William Stephen Norton

Bill Norton litigates securities fraud, corporate governance, False Claims Act, SEC whistleblower and other complex class action, consumer, and commercial matters.

Bill has represented institutional and individual investors in securities fraud and shareholders actions before federal, state, and appellate courts throughout the country. He has also represented whistleblowers before the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission through the Dodd-Frank Whistleblower Program and qui tam relators in actions under the False Claims Act.

Securities Fraud Litigation

Bill represents institutional investors as a member of the lead counsel teams in litigation involving Amazon.com, Inc., Discover Financial Services, Fluence Energy Inc., Globe Life Inc., Seagate Technology Holdings plc, and Shoals Technologies, Inc. His previous securities fraud matters include:

•In re SCANA Corporation Securities Litigation ($192.5 million recovery as Liaison Counsel*)
•Bennett v. Sprint Nextel Corp. ($131 million recovery*)
•Boston Retirement System v. Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ($125 million recovery*)
•In re Qualcomm Inc. Securities Litigation ($75 million recovery*)
•City of Brockton Retirement System v. Avon Products, Inc. ($62 million recovery*)
•Hill v. State Street Corporation ($60 million recovery*)
•City of Sterling Heights General Employees’ Retirement System v. Hospira, Inc. ($60 million recovery*)
•In re Hewlett-Packard Company Securities Litigation ($57 million recovery*)
•In re Medtronic, Inc. Securities Litigation ($43 million recovery*)
•Hatamian v. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. ($29.5 million recovery*)
•Ross v. Career Education Corporation ($27.5 million recovery*)

Shareholder Derivative Litigation

Bill has also represented investors in shareholder derivative actions. He currently represents clients in derivative litigation involving Meta Platforms, Inc. and Wells Fargo & Company. His previous shareholder derivative matters include:

•Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust v. Gemunder ($16.7 million payment and significant corporate governance reforms*)
•In re Walgreen Co. Derivative Litigation (corporate governance reforms concerning compliance with Controlled Substances Act*)

Merger and Acquisition Litigation

Bill has represented institutional shareholders in corporate M&A litigation, including:

•In re Allion Healthcare, Inc. Shareholders Litigation ($4 million payment to shareholders*)
•In re RehabCare Group, Inc., Shareholders Litigation ($2.5 million payment, modification of merger agreement, and additional disclosures to shareholders*)
•In re Atheros Communications Shareholder Litigation (preliminary injunction delaying shareholder vote and requiring additional disclosures to shareholders in $3.1 billion merger*)
•Maric Capital Master Fund, Ltd. v. PLATO Learning, Inc. (preliminary injunction requiring additional disclosures to shareholders in $143 million private-equity buyout*)

Other Commercial, Consumer Fraud, and Whistleblower Matters

Bill has represented clients in a variety of commercial, consumer fraud, and whistleblower matters, including:

•Satellite retailers in class action against EchoStar Corporation ($83 million recovery*)
•Municipal bondholders in class action concerning alleged Ponzi scheme ($7.8 million recovery*)
•A qui tam whistleblower in appeal, resulting in reinstatement of claim for employment retaliation*
•Consumers in class action against DirecTV regarding early cancellation fees
•German bank in litigation concerning collateralized debt obligations
•Investors in actions concerning variable life insurance policies funneled to the Madoff Ponzi scheme

Before joining Motley Rice, Bill practiced securities and commercial litigation in the New York office of an international law firm. In law school, Bill served as an Editor of the Boston University Law Review and was a G. Joseph Tauro Distinguished Scholar. He worked as a law clerk in the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, represented asylum seekers at Greater Boston Legal Services, and studied law at the University of Oxford. Before law school, Bill worked for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina and volunteered with the Neighborhood Legal Assistance Program of Charleston. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of South Carolina Honors College. Bill is recognized as an AV -rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell.

Securities Fraud Litigation

Bill represents institutional investors as a member of the lead counsel teams in litigation involving Amazon.com, Inc., Discover Financial Services, Fluence Energy Inc., Globe Life Inc., Seagate Technology Holdings plc, Shoals Technologies, Inc., and Sotera Health Company. His previous securities fraud matters include:

•In re SCANA Corporation Securities Litigation ($192.5 million recovery as Liaison Counsel*)
•Bennett v. Sprint Nextel Corp. ($131 million recovery*)
•Boston Retirement System v. Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ($125 million recovery*)
•In re Qualcomm Inc. Securities Litigation ($75 million recovery*)
•City of Brockton Retirement System v. Avon Products, Inc. ($62 million recovery*)
•Hill v. State Street Corporation ($60 million recovery*)
•City of Sterling Heights General Employees’ Retirement System v. Hospira, Inc. ($60 million recovery*)
•In re Hewlett-Packard Company Securities Litigation ($57 million recovery*)
•In re Medtronic, Inc. Securities Litigation ($43 million recovery*)
•Hatamian v. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. ($29.5 million recovery*)
•Ross v. Career Education Corporation ($27.5 million recovery*)

Shareholder Derivative Litigation

Bill has also represented investors in shareholder derivative actions. He currently represents clients in derivative litigation involving Meta Platforms, Inc. and Wells Fargo & Company. His previous shareholder derivative matters include:

•Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust v. Gemunder ($16.7 million payment and significant corporate governance reforms*)
•In re Walgreen Co. Derivative Litigation (corporate governance reforms concerning compliance with Controlled Substances Act*)

Merger and Acquisition Litigation

Bill has represented institutional shareholders in corporate M&A litigation, including:

•In re Allion Healthcare, Inc. Shareholders Litigation ($4 million payment to shareholders*)
•In re RehabCare Group, Inc., Shareholders Litigation ($2.5 million payment, modification of merger agreement, and additional disclosures to shareholders*)
•In re Atheros Communications Shareholder Litigation (preliminary injunction delaying shareholder vote and requiring additional disclosures to shareholders in $3.1 billion merger*)
•Maric Capital Master Fund, Ltd. v. PLATO Learning, Inc. (preliminary injunction requiring additional disclosures to shareholders in $143 million private-equity buyout*)

Other Commercial, Consumer Fraud, and Whistleblower Matters

Bill has represented clients in a variety of commercial, consumer fraud, and whistleblower matters, including:

•Satellite retailers in class action against EchoStar Corporation ($83 million recovery*)
•Municipal bondholders in class action concerning alleged Ponzi scheme ($7.8 million recovery*)
•A qui tam whistleblower in appeal, resulting in reinstatement of claim for employment retaliation*
•Consumers in class action against DirecTV regarding early cancellation fees
•German bank in litigation concerning collateralized debt obligations
•Investors in actions concerning variable life insurance policies funneled to the Madoff Ponzi scheme

Before joining Motley Rice, Bill practiced securities and commercial litigation in the New York office of an international law firm. In law school, Bill served as an Editor of the Boston University Law Review and was a G. Joseph Tauro Distinguished Scholar. He worked as a law clerk in the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, represented asylum seekers at Greater Boston Legal Services, and studied law at the University of Oxford. Before law school, Bill worked for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina and volunteered with the Neighborhood Legal Assistance Program of Charleston. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of South Carolina Honors College. Bill is recognized as an AV -rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell .

Awards, Accolades & Recognitions

Super Lawyers

2013-2019 South Carolina Super Lawyers Rising Stars list
Securities litigation; Class action/mass torts: plaintiff; General litigation

Lawdragon

2019 Lawdragon 500 Plaintiff Financial Lawyers

Blog Posts

May 19, 2020

Whistleblowers are on the front lines of America’s COVID-19 pandemic Causes, Not Just Cases

by: William S. Norton

November 27, 2017

Supreme Court to Hear Whether Dodd-Frank Protects Internal Whistleblowers from Employer Retaliation Causes, Not Just Cases

by: William S. Norton

May 23, 2016

Latest Awards Signal SEC’s Commitment to Whistleblowers Causes, Not Just Cases

by: William S. Norton

News

May 15, 2026

Federal Court Approves $110 Million Wells Fargo Shareholder Derivative Settlement

by: Motley Rice

January 27, 2026

Preliminary Approval of $110 Million Settlement in In re Wells Fargo & Company Hiring Practices Derivative Litigation

by: Motley Rice