Blank Rome LLP

Ms. Gitlitz Courtney concentrates her practice in the areas of corporate litigation, white collar criminal defense, government and internal investigations. She represents corporate and individual clients in civil and regulatory matters before trial and appellate courts and government entities throughout the country.

Ms. Gitlitz Courtney regularly counsels clients in disputes arising out of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, financial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and employment matters.  She also assists clients with complex e-discovery issues and document-intensive litigations and investigations.  

Ms. Gitlitz Courtney has significant experience with e-discovery issues and in managing document-intensive litigations and investigations.

She is a member of Blank Rome’s China Securities Litigation Task Force, a team which provides full-service solutions to complex litigation issues for Chinese public companies.

Ms. Gitlitz Courtney has co-authored two articles on e-mail privacy: "Whose E-Mail is it Anyway?," published in the Privacy & Data Security Law Journal in 2007, and an update to that article, "Whose E-Mail is it Anyway? . . . It Depends.", published by Mondaq in March 2010.

Prior to joining Blank Rome, Ms. Gitlitz Courtney worked as an intern for Judge Joseph A. Greenaway, Jr., U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

• Represent one of the country’s premier banking and financial services institutions to recover damages for repudiation of customer obligations under interest rate swap agreements.
• Represented Fortune 500 company and its Board in two putative class actions commenced in the Southern District of Indiana arising out of the merger.  After motion practice, the parties entered into a global “disclosure only” settlement of all litigation with a small monetary payment to plaintiffs’ counsel.  Obtained a similar result for a digital printing company and its directors in two putative class actions filed in Connecticut state court, and one filed in the District of Connecticut, following an announcement that the company would be acquired.  The parties entered into a similar “disclosure only” settlement and the monetary payment negotiated with plaintiffs’ counsel was one of the smallest known in the settlement of recent class actions.
• Resolved governmental investigations on behalf of video game publisher and distributor relating to securities fraud, stock options backdating, breaches of fiduciary duty and improper business practices.
• Represented director of digital printing company in connection with securities fraud matter before SEC.
• Represented Special Committee of mining company in connection with an SEC investigation of possible violations of the securities laws by the company and its officers, directors and affiliates.
• Representation of the country's largest mortgage due diligence firm in connection with sub-prime mortgage investigations by the New York State Attorney General, SEC, and Connecticut Attorney General.
• Representation of investment companies and employees in connection with alleged violations of the Investment Company Act of 1940.
• Representations of audit committees, independent directors and special committees of boards of directors in conducting investigations relating to corporate securities and advertising disclosures, accounting issues, stock options backdating, and shareholder demand letters.
• Representations of officers and directors in connection with possible violations of the securities laws and accounting fraud matters before the SEC and U.S. Attorney's Office.  
• Representation of individuals and corporations in accounting disputes.