The Best and the Brightest
2005 was another great year for Meiselman, Denlea. Evidence of the firm's continued growth and success is best reflected by the extraordinarily talented attorneys who have joined us this past year.
We are proud to welcome Jill Owens, Mary Jane Wagg, John D'Amico and Peter Freiberg. Jill is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School and has 15 years of litigation experience with Simpson Thacher and Sedgwick Detert. Mary Jane is a graduate of the University of Michigan and University of Michigan Law School, Class of 2001. Mary Jane is a commercial litigator with expertise in finance, bankruptcy and creditor's rights. John is a graduate of Duke University and a 1998 graduate of Fordham University School of Law. Admitted in New York and New Jersey, John has real world experience as a research analyst and marketing director for Citibank and other major companies prior to attending law school. Also joining our litigation team is New Orleans trial attorney Peter Freiberg. Peter is a University of Pennsylvania and Tulane Law graduate, Class of 1989. Bringing with him the experience of 15 years of courtroom success, Peter has recently relocated from New Orleans to the Westchester area. Peter has successfully litigated class action, employment, personal injury and commercial cases as well as serving as an Adjunct Professor of Trial Advocacy at Tulane Law School for the past 10 years.
We are also pleased to recognize David Douglas as having become a partner of the firm in 2005. David is a 1982 graduate of Brown University and a 1985 graduate of Harvard Law School. David has 20 years experience in complex commercial and class action matters.
That our relatively small firm can attract this array of talent is a credit to our clients and the quality of matters they entrust to us.
In addition, partners David Meiselman, Myra Packman and Jim Eberz were once again recognized as the best in our profession. In 2005, both Westchester and New York Magazines acknowledged David, Myra and Jim as leading lawyers based upon selection by their peers. While there are many fine and deserving attorneys who may not have been named in these particular articles, we are nevertheless very proud that our law firm was the only law firm in Westchester to have three of its partners so honored.
Litigation Highlights
Our Litigation Department achieved new heights in 2005, making it a difficult year to follow. Partner Myra Packman was successful in various appellate courts winning $20,000,000 in judgments for firm clients, an achievement few attorneys can claim. Partner Jim Denlea recovered more than $6,000,000 for two men burnt in an explosion, while also achieving a multi-million dollar settlement for a young man sexually abused in a State facility. In addition, Jim is currently leading a federal litigation seeking to recover nearly $10,000,000 in insurance coverage as well as suing Stewart Insurance Title Company for failing to pay one of its agents several million dollars in earned commissions.
National Cases
Jim also contributed significantly to the efforts put forth by the firm on behalf of the Estate of Steven Bechler, the Baltimore Orioles pitcher who died as a result of ephedra ingestion. Led by partners David Meiselman and Jeff Carton, this matter was recently resolved and although the details cannot be disclosed yet, the firm achieved the goal of removing dangerous ephedra products from America's shelves while attaining the largest personal injury recovery in the United States for an ephedra case.
Our Class Action Department litigators were busy this year representing clients throughout the country. We are presently in litigation in California against the popular diet supplement Cortislim, in Utah against wrinkle cream Strivectin and weight loss supplement Estrin-D and in New Jersey against the Ortho-Evra birth control patch as well as against the Borgata Casino, challenging its discriminatory policy concerning the weight of its women employees. The firm was also selected by the Court in 2005 to serve as co-lead counsel in the nationwide litigation against the manufacturer of the popular video game "Grand Theft Auto."
Catastrophic Injuries
The firm also continued its nearly 30 year history of representing victims of catastrophic personal injuries. Among others, the firm is prosecuting the cases of: a teenage girl burnt over 85% of her body by a scalding shower improperly maintained by a landlord and his plumbing contractor; 4 men (2 deceased, 2 with life-altering injuries) involved in an explosion in upstate New York at a former government weapons-testing facility operated by General Electric; an electrician critically injured in an electrical accident on the campus of RPI in Troy, NY and a 45 year old mother of two, paralyzed and institutionalized after a motor vehicle accident here in Westchester.
Challenging Cases of First Impression
Led by partner David Douglas, the firm was successful in obtaining a preliminary injunction for a Westchester homeowner's association of 1,100 residents preventing commercial construction on adjoining property. Similarly, in a federal case of first impression with national repercussions, the firm was victorious in arguing before the New York federal courts on behalf of the taxi and limousine industry that its drivers are not entitled to overtime wages. Other 2005 cases of note include: representing one of Westchester's largest accounting firms in a partnership dispute; defending a New York City law firm sued for legal malpractice; suing a patent law firm in behalf of a public company; representing several large automobile dealerships in both transactional and litigation matters; representing the Estate of legendary musician Tito Puente; representing clients in matters of trademark infringement and wrongful termination; and negotiating compensation and severance issues for corporate executives.
Transactional Highlights
As with our Litigation Department, our transactional attorneys had their best year as well successfully completing numerous deals of significance. Continuing our representation of Core Plus Properties and their 2004 acquisition of the former Frank B. Hall Briarcliff Campus, real estate partner Robert Levine represented Core in their 2005 purchase of 120 Bloomingdale Road for $27.3 million. Rob continues to represent several prominent banks in their large regional commercial lending transactions. Additionally, Rob represents several developers and large property owners who appreciate the quality of service and attention to detail that Rob offers to our real estate and transactional clients. Rob also deserves recognition for his continued charitable work with Westchester's Make-A-Wish Foundation and for all the joy he brings to children as a result of his generosity.
Fighting for Physicians
No attorney works harder or accomplishes more for his or her client than our physician-attorney partner Barry Cepelewicz. Chairing our Health Law Group, Barry's commitment to excellence was once again reflected in 2005 in his remarkable record of victories and successes. In 2004, Barry and litigation partner Jeff Carton represented 1,000 orthopedic surgeons winning a multi-million dollar settlement against Blue Cross/Blue Shield. In 2005, Barry followed up by continuing to represent large groups of doctors against third-party payers such as Cigna, Horizon Healthcare of New York, Empire Healthchoice, Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield, GHI, Guardian, Principal Financial Group, HIP Health Plan of New York, Oxford Health Plans and Aetna.
Among other significant lawsuits commenced in 2005, Barry is representing a group of Fairfield County physicians in their challenge to the merger of Oxford and United Healthcare seeking to redress the negative effects the merger is having upon physicians' ability to practice medicine. Recognizing our standing in the health care field, we have been asked by the prestigious Medical Society of the State of New York to institute a similar action on behalf of its 18,000 physician members in New York, which we are planning to do in January 2006. The firm is also preparing to represent the largest ENT practice in the country in their anticipated challenge to an HMO's failure to reimburse it for necessary medical procedures provided to its patients. The firm is proud to have continued its 28 year tradition of successfully defending medical, dental and other health related malpractice cases.
Medico-Legal Counsel
Barry's continued success representing physicians before disciplinary and licensing bodies is unmatched. No client could have a better advocate than Barry for the enforcement and enhancement of one's legal rights. Barry is also active on the lecture circuit while authoring articles on issues effecting physicians including billing, auditing and HIPAA compliance matters. Recently named as an Editorial Board consultant at Medical Economics magazine, Barry continues to help steward the firm's role as General Counsel for the Fairfield County Medical Association and other groups of physicians.
2005 was a truly remarkable year for Meiselman, Denlea. Our clients entrusted us with difficult, challenging cases (often of first impression) and we confronted many of the nation's largest and most well-recognized firms, who sought to stand in our clients' way. To emerge victorious, as often as we did, is a testament to the passion, commitment, intellect and advocacy that our attorneys bring to every engagement. We value and appreciate our clients and the role they allow us to play in their success. While it may be difficult to replicate the success of 2005, we have every intention of trying to do so. We look forward to the new and exciting challenges of 2006.
