John Curley focuses his practice on complex business disputes, including breach of contract litigation, shareholder disputes, trade secrets matters, insurance coverage, 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 regularly represents policyholders in coverage matters involving D&O and general liability insurance. Among other recent successes, he was part of the HNRK 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. He is also representing Syngenta in current litigation seeking coverage for hundreds of tort lawsuits alleging harm arising from exposure to a different herbicide, and he helped win a trial for Syngenta in a coverage claim against its primary insurer, Zurich American Insurance Company.
Additionally, John advises companies and individuals on various insurance issues. Recent work includes representing a personnel staffing company and its captive reinsurer in litigation with an insurer related to alleged collateral requirements under a reinsurance agreement. He recently represented a construction company in litigation against its insurance broker. He also advises individuals with respect to insurance coverage questions, including on issues related to professional liability insurance.
Earlier in his career, John served as a law clerk to the Honorable Joanna Seybert of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. John is a member of the Federal Bar Council Inn of Court and the Dispute Resolution Section of the New York State Bar Association and has served on the Board of Directors of the St. John’s Law School Alumni Association. He is a contributor to HNRK’s Coverage Corner insurance blog.
He is admitted to practice in New York and before the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Updated Sep 2025
