Cases
Experience: Complex Commercial
Business, Banking
Financial Services,
Shareholder Derivative, Securities,
Corporate Governance Litigation: Defended numerous corporate clients, banks,
financial institutions in a wide array of disputes involving commercial transactions, breaches of contract, business torts, fraud, deceptive
unfair trade practices, fiduciary relationships, mergers
acquisitions, banking, insurance, partnerships,
corporate governance.
First-chaired final hearing resulting in a favorable arbitral award for a global food processing
commodities trading corporation in an international arbitration against its former executives
consultants for breaching various confidentiality obligations.
Successfully resolved fraud-based
securities claims brought against a large financial institution accused of aiding
abetting a billion-dollar Ponzi scheme involving viaticated insurance policies,
administered the disbursement of tens of millions of dollars of escrowed funds on behalf of that financial institution in conjunction with an SEC Receivership.
Obtained dismissal of a lawsuit filed against a pharmaceutical company
its officers
directors by the company's minority shareholders seeking to, among other things, enjoin a proposed merger valued at hundreds of millions of dollars.
Represented minority shareholders of an international medical services corporation against the company's then chief executive officer
directors, challenging the election of the management slate of directors following a proxy fight.
Successfully defended an investment advising firm in suits brought by former clients alleging breaches of fiduciary duty, fraud,
negligence relating to investment portfolio recommendations
sales of private placement securities.
Represented a prominent nightclub impresario in connection with a partnership dispute concerning the failed development
operation of a high-end club in Miami Beach.
Successfully defended
obtained the dismissal of all claims against an individual employee
investor in a well-publicized partnership dispute in Virginia involving a co-working
real estate service company.
Class Action, Mass Tort,
Product Liability Litigation: Defended
obtained dismissal with prejudice of all claims against an HVAC manufacturer in a putative nationwide class action case based on allegations that the subject heating product is unreasonably dangerous, unfit for its intended use,
not compliant with applicable safety st
ards.
Obtained dismissal
ultimately favorably resolved claims against a building product manufacturer in a putative class action lawsuit brought by consumers
contractors involving, among others, claims of breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty of merchantability, breach of applicable state consumer protection statutes,
unjust enrichment.
Defended a national homebuilder in a putative class action asserting construction defect claims involving a planned community's drainage system
successfully compelled all claims to arbitration resulting in the ab
onment of the claims.
Successfully representing various homebuilders in putative class action lawsuits involving allegedly defective Chinese-manufactured drywall
led the Homebuilders Steering Committee in the multi-district litigation styled In Re Chinese Manufactured Drywall Product Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2047.
Defeated class certification
successfully resolved putative nationwide class action lawsuits filed against an air conditioning manufacturer throughout the United States based on allegations that the subject air conditioning units contained defective copper evaporator coils.
Obtained dismissal of various putative class action lawsuits against the former Miami City Manager brought on behalf of municipal employees alleging claims of, among others, breach of fiduciary duty
negligence.
Acted as lead counsel for a global medical device manufacturer
favorably resolved a breach of contract
product liability lawsuit against several hospitals.
Real Estate
Construction Litigation: Defended homebuilders, developers,
title companies in countless pre-suit claims, lawsuits,
arbitrations involving, among other things, allegations of alleged construction defects, condominium rescission claims, disputes over purchase
sale agreements, brokerage commissions, real estate development contracts,
numerous investor-group transactions.
Defended a national homebuilder
title company against various fraud-based claims asserted by the liquidating trustee of a defunct mortgage company
the receiver of a failed bank arising from the sales of certain single-family homes
condominium units.
Filed
successfully settled an arbitration claim on behalf of a developer arising from a series of l
banking agreements worth tens of millions of dollars.
Defended
successfully resolved a real estate investment trust in a multi-million dollar brokerage commission dispute brought by a commercial real estate firm arising from the REIT's acquisition of several industrial properties.
Successfully represented a global real estate asset manager in a multimillion-dollar partnership dispute concerning the management of a joint venture to develop
operate an apartment community in Central Florida.
Represented a developer in successfully resolving a partnership dispute concerning the proposed development of charter school in South Florida.
Successfully resolved claims on behalf of a homeowner in construction defect lawsuit involving the $30+ million renovation of a historic Miami Beach residence.
Internal Investigations, Regulatory
Enforcement Actions,
Compliance Reviews: Assisting a subsidiary of a Fortune 100 company with a comprehensive risk assessment
compliance program in connection with its international business.
Conducted various internal investigations for public
private companies in connection with, among other things, initial public offerings, IT security issues, accounting
financial reporting issues, allegations of mortgage fraud, construction defects, alleged health care fraud,
claims of serious personal injury
wrongful death.
Represented numerous public
private companies in sensitive federal, state
regulatory investigations
enforcement actions involving, among other things, alleged mortgage fraud, illegal campaign contributions, public corruption,
government contracts issues.
Pro Bono: Representing a private Christian school's Constitutional challenge to a state actor's viewpoint-based denial of the school's request to pray over the public-address system prior to a state championship football game.
Pursuing a Fair Housing Act complaint on behalf of an individual who was denied on the basis of religion equal access to the common areas of her condominium building to host a women's bible study group.
Filed an amicus brief on behalf of legendary college football coach Bobby Bowden in support of a cert petition brought by football coach, Joe Kennedy, in connection with his claim against the public school district that wrongfully fired him for taking a knee
praying silently on the field following games he coached.
Clerkships
Internships: Hon. Ricardo M. Urbina, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, 2003-2004
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, 2002
U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division, 2001
