Christos G. Papapetrou

Experience

White-Collar Criminal and Civil Matters

• Represented a former employee in connection with the investigation and prosecution of a limited partnership family office.
• Represented a senior executive at a national media company in connection with an FTC investigation related to a potential company merger.
• Represented an individual in connection with the investigations regarding a group of 500 business entities owned by a single individual by the New York District Attorney and New York Attorney General's Office.
• Represent an employee at a public media company in connection with a federal prosecution in the Eastern District of New York involving alleged violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and wire fraud related to information obtained through alleged improper means from a competitor.
• Represented the CEO of a broker-dealer charged with securities and wire fraud in both his criminal prosecution in New Jersey federal court and SEC enforcement matter. Ultimately negotiated a resolution that resulted in client serving less than one day in jail, with no additional criminal fine or punishment.
• Represented a portfolio manager at a hedge fund charged with securities and wire fraud in the Eastern District of New York related to an alleged scheme to defraud certain bondholders during a consent solicitation and tender offer process.
• Represented defendant in both federal criminal prosecution and SEC enforcement case in the Southern District of New York who was charged with insider trading in connection with information that was obtained from his son, who worked at an investment banking firm. After pleading guilty, the client was sentenced to probation and the SEC enforcement action was resolved with no additional financial penalty.
• Represented an individual charged with securities fraud and investment advisor fraud in the Southern District of New York. After pleading guilty and cooperating with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the client was sentenced to probation.
• Represented the Board of Directors of an S&P 500 company in an internal investigation related to alleged misconduct of senior managers and advised the Board in addressing the issues in a crisis environment.
• Represented an individual who worked at a French financial institution in a federal criminal investigation concerning alleged violations of U.S. sanctions related to Libya.
• Represented the chief executive officer of a public company in an internal investigation related to alleged misconduct and ultimately assisted in negotiating the executive’s separation from the company.
• Represented a trader in a FINRA investigation for an alleged violation of rules related to municipal bond trading, which ultimately resulted in FINRA dropping its investigation into both the employee and financial institution.
• Represented a foreign citizen, senior executive at a European financial institution in a federal criminal investigation concerning alleged violations of U.S. sanctions related to Iran.
• Represented a pharmaceutical company executive in connection with an SEC investigation regarding the scope and accuracy of public company financial disclosures related to the profitabilityof certain drugs.
• Represented a New York State agency in a federal investigation concerning the mechanics of a bidding process structure to disburse federal grant money.
• Represented a witness who testified at an S.D.N.Y. trial regarding public corruption involving New York state politics.
• Represented a hedge fund executive in SEC and CFTC investigations concerning the fund’s valuation practices and disclosures for complex derivative products.
• Represented a whistleblower at a global financial institution in connection with his reporting of alleged misconduct to the SEC; his information led the SEC to a major settlement with a global financial institution and a whistleblower award to the client.

Complex Civil Litigation Matters

• Represented a Fortune 20 company in an arbitration against an energy developer regarding the breach of a renewable energy credit agreement. The client was awarded the full judgment amount of $30 million at the arbitration’s conclusion.
• Represented a former board member in connection with a civil lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York regarding a financial services company based in the U.K. and Australia, which was dismissed with prejudice against his client..
• Represented a travel shopping company in a lawsuit against an advertising agency concerning a dispute over unpaid invoices related to the Hertz bankruptcy.
• Represented a media and entertainment company in a federal securities class action alleging violations of Section 10(b) and 20(a) of the Exchange Act.
• Represented a regional bank holding company in a federal securities class action alleging violations of both the Exchange Act and Securities Act.
• Represented the Chicago Stock Exchange in several high-frequency trading lawsuits filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, which were based on the best-selling book, Flash Boys. After assisting in obtaining dismissals of the putative class actions filed against the Chicago Stock Exchange in the District Court, represented the Chicago Stock Exchange before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
• Represented a national furniture company in a federal lawsuit in S.D.N.Y. filed by one of its technology vendors alleging a breach of their commercial contract.
• Represented a real estate company in both the S.D.N.Y. and Second Circuit Court of Appeals in a civil dispute against a mobile communications company. Initially retained for the appeal, client had been sanctioned by the district court for engaging in alleged discovery abuse. The Court of Appeals reversed the District Court in its entirety, concluding that defendants had misconstrued the discovery record to support sanctions, and remanded for further proceedings. The case resolved favorably to our client.
• Previously served as legal strategy counsel for the leading cigarette manufacturer in the U.S. and its parent company in connection with more than a dozen jury and bench trials in federal and state courts in West Virginia, Florida, New York, California, Oregon, Missouri and Massachusetts. Sample cases included:
  • A damages-only retrial in Florida of a 2009 jury verdict, which was, at the time, the largest verdict awarded to a single individual in any personal injury lawsuit ($300 million) in the U.S. Initially retained on the appeal and the verdict was ultimately reversed because the jury had, in part, disregarded the instructions. On the retrial, which was limited to damages only, the jury awarded less than 5% of the original verdict.
  • A novel mass action case in West Virginia state court aggregating the products liability and punitive damages claims of over 600 plaintiffs.
  • A class action brought in Missouri state court alleging fraud in connection with the marketing of Lights cigarettes. Plaintiffs sought over $1 billion in compensatory damages and several times that in punitive damages. A mistrial was declared after the jury was unable to reach a verdict.

Memberships

• New York Council of Defense Lawyers
• Federal Bar Council
  • Trustee (2022 to present)
  • Awards Committee (2019 to 2020)
  • Committee on Sentencing and Alternatives to Incarceration
  • Planning Committee for the Federal Bar Council's 2021 Rule of Law Symposium
• Federal Bar Council Inn of Court
  • Executive Committee
  • Co-Membership Chair
• Historical Society of the New York Courts
• New York Bar Association
  • Federal Rules Committee
• New York City Bar Association

Pro Bono

• Represent an individual currently in a death penalty habeas petition in federal court in Alabama primarily concerning a Batson challenge to his conviction.
• Represented a civil rights plaintiff who challenged New York State’s denial of his right to medical treatment for his PTSD while he was incarcerated.
• Represented appellee in the State’s interlocutory appeal of district court’s denial of qualified immunity to individual defendants. The case was ultimately resolved favorably before trial.
• Represented plaintiffs (a father and son) in a section 1983 civil rights trial in the Eastern District of New York against the City of New York alleging the use of excessive force during father’s arrest. Verdict in favor of the son against a defendant police officer.