Ashley F.Heintz

Partner

Atlanta + 1.404.581.8978

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Ashley Heintz concentrates her practice on securities litigation, shareholder disputes, and corporate governance matters. She has significant experience handling securities fraud class actions, shareholder derivative cases, SEC investigations and inquiries, and internal investigations relating to shareholder demands, whistleblower complaints, and corporate compliance. She regularly counsels boards of directors and senior management in connection with governmental and internal investigations as well as ESG (environmental, social, and governance), shareholder activism, and other governance-related issues.

Ashley was named one of the top seven securities litigators in the country under 40 years old by Law 360 in 2021. Significant matters in which she has played a major role include defending: Jarden in the highly publicized appraisal dispute in Delaware Chancery Court (In re Appraisal of Jarden Corporation); The Southern Company and certain of its officers in securities litigation; Flowers Foods and certain of its officers and directors in securities and derivative litigation; and Rayonier Inc. in securities litigation.

Ashley currently serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Georgia School of Law, where she teaches Securities Litigation & Enforcement. She serves as a member of the Advisory Committee of the Women in Securities Litigation Network. Ashley is also active in the Atlanta community, where she is a member of the board of directors of the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation and the Zoo Atlanta Leadership Council. Ashley is a graduate of the LEAD Atlanta Class of 2018.

Experience

  • Asbury Automotive Group acquires Larry H. Miller Dealerships and Total Care Auto for $3.2 billionJones Day advised Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE: ABG), one of the largest automotive retail and service companies in the U.S., in its acquisition of Larry H. Miller Dealerships, and Total Care Auto, Powered by Landcar for $3.2 billion.
  • Brookdale Senior Living and certain of its officers successfully defend against claims in securities class actionJones Day successfully defended Brookdale Senior Living Inc. and certain of its officers in securities class action litigation in which plaintiffs alleged misstatements regarding the company's staffing practices and regulatory compliance.
  • AeroGrow defends against litigation arising from its acquisition by its majority stockholderJones Day is representing AeroGrow International, Inc., its directors, and its majority stockholder and corporate affiliates in a putative stockholder class action arising from AeroGrow's acquisition by its majority stockholder.
  • Jarden defeats appraisal lawsuits filed by investment fundsJones Day successfully represented Newell Brands subsidiary, Jarden Corporation, in connection with appraisal lawsuits filed by more than 15 separate investment funds (which collectively owned more than $630 million worth of Jarden shares) seeking a judicial appraisal of their former shares in Jarden
  • Flowers Foods resolves putative securities class actionsJones Day represented Flowers Foods, Inc. in two putative securities fraud class actions filed against Flowers and certain officers and directors.
  • The Southern Company defends putative securities class action alleging violations of Section 10(b)Jones Day is representing The Southern Company and its directors and certain of its current and former officers in connection with a putative class action alleging, among other things, violations of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
  • HD Supply defeats appeal of Delaware lawsuit related to the sale of its Power Solutions business unitJones Day successfully defended HD Supply Holdings, Inc. in a putative class action brought in Delaware concerning the interpretation and administration of HD Supply's Omnibus Incentive Plan following the sale of HD Supply's Power Solutions business unit.
  • Newell Brands enters into settlement agreement with Starboard Value that ended Newell's ongoing proxy contest with StarboardJones Day advised Newell Brands Inc. in its entry into a settlement agreement with activist shareholder Starboard Value LP that ended Newell’s ongoing proxy contest with Starboard.
  • HD Supply defeats petition for leave to appeal lawsuit related to sale of its Power Solutions business unitJones Day successfully defended HD Supply Holdings, Inc. in a putative class action brought in Illinois concerning the interpretation and administration of HD Supply's Omnibus Incentive Plan following the sale of HD Supply's Power Solutions business unit.
  • Rayonier resolves lawsuit involving claimed misrepresentations regarding sustainabilityJones Day client Rayonier Inc. resolved a class action lawsuit in which plaintiffs alleged that Rayonier, a publicly-traded timber real estate investment trust, violated Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 by misrepresenting the sustainability of its timber harvesting practices and overstating its merchantable timber inventory.
  • Special Litigation Committee of the Board of Directors of CoreCivic defends series of shareholder derivative actionsJones Day is representing the Special Litigation Committee of the Board of Directors of CoreCivic, a private prison operator, in a series of shareholder derivative actions that have been filed in state and federal court in Tennessee.
  • The Southern Company acquires AGL Resources for $12 billionJones Day advised The Southern Company (NYSE: SO) in connection with the acquisition and related financing of AGL Resources (NYSE: GAS) in a cash transaction with an enterprise value of approximately $12 billion, including total equity value of approximately $8 billion.
  • Jones Day attorneys win jurisdictional maximum damages at trial for pro bono clients who endured series of devastating floodsFour Jones Day attorneys Ashley Heintz, Walt Davis, Laura Bunten, and Will Rooks volunteered to represent a mother and son, Bobbie and Tony Gamble, in a failure to repair and negligence case against two defendants—their former apartment complex’s owner and property manager.
  • Jones Day secures guardianship for unaccompanied minor from GuatemalaJones Day recently represented the older sister of a 17-year old girl who had emigrated from Guatemala to the United States fleeing hardship and violence.
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    June 2023 Alert

    CFTC Staff Advisory Warns That SEF Prime Brokerage Arrangements Might Require DCO Registration

    APRIL 2023 Commentary

    CFTC Goes Beyond the Law to Pursue Nonexistent "Markets"

    March 2023 White Paper

    Your Company Has Been Sued for Securities Fraud—Now What?

    January 2023 White Paper

    SEC Enforcement in Financial Reporting and Disclosure: 2022 Year-End Update

    August 2022 White Paper

    SEC Enforcement in Financial Reporting and Disclosure: Summer 2022 Update

    September 2021 White Paper

    SEC Enforcement in Financial Reporting and Disclosure: Summer 2021 Update

    June 2021 Alert

    U.S. Supreme Court Clarifies the Permissible Evidence and Burdens at Class Certification in Securities-Fraud Cases

    July/August 2020 External Publications

    Delaware Supreme Court Upholds Unaffected Market Price in Statutory Appraisal Action, The M&A Lawyer, Volume 24, Issue 7

    July 2020 Commentary

    Delaware Supreme Court Upholds Unaffected Market Price in Statutory Appraisal Action

    October 2019 Commentary

    Delaware Chancery Court Addresses Directors’ Duty to Monitor Mission-Critical Regulatory Compliance
    View All

    Speaking Engagements

    • October 25, 2018
      Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Update: Understand New Rules, Standards, and Disclosure Requirements, Lorman Education Services
    • November 3, 2016
      The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure a Year Later: The Latest Decisions and Other Developments, Celesq AttorneysEd Center

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