Vincent Filardo, Jr.

Mr. Filardo is an associate in the White Collar and Civil Fraud Defense and Business Trial Practice Groups in the firm's New York office.

Mr. Filardo specializes in complex commercial litigation with expertise in commercial contract disputes, bankruptcy adversary actions, white collar and civil fraud defense, government and internal investigations, securities regulation and intellectual property disputes, including patent, trademark and copyright infringement actions. His experience includes representing defendants in white collar criminal matters, representing both plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of business disputes involving claims of breach of contract, interference with contract, fraud, infringement of intellectual property rights, unfair business practices, and defamation. Mr. Filardo has experience in all phases of civil and criminal litigation, including trial and appellate experience, and in complex corporate internal investigations.

Education

• J.D., Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, 1998, magna cum laude, Cardozo Law Review, Order of the Coif
• M.A., Montclair State University, 1994
• B.S., Lafayette College, 1987

Admissions

• New York
• United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York
• United States Second Circuit Court of Appeals

Mr. Filardo was a senior member of the team in the following recent representations:

Representation of a renowned manager of successful international mutual funds as a defendant in multiple civil actions, including a Maryland federal MDL litigation, and related SEC and Massachusetts Attorney General enforcement actions brought in connection with alleged violations of the federal Investment Advisors Act and Massachusetts security laws. After vigorous litigation, on the eve of trial, the SEC abandoned its previously entrenched position seeking a 4-year ban from the industry plus a substantial fine, and settled instead for a 12-month suspension, with automatic reinstatement, plus a substantially smaller fine, a portion of which was paid to the Massachusetts AG in return for its full compromise and settlement of all claims. The private civil actions against defendant, including the Maryland MDL, were dismissed on pre-trial motions.

Ongoing representation of a large national financial conglomerate in connection with a nationwide federal False Claims Act and California state False Claims Act investigations.

Representation of Final Analysis Communication Services, Inc. in an action against General Dynamics Corp. for breach of satellite system construction agreements and strategic equity partnership agreements. The trial in the action resulted in a jury verdict in favor of Final Analysis in the amount of $159,900,000.

Ongoing representation of the former CEO of a French energy conglomerate in connection with a federal Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ("FCPA") investigation into the alleged payment of bribes to Nigerian government officials by a consortium of foreign and U.S. based energy and oil companies.

Representation of Hangar Orthopedics Group, a Maryland publicly held prosthetics company, as defendant in a class-action suit alleging violations of federal securities laws. The action was dismissed against Hangar in its entirety on a motion to dismiss and affirmed by the 4th Circuit.

Representation of Mario Valente Collezioni, Ltd., a men's suit and jacket designer and distributor, in a series of related actions against its Italian manufacturer, Antica Sartoria Italiana and its related entities, and their U.S. distributor AAK Limited, alleging claims of trademark infringement and unfair competition. The actions resulted in trial verdicts in favor of Mario Valente with damages in excess of $1.5 million.

Representation of Media Sentry, Inc., one of the largest providers of online anti-piracy software, and a co-defendant of the Recording Industry Association of America, Inc., in an action brought in the Northern District of California by Pacific Bell Internet Services for alleged violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA"). This action, and its related actions in the District of Columbia, were among the first cases brought under the DMCA.

Representation of a nationally renowned sports licensing and apparel company as a defendant in a civil action alleging violations of New York's and New Jersey's commercial bribery statutes and the federal Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act ("RICO"), and related federal criminal investigation. The RICO criminal investigation resulted in a finding of no criminal wrongdoing and was closed without further action, and the civil action was settled prior to trial without defendant paying any funds to plaintiff.

Representation of Pipeliners, Inc., a defendant in an action alleging patent infringement of the technology and process to line water and sewer pipes with a polymer lining that is inserted in a pipe in its collapsed form and then heated and expanded to line the subject pipe. The action against Pipeliners was dismissed on summary judgment.

Representation of defendants in high profile investigations concerning a New York City university and alleged shakedowns of on-campus students and racketeering by university employees, an international banking conglomerate's alleged business association with Nazi war crimes figures, and a banking concern's employee violation of the Bank Secrecy Act on behalf of a publicly known client.

Mr. Filardo's other White Collar defense experience includes numerous representations concerning the FCPA, Trading with the Enemy Act, Bank Secrecy Act, Federal Securities Acts, Internal Revenue Service Act, False Claims Act, federal and state bribery and commercial bribery statutes, representations concerning SEC civil and criminal enforcement actions, and was a member of a trial team representing the CEO of an Arizona health services corporation, as a co-defendant with multiple reputed members of the New York underworld in a federal criminal racketeering trial in the Southern District of New York.