Christopher E. Duffy

Partner
New York City

t: 212 446 2366
f: 212 446 2350

cduffy@bsfllp.com

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Areas of Practice

Litigation

Investigations / Corporate Governance

Sports Law

Education

Columbia Law School, J.D., 2001; Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar; Senior Editor, Columbia Law Review

University of Virginia, B.A., English, 1994

Admissions

New York

Supreme Court of the United States

United States Courts of Appeals: Second, Ninth and Eleventh Circuits

United States District Courts: Southern and Eastern Districts of New York

Chris Duffy's main practice area is complex commercial litigation. He also advises companies and individuals on internal investigations and law enforcement inquiries, and has represented witnesses in public hearings and investigative interviews conducted by the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Attorney's office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, the New York Attorney General, the New York State Assembly, and the New York City Department of Investigation.

Since joining the firm in 2002, Mr. Duffy's major litigation matters have included the following:

With David Boies and other firm partners, obtained a full defense verdict for Starr International Company, headed by Maurice R. "Hank" Greenberg, after a three-week jury trial of claims by American International Group (AIG) seeking control of billions of dollars of Starr's AIG stock. In a post-trial written opinion, the presiding judge wrote that "The presentations by both sides were models of good lawyering." Starr International Co. v. AIG, 648 F. Supp. 2d 546 (S.D.N.Y. 2009).
On behalf of Lerner Master Fund, served as co-lead counsel in four-day trial in Delaware Chancery Court resulting in judgment that hedge fund breached its fiduciary and contractual duties by improperly imposing hedge fund gates to block redemption of Lerner's $40 million seed investment. In a 101-page post-trial opinion, the Court ordered the immediate return of Lerner's investment with pre-judgment interest, and required the hedge fund managers to pay back all attorneys' fees they had advanced themselves from the hedge fund during the litigation, and disgorge all incentive and management fees they had earned since imposing the gates against Lerner. Paige Capital Management LLC v. Lerner Master Fund, LLC, 22 A.3d 710 (Del. Ch. 2011).
Defense of The Bank of New York Mellon against ongoing class action lawsuits related to the operation of its securities lending program. Bd. of Trustees of the S. Cal. IBEW-NECA Defined Contribution Plan v. The Bank of N.Y. Mellon Corp., No. 09-CV-6273, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 38702 (S.D.N.Y. Apr. 14, 2010).
Obtained defense judgment dismissing all claims brought against George M. Steinbrenner III in lawsuit by former top cable television executive asserting ownership interest in YES Network. Gutkowski v. Steinbrenner, 680 F. Supp. 2d 602 (S.D.N.Y. 2010).
Ongoing representation of the New York Yankees in connection with their most significant legal issues, including as lead trial counsel in multiple arbitrations conducted before the Office of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball. Brodsky v. New York Yankees, 891 N.Y.S.2d 590 (N.Y. Sup. Ct., Albany Cty. 2009) (denying state assemblyman's application for order compelling compliance with legislative subpoena, and granting Yankees' cross-motion to quash subpoena).
On behalf of a New York private equity firm and several of its principals, won the dismissal with prejudice of all damages claims in a $150 million fiduciary duty lawsuit brought by a court-appointed bankruptcy trustee, and obtained subsequent affirmance in the U.S. Court of Appeals, and denial of the bankruptcy trustee's petition for writ of certiorari in the U.S. Supreme Court. Mukamal v. Bakes, 383 B.R. 798 (S.D. Fla. 2007), affirmed, 378 Fed. Appx. 890 (11th Cir. Apr. 30, 2010), certiorari denied, (U.S. Mar. 28, 2011).
Representation of European private equity firm Terra Firma at 13-day trial in New York federal court arising from the 2007 public-to-private auction of EMI Group. Terra Firma Investments (GP) 2 Ltd. v. Citigroup Inc., 725 F. Supp. 2d 438 (S.D.N.Y. 2010).
On behalf of a global energy and communications company, won and collected an $80 million arbitration judgment against a Swiss insurance company.
On behalf of an international beverage company, obtained a preliminary and permanent injunction, upheld on appeal, of a $300 million corporate merger. Wisdom Import Sales Co. v. Labatt Brewing Co., 339 F.3d 101 (2d Cir. 2003).

Selected Publications and Presentations

The Statutory Classification of Cable-Delivered Internet Service, 100 Colum. L. Rev. 1251 (2000)