John Curley focuses his practice on complex business disputes, including breach of contract litigation, shareholder disputes, trade secrets matters, and cases involving allegations of civil securities fraud. His notable recent work includes M&A-related litigation, including earnout litigation and claims for breaches of representations and warranties, and business disputes in the e-commerce, real estate, agrochemical, financial services, and healthcare industries. Recently, John led a team that won summary judgment in a case where the plaintiff alleged that HNRK’s clients improperly terminated a distributorship agreement following an asset acquisition. The court dismissed the plaintiff’s claims and awarded summary judgment on counterclaims asserted by one of the defendants.
John also advises companies and individuals on insurance coverage issues. Among recent successes, he was part of the team that represented Syngenta in its successful effort to recover insurance coverage for a products liability class action related to one of Syngenta’s herbicides. The team is also representing Syngenta in litigation seeking coverage for hundreds of lawsuits alleging harm arising from exposure to a different herbicide, and he was on the trial team that secured a win for Syngenta over its primary insurer.
John also represents clients in securities-related regulatory investigations and proceedings. He successfully defended an equities trader against unfounded insider trading allegations in a FINRA enforcement proceeding, where a panel rejected FINRA’s claims in their entirety following a three-day disciplinary hearing.
John’s other notable work includes a complete defense verdict at trial for a piping inspection company in an $80 million lawsuit arising from an oil refinery explosion, and a major victory in a large and confidential commercial arbitration that threatened his client’s leading place in a $600 million market. He also defended a co-founder of a publicly-traded software company in three separate litigations: a lawsuit by pre-IPO investors, a putative securities fraud class action in federal district court, and an adversary proceeding in bankruptcy court. All three were resolved without any liability against John’s client.
John recently represented a company and its founder in a shareholder dispute that was resolved following a multi-day evidentiary hearing in which John’s clients defeated in substantial part the plaintiff’s attempt to obtain an injunction. John was on the team that won summary judgment for the MTA in litigation with Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse, which formerly occupied a prominent place in Grand Central Terminal.
He has previously been recognized as a Benchmark Litigation Future Star, shortlisted for Euromoney’s Rising Star Award for Best in White Collar Crime, and named a Litigation Trailblazer by The National Law Journal.
Before joining HNRK, John served as a law clerk to the Honorable Joanna Seybert of the United States District Court for the E.D.N.Y. Before that, he was a litigation associate at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. Prior to law school, he served on the staff of a U.S. congresswoman.
Practice Areas:
- Complex Commercial Litigation
- Employment Counseling and Litigation
- Insurance
Education:
- College of the Holy Cross (B.A. 2003)
- St. John’s University School of Law (J.D. 2008)
Updated Sep 2024
