Jennifer Marietta-Westberg is the head of Cornerstone Research’s Washington, DC, office. She also coheads the firm’s corporate and government investigations practice.
Dr. Marietta-Westberg consults on economic and financial issues arising in litigation and regulatory investigations in financial markets. She addresses allegations related to financial reporting, asset management, trading, private equity, and mergers and acquisitions (M&A).
Expert witness testimony and consulting expertise
An experienced expert witness, Dr. Marietta-Westberg has testified on matters related to Rule 10b-5/Section 11 securities class actions, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), general damages, valuation, alleged insider trading, alleged Ponzi schemes, spoofing, and corporate governance. Her work includes:
- Addressing class certification, loss causation, and damages issues and testifying at trial in In re Vaxart Inc. Securities Litigation, a rare securities class action trial, in which the judge returned a positive verdict for our client
- Analyzing alleged securities fraud claims in In re Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. Securities Litigation, in which the Southern District of New York (SDNY) granted the defendants’ motion for summary judgment in its entirety, after previously denying class certification
- Opining on valuation and damages estimates in De Jaray et al. v. Lattice Semiconductor Corp., in which the jury found for the defense and denied all the plaintiffs’ claims
- Evaluating economic analyses in a civil enforcement action brought by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) focused on alleged spoofing in crude oil and natural gas futures markets; the CFTC agreed to dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice
- Analyzing plaintiffs’ damages claims and opposing expert opinions regarding incentive compensation in The Hertz Corporation et al. v. Frissora et al., in which the court granted summary judgment to the defense
As a senior consultant, Dr. Marietta-Westberg leads large teams to support academic and industry experts at all stages of litigation. She has worked on matters in U.S. state and federal courts, including the Delaware Court of Chancery and the SDNY.
Dr. Marietta-Westberg supported multiple experts in the first insider trading claim litigated to trial in the Delaware Chancery Court, in which Chancellor found for the defendant.
Regulatory enforcement and leadership at the SEC
Dr. Marietta-Westberg supports respondents in enforcement actions involving the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
Dr. Marietta-Westberg worked for ten years at the SEC, in several capacities. She served as the deputy chief economist and deputy director of the Division of Economic and Risk Analysis (DERA). In these roles, she led DERA’s economic analysis in support of Commission policy and rulemaking in the areas of asset management, broker-dealers, credit rating agencies, market microstructure, and related international initiatives.
Dr. Marietta-Westberg has chaired the Investor Advisory Committee of the SEC, which offers guidance to the Commission on regulatory priorities and initiatives to support the integrity of the securities marketplace. She also served on the board of directors at the Institute for Law and Economics at the University of Pennsylvania.
Academic impact and honors for consulting excellence
Before joining the SEC, Dr. Marietta-Westberg was an assistant professor at Michigan State University, where she taught investments and statistics to undergraduates, M.B.A. students, and executives. Her research has been published in the Journal of Accounting and Economics, the Journal of Corporate Finance, and European Financial Management.
Consulting Magazine named Dr. Marietta-Westberg to its 2025 list of Women Leaders in Consulting, recognizing her for Excellence in Client Service. In addition, Women We Admire named her to its 2022 list of exceptional women leaders in Washington, DC.
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