved for $725 million, the largest settlement to date of a U.S. privacy class action and the most Facebook has ever paid to resolve private litigation. David also helped lead the firm’s efforts in In re JUUL Labs, Inc. Marketing, Sales Practices, & Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2913 (N.D. Cal.), which resulted in nearly $2 billion in settlements from JUUL and Altria for their role in the youth vaping epidemic.

David served in a variety of leadership positions and committees in these MDLs, including most notably on the Expert Committee in each of these cases as one of the lead attorneys handling experts on causation and damage issues. David continues to serve in leadership roles in cases against the pharmaceutical industry, including in In re Insulin Pricing Litigation, MDL 3080 (D.N.J.) (Executive Committee), and In re Avandia Marketing, Sales Practices, & Products Liability Litigation, MDL 1871 (E.D.Pa.) (Expert Committee).

Prior to joining the firm, David clerked for the Honorable Ricardo S. Martinez, U.S. District Judge in the Western District of Washington. He is past President of the Korean American Bar Association of Washington, and a Fellow of the Washington Leadership Institute. While born in Seoul and extremely proud of his Korean heritage, David has spent most of his life in the Seattle area, where he currently lives with his wife and two young daughters and is an avid supporter of all Seattle sports teams.