Morrison Cohen LLP | Donald H. Chase

Donald H. Chase

Donald Chase handles a broad range of complex commercial litigation matters, serving as lead counsel in federal and state court trials and appeals, as well as in alternative dispute forums such as FINRA, the AAA and JAMS.

Don’s national practice focuses on the securities, healthcare, real estate, venture capital, banking, biotech and airlines industries. He regularly represents companies, officers and directors in securities related claims, including the defense of securities fraud and class actions, disciplinary proceedings and SEC inquiry and enforcement proceedings. He also routinely advises physicians and physician groups on commercial matters and disputes, and represents them in, among other things, hospital and OPMC disciplinary matters, contract disputes and restrictive covenant actions.

Don represents broker-dealers and employees in employment disputes and injunctive proceedings; major airlines in connection with class actions, administrative actions and other commercial matters; and architects, mortgage banks, mortgage brokers and real estate developers and investors in connection with real estate disputes. He has counseled clients in connection with mergers and acquisitions and represented them in pre-acquisition and post-acquisition litigation.

Don immerses himself in the most complex commercial disputes in virtually any industry, and prides himself on his ability to simplify the issues and develop an integrated case strategy to accomplish his clients’ goals.

Experience

Recent Representative Experience Includes:

Served as lead counsel to successfully defend the Huberfeld Family Foundation Inc., a charitable and philanthropic foundation, against claims of aiding and abetting breaches of fiduciary duty and fraud, as well as unjust enrichment, stemming from a larger alleged fraudulent scheme.
Served as lead counsel for, and completed the successful defense of, a NYSE biotech company and certain of its officers and directors in connection with a number of securities fraud actions seeking more than $100 million in damages commenced in the United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Virginia and Southern District of New York, where after obtaining summary dismissals in all courts, the dismissals were affirmed on appeal by the Fourth Circuit and Second Circuit, efforts to reopen the dismissals were also thwarted, and sanctions were awarded against one of the plaintiffs and his counsel. The cases addressed certain novel issues of law that were widely discussed in publications and the decisions often cited as leading cases on certain points of law.
Served as lead counsel for a manufacturer of an almond pasteurizer and successfully defended it at trial in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, a breach of contract and warranty action instituted by a prominent almond producer. The action was dismissed in its entirety at the conclusion of plaintiff’s case.
Served as lead counsel for a physician group in a five week trial of an exclusive contract and unfair competition action in New York State Court involving anesthesia services which case settled prior to judgment. During the course of that action, he had obtained several rulings from the Appellate Courts establishing critical and unique points of law.
Prosecuted an action on behalf of two investors in a broad real estate Ponzi scheme, and obtained a widely reported precedential ruling from the Appellate Division, First Department, sustaining claims against attorneys as aiders and abettors in the Ponzi scheme. The ruling marked a significant development in both New York and New Jersey law and was front page news in both the New York Law Journal and New Jersey Law Journal.
Successfully represented a senior bank executive in two arbitration proceedings against a large foreign bank for various compensation wrongfully denied to him and to correct a Form U-5 filed by the bank with FINRA. He ultimately obtained two separate favorable arbitration awards from FINRA and the AAA for the executive, including a multi-million dollar compensation award and a corrected Form U-5.
Successfully obtained an arbitration award from FINRA in favor of a large broker-dealer against its former financial representative who had also sued the broker-dealer for various alleged breaches of contract, breaches of fiduciary duty, misappropriation of trade secrets, unfair competition, employee raiding, and intentional interference with business relations.
Successfully defended physicians against claims in New York Supreme Court for breach of contract and restrictive covenants.
Successfully represented two of the top 3 executives of a foreign public company against securities fraud class action and related securities fraud actions in various state and federal courts.
Successfully defended two major airlines against class action commenced by travel agents.
Successfully obtained multi-million dollar award for client in international arbitration arising out of aircraft leasing business.
Served as lead counsel in successful defense of a consumer class action against major flooring manufacturer for alleged product defects.

Professional Activities

American Bar Association
Connecticut Bar Association
New York City Bar Association
Class Agent, Amherst College Alumni Fund
Co-Founder and President, Fairfield County Basketball League
(one of the largest youth basketball leagues in country)
Co-Founder and former President, Weston Basketball Association
Founder and President, Fairfield County Stars BBC

Recognition

St. John's University School of Law

Member of Law Review
Recipient of American Jurisprudence Award in Civil Procedure

Public Service Award from State of Connecticut

Practices

Education

St. John's University School of Law, J.D.
Amherst College, B.A.

Bar Admissions

U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals for the First, Second, Fourth and Ninth Circuits
U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Southern, and Eastern Districts of New York
U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut