Sports Arbitration and Litigation

• Lead trial counsel on behalf of the NCAA in a multi-week jury trial in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where the Court grant directed verdict at the close of plaintiffs’ evidence.
• Lead arbitration trial counsel in a number of confidential ownership and arbitration disputes for various NHL Clubs before the NHL Commissioner. Includes defeating challenges to contractual provisions compelling high-stakes, confidential disputes to arbitration.
• Lead counsel in confidential arbitration regarding termination of athletic sponsor agreement relating to doping allegations.
• National Coordinating Counsel and trial counsel for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for their nationwide portfolio of sports-related claims, with primary responsibility for expert deposition and trial strategy. Chris had an active role guiding the trial strategy in the first jury trial to go to verdict anywhere in the country on the theory that football causes long-term brain disease. After a four-week trial, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the NCAA and found the NCAA was not negligent.
• Lead counsel in defeating class certification in federal district court for non-party U.S. clubs in the National Hockey League MDL concussion litigation.
• Lead counsel for litigation matters for several professional sports franchises and the NCAA in a variety of concussion litigation matters.
• Lead counsel in contentious business dispute stemming from the termination of sports agency.
• Conducted internal investigations and best practice audits of major athletic programs at leading universities.
• Lead trial counsel in a lawsuit by the St. Louis Cardinals against their landlord with respect to various issues under their ballpark lease for one of their minor league teams.

Class & Mass Actions

• Defeated class certification of a putative class of plaintiffs seeking to certify a consumer fraud class action against a workplace solutions company in the Northern District of California.  Circle Click v. Regus Management Group LLC, 2016 U.S. Dist.
• Defeated novel Fair Credit Reporting Act (FRCA) and California consumer fraud class action alleging it was inaccurate for the servicer to report the plaintiff’s loan delinquencies due to their spouse’s bankruptcy discharge. Gray v. Ocwen,9th Circuit.
• Prevailed on appeal to the Eighth Circuit establishing law that defendants can demonstrate amount in controversy and create federal jurisdiction under the Class Action Fairness Act by providing evidence of the "pot" of money from which damages might be calculated. Raskas et al. v. Johnson & Johnson et al., 719 F.3d 884.  After reversal, the district court struck all class allegations and dismissed the false labeling claims.
• Secured dismissal with prejudice of Truth in Lending Act (TILA) class action in the Northern District of Illinois for a financial services client.  Kier v. Ocwen Loan Servicing, LLC, 122 F.Supp.3d 786.
• Defeated a consumer fraud class action filed against a financial services client at the summary judgment stage in state court.  Clepper v. Vinson Mortgage Services,.
• Obtained the first lone pine order in a toxic tort class action in the Eastern District of Missouri, which requires plaintiffs to make a basic, prima facie showing of the elements of their claim.  Altidor v. Mo. Metals, LLC, 2013 U.S. Dist.
• Defeated TCE/PCE (chlorinated solvents) plume class action and individual claims from old industrial facility.
• Defended multiple class and mass claims stemming from a plume of hydrocarbons from old refinery operations.
• Defended industrial and refinery clients in complex, confidential reallocation proceedings, and other cost recovery environmental claims, including CERCLA and Superfund cases.

Complex Business & International Disputes

• Obtained an injunction, within one week of filing a lawsuit, against a senior executive who misappropriated trade secrets and confidential information.
• Led the on-the-ground Foreign Corrupt Trade Practices investigation in Mexico for a major public company.
• Lead counsel in national and international distributor termination disputes.
• Guided a major company through an import/export dispute in Argentina.
• Defended claims of fraud against a financial institution seeking to enforce commercial guaranty in failed real estate development.
• Prevailed in complex trade secrets complaint involving proprietary automotive assembly line technology.
• Lead counsel in a breach of contract case involving a national franchise agreement.
• Lead counsel in international arbitration complex business dispute for industrial company.

Pro Bono

• Lead Appellate Counsel for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
• Won five federal trials under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.
• Obtained asylum for a victim of human sex trafficking on appeal to an Immigration Judge.
• Represented multiple refugees against abusive landlord.