Demet Basar

Demet Basar has more than 30 years of experience handling complex class action lawsuits. She focuses on representing consumers in class actions that seek compensation for unfair and misleading practices, such as the marketing and selling defective products.  

Demet and her husband, John, reside in New York City and enjoy leisure time at their lake house in the mountains, accompanied by their dog, Levon.  

Demet enjoys traveling, reading, visiting galleries and museums, and taking walks around the many neighborhoods of New York City. 

Community Involvement

Demet has been involved in fundraising efforts in her community, including for organizations that provide resources to public housing residents to foster economic mobility and self-reliance. 

Education

Demet attended Fairleigh Dickson University, graduating summa cum laude. While in college, she was a member of the Phi Omega Epsilon honor society.  

She attended Rutgers University School of Law, earning her Juris Doctorate in 1990. She received West’s Scholarship Award in 1990 and was Senior Notes and Comments Editor for the Rutgers Law Review.  

Licenses

• New York (1992) 
• New Jersey (1990) 

Admissions

• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York 
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York 
• U.S. District Court, Western District of New York 
• U.S. District Court, New Jersey 
• U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois 
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin 
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit 
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit 
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit 
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit 

Education

• Rutgers University School of Law (J.D., 1990) 
• Farleigh Dickinson University (B.A., summa cum laude, 1984) 

Notable Cases

Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play Sleepers

Currently, Demet is sole lead counsel in In re: Rock ‘n Play Sleeper Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation, No. 1:19-mdl-2903 (W.D.N.Y), a multidistrict litigation (MDL) against Fisher-Price and its parent, Mattel, in which she represents 4.7 million parents and caregivers. The MDL arises from the marketing and sale of Fisher-Price’s popular inclined Rock ‘n Play Sleeper, in which numerous infants have died or were injured.    

Denso Fuel Pumps Litigations

Together with Dee Miles,  Demet was Court-appointed co-class counsel in Cheng v. Toyota Motor Corp. et al., No 1:20-cv-00629 (E.D.N.Y), which settled for $287 millionin economic relief to owners and lessees of 4.9 million Toyota/Lexus vehicles fitted with defective Denso fuel pumps. She also represents plaintiffs in other class actions involving Denso fuel pumps, including Cohen et al. v. Subaru et al., Case No.: 1:20-cv-08442-JHR-AMD (D.N.J.); Oliver et al. v. Honda Motor Corp., et al.; Case No.: 5:20-cv-00666-MHH (N.D. Al.);and Vance et al. v. Mazda Motor of America, Inc., et al.; Case No.: 8:21-cv-01890-CJC-KES (C.D. Ca.).  

ARC Airbag Inflators

She is also co-lead counsel in In re: ARC Airbag Inflators Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3051, Case No. 1:22-cv-03285-ELR (N.D. Ga.), an MDL against some of the biggest auto manufacturers in the country in connection with their marketing and sale of tens of millions of automobiles fitted with defective ARC airbag inflators that can explode and cause severe injury or death to drivers and passengers.   

Sienna Sliding Doors

While at her previous firm, Demet served as co-class counsel with Dee Miles in Simerlein et al. v. Toyota Motor Corporation et al., 3:17-CV-01021-VAB (D. Conn.). The class action resulted in a settlement providing quality class-wide relief valued at up to $40 million for the benefit of 1.3 million owners of Toyota Sienna minivans with sliding doors, including a ten-year warranty for covered parts, a free inspection and reimbursement for covered repairs.

Securities Fraud

Demet previously represented individual and institutional investors, including public and labor pension funds, in complex securities fraud class actions and derivative litigations in federal and state courts.  

As co-chair of her previous firm’s Madoff Recovery Litigation Task Force, Demet successfully represented investors in securities class actions against various “feeder funds” that entrusted client funds to the now infamous Ponzi scheme operated by Bernard L. Madoff, which collectively recovered over $300 million for wronged investors, including In re Tremont Securities Law, State Law and Insurance Litigation, No. 08-civ-11117 (TPG) (S.D.N.Y) and In re Beacon Associates Litigation, Master File No. 09 Civ. 0777 (LBS) (S.D.N.Y).   

Multidistrict Litigations

Demet has also served as lead counsel or in other leadership positions in several multi-district litigations, including in In re J.P. Morgan Chase Securities Litigation, MDL No. 1783 (N.D. Ill.), in which she secured “best practices” corporate governance reforms in a proxy violation class action against the major global bank, and in In re Mutual Fund Investment Litigation, MDL No. 1586 (D. Md.), which resulted in class and derivative settlements totaling over $300 million.