Overview
RAY D. SULENTIC is a partner in the firm’s San Diego office where he litigates complex securities fraud, data privacy, and consumer fraud class actions. He also represents individuals in connection with the firm’s SEC, CFTC, and qui tam whistleblower practice areas.
Before joining GPM, Mr. Sulentic worked extensively with financial markets as an institutional investor. His investment experience includes serving as a special situations (merger arbitrage) analyst at UBS O’Connor LLC, a multi-billion-dollar hedge fund in Chicago; and as a sell-side equity and commodity analyst for Bear Stearns & Co. Inc. in New York. While at Bear Stearns, Mr. Sulentic’s investment analysis was featured in Barron’s.
Following his career on Wall Street, Mr. Sulentic practiced law at DLA Piper LLP in San Diego, where he worked on securities litigation and corporate governance matters, and represented public companies facing investigations or inquiries by the SEC.
Since joining GPM, Mr. Sulentic has helped his clients successfully obtain significant settlements, including in complex accounting and securities fraud matters.
Mr. Sulentic’s relevant legal experience includes:
- Represented lead plaintiffs in In re Eros International PLC Securities Litigation, 2:19-cv-14125-JMV-JSA (D.N.J.), a securities class action alleging violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ($25 million settlement).
- Represented lead plaintiffs in Shen v. Exela Technologies Inc. et al., 3:20-cv-00691 (N.D. Tex.), a securities class action alleging violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ($5 million settlement).
- Represented lead plaintiffs in In re Tintri Securities Litigation, Case No. 17-civ-04321, San Mateo Superior Court, a securities class action alleging violations of Securities Act of 1933. The parties have reached an agreement to settle the case for $7.0 million, subject to final court approval.
- Represented lead plaintiff in Ivan Baron v. HyreCar Inc. et al., 2:21-cv-06918-FWS-JC (C.D. Cal), a securities class action alleging violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Plaintiffs in HyreCar defeated Defendants’ motion to dismiss. The case is currently pending.
- Represented plaintiff in Valenzuela v. Hacopian Design & Development Group LLC et al., Case No. 37-2022-101113-CU-BT-CTL, San Diego Superior Court (Valenzuela*) a fraud, conversion, and RICO case. In Valenzuela, Mr. Sulentic argued and won many motions including a motion for summary judgment in his client’s favor on one cause of action; a motion denying one defendant leave to amend her answer; a motion deeming his client’s requests for admission admitted; and discovery sanctions against two defendants. Following a bench trial against one defendant, and a default judgment prove up hearing against two other defendants, the court in Valenzuela awarded Mr. Sulentic’s client a combined judgment of over $440,000, most of which was comprised of punitive damages on compensatory damages of just over $24,000.
*Valenzuela was a pro bono matter not litigated by GPM, but by Mr. Sulentic in his individual capacity.