William R. Maguire

Bill Maguire is a partner in the New York office.

Bill has extensive experience trying complex business, products, and securities cases in state and federal courts, administrative proceedings and arbitrations, in New York, Delaware, Florida, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and Ontario, Canada. 

Major representations include the trial of claims arising from the sale of Lehman’s investment banking business, the trial of claims arising from the demise of Nortel Networks, Inc., and many securities cases, including a six-month jury trial.  Bill has also tried product liability cases for major consumer products manufacturers, including Lorillard Tobacco Company and Ford Motor Company, in the New York and Florida courts.

• Defending Sinclair Broadcast Group in an antitrust MDL class action alleging the unlawful exchange of pacing information among broadcast TV stations in television advertising markets nationwide
• Representation of Danish tax authority in federal and state courts seeking to recover over $2 billion wrongfully obtained through a scheme involving fraudulent tax refund claims
• Lead trial counsel in trial of claims involving $7.3 billion sales in proceeds in Nortel Networks bankruptcy litigation
• Representing a client challenging in federal district court the constitutionality of an SEC administrative proceeding
• Lead trial counsel in defense of fraud, conspiracy and products claims in a six-week jury trial in state court in Florida's Escambia County, resulting in a defense verdict
• Lead trial counsel in defense of fraud, conspiracy and products claims in a six-week jury trial in Florida's Palm Beach County, resulting in a verdict for the defense on intentional tort claims, and in a plaintiff's verdict on products claims that was reversed and remanded on appeal
• Special Situations Fund III QP LP v. Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu CPA Ltd., 33 F. Supp. 3d 401 (S.D.N.Y. 2014): Dismissing securities claims, 96 F. Supp. 3d 325 (S.D.N.Y. 2015): Denying motion to amend, aff'd No. 15-1813 (2d Cir. 2016)
• Oaktree Capital Mgmt. LP v. KPMG, 2013 WL 4006437 (D. Nev. 2013): Dismissing securities action
• China MediaExpress Holdings Inc., Shareholders Litigation, 927 F. Supp 2d 215 (S.D.N.Y. 2013): Dismissing securities claims
• Lead counsel in a trial of claims arising from the acquisition of Lehman Brothers' investment banking business by Barclays Capital, "Lehman’s Trustee Set for Windfall After Court Ruling on Barclays Deal," Financial Times, Feb. 24, 2011 ($4.8 billion award in favor of Lehman trustee), reversed on appeal, AmLaw Litigation Daily, "Litigator of the Week," June 10, 2011 (interest brings trial award to over $5 billion)
• December 2010 – January 2011, lead trial counsel in a trial of audit claims under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act before the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board’s administrative law judge, resulting in a decision dismissing all claims, affirmed on appeal
• Weiss v. Twardy, No. 08-0035, __ Fed. Appx. __ (2d Cir. May 22, 2009): Affirming dismissal of a securities action, aff'g In re Priceline.com Inc. Securities Litigation, 2007 WL 274534 (D. Conn. 2007)
• Bay Harbour Management LLC v. Carothers, 282 Fed. Appx. 71, 2008 WL 2566557 (2d Cir. 2008), aff'g, Xerion Partners I LLC v. Resurgence Asset Management LLC, 474 F.Supp.2d 505 (S.D.N.Y. 2007): Dismissing securities action
• In re National Century Financial Enterprises Inc. Financial Investment Litigation, 2007 WL 2331929 (S.D. Ohio 2007): Investors' claims concerning a bankrupt financing company that issued $4 billion in notes; The Unencumbered Assets Trust v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, 2006 WL 968195 (S.D. Ohio 2006) (related claims by debtor)
• In re Scottish Re Group Securities Litigation, 524 F.Supp.2d 370 (S.D.N.Y. 2007): Dismissing a securities fraud claim against the auditor of a reinsurance company
• In re Parmalat Securities Litigation, 477 F.Supp.2d 602 (S.D.N.Y. 2007): Dismissing claims by Cayman special purpose entities
• Royal Dutch / Shell Transport Securities Litigation, 380 F.Supp.2d 509 (D.N.J. 2005): Securities fraud claims concerning re-categorization of oil reserves; 522 F.Supp. 2d 712 (D.N.J. 2007)
• Aflac v. Wendy's International Inc., No. 06 CV 7738 (S.D.N.Y. 2006): Denying a temporary restraining order (TRO) and preliminary injunction concerning Wendy's $4 billion spinoff of its Tim Hortons business
• HBO Latin America (S.D.N.Y. 2005): TRO proceedings concerning the termination of satellite signals to cable providers in South America
• Fraternity Fund Ltd. v. Beacon Hill Asset Management LLC, 376 F.Supp.2d 443 (S.D.N.Y. 2005): Dismissing securities fraud claims concerning an offshore hedge fund
• Kingsway Financial Services Inc. v. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 420 F.Supp.2d 228 (S.D.N.Y. 2005): Securities fraud claims concerning the acquisition of a property and casualty insurer
• Official Committee of the Unsecured Creditors of Color Tile Inc. v. Coopers & Lybrand LLP, 322 F.3d 147 (2d Cir. 2003): Affirming dismissal of claims rising out of the failure of an 800-store retail chain
• In re Southeast Banking Corp. Loan Loss Reserves Litigation, MDL 1000 (S.D. Fla.): Action concerning a bank failure
• Viacom International Inc. v. Kearney, 212 F.3d 721 (2d Cir. 2000): Vacating dismissal of commercial claims asserted under the district court's supplemental jurisdiction
• Lehman Bros. v. Tutelar Financiera (S.D.N.Y.): Lead trial counsel in a jury trial of claims concerning commodity trading losses incurred on Japanese yen futures and options
• In re Phar-Mor Securities Litigation (W.D. Pa.): Six-month jury trial of securities claims concerning the failure of a 300-store retail chain
• Goldhirsch Group Inc. v. Alpert, 107 F.3d 105 (2d Cir. 1997): Reversing the jury verdict for a producer against the publisher of Inc. magazine
• Francis v. Coughlin, 891 F.2d 43 (2d Cir. 1989): Civil rights action and jury trial
• Wyser-Pratte Management Co. Inc. v. Babcock Borsig AG, 23 A.D.3d 269, 808 N.Y.S.2d 3 (1st Dep’t 2005): Dismissing claims concerning the failed investment in a German manufacturing company under doctrine of forum non conveniens
• In re Worldcom Inc., 2003 WL 21488087, Fed. Sec. L. Rep. ¶92,450 (S.D.N.Y. 2003): Dismissing a securities claim against a foreign audit firm
• Nappier v. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 227 F.Supp.2d 263 (D.N.J. 2002): Dismissing a securities claim against the auditor of Campbell Soup Corp.
• Trovato v. Coopers & Lybrand LLP, 1998 WL 7214 (S.D.N.Y. 1998): Striking allegations under Rule 11
• Industrial Acoustics Co. Inc. v. Energy Services Inc., 1995 WL 274416 (S.D.N.Y. 1995): Summary judgment dismissing contract and quantum meruit claims
• The Lindner Fund v. Pennsylvania Enterprises Inc. (E.D. Pa.): Denying a preliminary injunction to enjoin a public offering