For more than 40 years, Jerome Katz focused his practice on complex commercial litigation, arbitration and mediation in the United States and abroad, representing both plaintiffs and defendants. He retired as a partner at the end of 2015, although he continues to do some client work, and is currently a senior counsel at the firm. He has been consistently recognized as a leading lawyer for commercial litigation by Chambers, U.S. News-Best Lawyers, Benchmark Litigation (local litigation star) and other publications. During his career, he appeared before state and federal courts and administrative agencies throughout the United States in a wide variety of cases, including contract, securities, antitrust, fiduciary duty, libel, product liability, fraud, pension and reinsurance matters, and in cases often involving cross-border issues. His clients included investment and commercial banks; investment funds; technology, consumer product, entertainment and insurance companies; and prominent individuals. He often represented clients and dealt with the press in high-profile cases in the media spotlight.
Experience
- Casita. Served as lead trial counsel for this plaintiff investment partnership in a seven-week jury trial in state court in New York. Casita sued derivatively for itself and other investors, and obtained a $15 million verdict against a fund manager for breach of fiduciary duty. Judgment was subsequently entered for $22 million.
- United National Insurance. Served as lead trial counsel for this plaintiff in a nine-week jury trial in federal court in Philadelphia. United National obtained a $24 million verdict against a reinsurance broker for misrepresentation.
- PanAmSat. Served as lead counsel for what is now part of the world’s largest fleet of commercial satellites in contract disputes in the U.S., India and elsewhere.
- Cablevision. Served as counsel for this cable TV company in its antitrust suit in New York against Viacom for unlawfully tying the licensing of “must have” networks with the licensing of less popular networks; and in its defense of a class action in New Jersey alleging the unlawful tying of interactive TV packages with the leasing of set-top boxes.
- Sun International. Served as lead counsel for this South African hotel and casino operator in a dispute concerning competitive restraints outside of Africa.
- Credit Suisse. Served as counsel in a dispute involving a billion dollars in letters of credit in connection with the Mirant bankruptcy case in Texas.
- MacAndrews & Forbes. Served as counsel for Revlon’s parent in a New York state jury trial concerning a supplemental executive retirement plan.
- Gallaher. Served as counsel for what was the U.K.’s largest tobacco company in the defense of product liability suits in the U.K. and Ireland.
- Sir David Barclay and Sir Frederick Barclay. Served as lead counsel in New York for the owners of The Telegraph newspaper of London in the defense of a lawsuit concerning an alleged fraud in connection with an office building in Manhattan.