Scott Danner has been involved in a range of high-profile and significant commercial disputes, including RMBS litigations stemming from the 2008 financial crisis, an antitrust case seeking hundreds of millions of dollars from News Corp., and Madoff Ponzi scheme lawsuits. He also represents creditors in litigation concerning loans secured by fine art, real estate and securities, and an aviation start-up in litigation with Boeing concerning trade secrets. Scott’s previous engagements include securities-related matters, fiduciary duty claims, reinsurance disputes, bankruptcy and distressed debt litigation, and cross-border disputes. He recently represented Valassis Communications, a MacAndrews & Forbes company, in a $600 million antitrust jury trial against News Corp. in the Southern District of New York, and led a damages trial team that secured a $70 million win on behalf of investment fund client Melody Business Finance involving loans defaulted on by financier Philip Falcone.
A former law clerk to the Honorable Colleen McMahon of the Southern District of New York and the Honorable Robert S. Smith of the New York Court of Appeals, Scott has secured multiple notable wins before New York’s highest court, including a landmark reinsurance decision, and a reversal of a conviction in a highly-politicized criminal prosecution. Working alongside the Office of the Appellate Defender, he argued a closely-watched appeal to the New York Court of Appeals involving the state’s “mini-RICO” statute. His argument resulted in the unanimous reversal of his client’s conviction and dismissal of the indictment, and a ruling that places important limits on the state’s ability to charge individuals with the crime of “enterprise corruption.”
Scott’s work in that case, People v. Jones, is one of his many contributions to Holwell Shuster & Goldberg’s extensive pro bono practice, in which he regularly represents indigent criminal defendants on appeal. Under his leadership, HSG is currently handling several cases with the OAD, including appeals in the New York Court of Appeals and the New York Appellate Division, First Department, as well as habeas corpus proceedings before the Southern District of New York. He is also an active member of HSG’s Diversity & Inclusion committee.
Among other accolades, Scott has been recognized as a Litigation Trailblazer by The National Law Journal and by Benchmark Litigation for several years.
Promoted to partner at HSG in 2020, Scott is a member of several bar associations and has co-chaired the Appellate Courts Committee of the New York County Lawyers Association. Scott graduated summa cum laude from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where he was awarded the Felix Frankfurter Prize, the school’s highest discretionary academic honor. Scott started his career in private practice at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz as a litigation associate.
Key Practice Areas:
- Antitrust
- Appellate
- Banking + Financial Services
- Business & Commercial
- Securities
Year Joined Firm: 2016
Education: Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (J.D.); Cornell University (B.A.)
Updated Aug 2023
