Casey D. Laffey

Named to Crain’s New York Business’ roster of Notable Litigators and Trial Attorneys, Casey is a seasoned litigator and trial lawyer with extensive experience across commercial and financial services disputes. He handles high-value and complex disputes in both federal and state courts, as well as in complex arbitration proceedings, including cases exceeding $2 billion in exposure.

Casey has tried significant cases and arbitrations through verdict or award. He has extensive experience arguing complex trial court motions and appeals, as well as taking and defending complex depositions. He has initiated and defended various actions seeking injunctive and declaratory relief.

Casey’s practice spans a wide range of complex litigation, with particular focus on the following areas of law:

• Hedge Fund and Finance-Related Litigation: Casey has extensive experience representing hedge funds, private equity firms, liquidators of failed hedge funds, banks, and receivers of failed banks in various types of finance and investment-related litigation, including disputes concerning deposit accounts, investment redemptions, valuation, administration, and auditing practices, and overall fund and bank management. In doing so, Casey has managed court litigation and arbitrations seeking damages in excess of $2 billion. Casey is also currently representing the receiver of the second largest bank to fail in U.S. history, both with respect to chapter 11 bankruptcy and litigation issues, as well as other significant bank receiverships and hedge fund liquidation estates.
• Sports and Entertainment Disputes: Casey has extensive experience representing clients in the sports and entertainment industry. In addition to counseling several sports and entertainment clients and managers on day-to-day litigation and transactional issues, Casey has represented an international pop star in a large litigation adverse to her former business managers, another international musician in two large litigations adverse to her former manager and former assistant, a high-profile athlete in a complex dispute adverse to a professional sports organization, two Hollywood producers in contract- and real estate-related litigation, several boxing promoters in both litigation and arbitration arising out of high-profile boxing events, and a large music production company in disputes relating to large electronic dance music festivals. Casey has also represented talent and talent management in federal and state court litigation and arbitration hearings, as well as outside of court in the resolution of private and sensitive matters. In doing so, Casey has honed an approach to aggressively pursue litigation or dispute resolutions in a way that still protects the privacy interests of celebrity clients or talent management, who are often subject to media scrutiny.
• Real Estate and Commercial Lending Disputes: Casey has extensive experience handling litigation concerning real estate projects, buildings, and cooperatives. He has represented property owners, developers, commercial landlords, large commercial tenants, and cooperative shareholders in various disputes in state and federal courts, as well as before zoning and regulatory bodies. On the real estate lending side, Casey also has extensive experience commencing actions on behalf of lenders seeking to enforce debts arising from commercial obligations, including the commencement of expedited proceedings to enforce promissory notes, guarantees, and other commercial contracts. In doing so, Casey has briefed and argued numerous motions and appeals seeking provisional remedies such as preliminary injunctions, orders of attachment, and orders of seizure of collateral and has enforced judgments against debtors in multiple states and countries around the world.
• Class Action Defense: Casey has extensive experience defending putative class actions. Casey represents numerous banks, financial institutions, debt collectors, and energy service providers in defense of putative and certified class actions and has consistently defeated multimillion-dollar class actions, often before the class certification stage. In doing so, Casey has developed a strong familiarity with class action procedures, federal and state certification guidelines, and other procedural rules particular to class actions. Casey has even argued appeals before United States Circuit Courts and submitted amicus submissions to the United States Supreme Court relating to class certification and mootness issues.
• Complex Arbitration: Casey has extensive experience handling complex arbitration proceedings in all types of areas of law, including finance, music, sports, brand licensing, accounting, valuation, professional liability, and telecommunications disputes, and in various arbitral forums, including JAMS, AAA, ICDR, ICC, CPR, and FINRA. He has unique experience in both neutral and non-neutral arbitration proceedings, with seeking emergency and injunctive relief in aid of, or during, arbitration proceedings and with enforcement of arbitration awards globally. Casey has successfully tried numerous arbitration hearings through award, including obtaining full defense awards in arbitrations seeking damages up to, and in excess of, $200 million.
• Brand Licensing Disputes: Casey has extensive experience representing companies in licensing and other disputes concerning branded products licensed to third parties. This includes disputes in state and federal courts, as well as in arbitration, and in various industry groups such as toy brands, clothing brands, and jewelry brands. Casey’s experience in this area includes managing licensing disputes with licensees and guarantors, with litigation and arbitration components in multiple jurisdictions across not only the United States but also Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. He brings this experience to bear as a member of the firm’s global Retail & Consumer Goods group.
• Employment Disputes: Casey has extensive experience representing management in complex employment disputes, including litigation and arbitrations concerning the validity of terminations for cause, the enforcement of non-compete, non-solicitation, and confidentiality agreements, and executive compensation disputes. In doing so, Casey has regularly sought and obtained injunctive and other relief seeking to enforce non-solicitation agreements, non-competition agreements, confidentiality agreements, and other restrictive covenants.
• Accounting Malpractice: Casey has extensive experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants in accounting and auditing malpractice actions. For example, Casey has represented clients in several high-profile malpractice actions concerning the rendering of business management and tax-related services and is generally familiar with many of the rules governing certified public accountants and auditors.
• Telecommunications: Casey has handled various types of telecommunications disputes in New York and New Jersey state and federal courts, as well as in arbitration proceedings. Casey has successfully tried cases through verdict in the prepaid calling card and wireless telecom and spectrum industries.