Lisa M. Coyle

Biography

Lisa Coyle has more than 15 years of experience representing large and small companies, entrepreneurs and other individuals, and financial institutions in complex commercial litigation and arbitration matters. She has represented clients in shareholder disputes, earn-out disputes, derivative actions, business divorces, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, business tort cases, stock options disputes, and cases arising under federal securities laws and anti-discrimination, harassment, and retaliation laws. 

Lisa regularly represents clients in litigation arising out of corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions. She also frequently advises clients in connection with pre-litigation dispute resolution to help them achieve a favorable result without the financial and emotional toll that often accompanies litigation. Lisa works closely with clients to devise, develop, and implement novel and creative solutions to complex business problems. She focuses on litigation strategies designed to achieve her client’s business objectives, regardless of whether a case can be settled prior to filing a complaint, or if it must go all the way through trial and appeal.

Lisa has defended and prosecuted numerous claims in a wide range of jurisdictions, including the Commercial Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York; the Delaware Court of Chancery; a wide range of federal district courts, bankruptcy courts, and appellate courts; the American Arbitration Association; and JAMS.

During law school, Lisa served as an editor for the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review.

Experience

  • Financial Fraud Arbitration: Obtained a multimillion-dollar arbitration award against a former employee who had embezzled funds from their former employer.
  • Earn Out Dispute: Obtained a highly favorable settlement for a shareholder representative against the acquirer of a company in a multimillion-dollar earn-out dispute.
  • Earn Out Dispute: Obtained a highly favorable settlement for a seller of a company against the acquirer in a multimillion-dollar earn-out dispute.
  • Stock Options Vesting Litigation: Obtained a highly favorable settlement for an entrepreneur in an early exercise stock options vesting dispute with a former employer; served as sole counsel on the matter.
  • Fortune 100 Financial Institution Litigation: Won a summary judgment dismissing a breach of contract claim against a Fortune 100 financial institution and successfully defended the decision before the Second Circuit; involved in all aspects of the case, including arguing the appeal before the Second Circuit.
  • Breach of Contract Litigation: Attained a unanimous reversal by the First Department of a trial court order denying a Chinese investor client’s motion to dismiss breach of contract claims asserted by an investment banking firm and affiliated broker-dealer; served as the senior counsel on, and was involved in all aspects of, the appeal.
  • Shareholder Litigation: Successfully represented a Fortune 500 energy company in the defense of shareholder actions in Delaware and Virginia challenging a seven-billion-dollar acquisition; involved in all aspects of the case, including managing a team of nearly 100 attorneys in an expedited review of nearly 100,000 documents.
  • Securities Class Action: Obtained a favorable settlement for a large foreign electronics manufacturer in connection with a putative class action alleging violations of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934; involved in all aspects of the case, including drafting the motion to dismiss, working with expert witnesses to devise the defense strategy, and participating in settlement negotiations.
  • Multidistrict Litigation: Won a dismissal of all claims asserted against a client in a highly publicized multidistrict litigation consolidated in Delaware federal court, in which a putative class alleged privacy violations by several major advertising company defendants; successfully defended the dismissal of claims on an appeal to the Third Circuit and successfully opposed the claimants’ petition for writ of certiorari seeking Supreme Court review of the Third Circuit’s decision. 
  • Temporary Restraining Order: Obtained a temporary restraining order in favor of a hotel management company proscribing further use of self-help by a mortgage lender and hotel purchaser defendants, and ordering the immediate rectification of self-help in which the defendants had already engaged; successfully defended hotel management against a middle-of-the-night take-over attempt by the defendants, negotiating with the police to avoid the removal of hotel management company representatives until the matter could be brought before the court.
  • Deal Litigation: Obtained a highly favorable pre-litigation settlement for a client, the representative of a group of former shareholders of a life sciences company, in a dispute over the purchaser’s failure to release funds from escrow following the sale of the company. 
  • Employment Litigation: Obtained a highly favorable settlement for a victim of discrimination under the New York City Human Rights Law based on her status as a victim of domestic violence.
  • International Arbitration: Won a dismissal of breach of contract claims against an agency of foreign sovereign following a five-day hearing in an arbitration administered by the International Centre for Dispute Resolution of the American Arbitration Association; participated in all aspects of the case, including the cross-examination of witnesses at the hearing.
  • Post-Confirmation Litigation: Won a summary judgment on behalf of numerous funds and other entities in a post-confirmation litigation over the enforceability of a contingent value rights agreement entered into in connection with the confirmed plan of reorganization of Twin River Worldwide Holdings, Inc., in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Rhode Island. 
  • Order of Possession: Obtained an order of possession from the Civil Court of the City of New York in favor of a real estate fund in a holdover proceeding to evict a commercial tenant. 
  • Employment Litigation: Obtained a highly favorable settlement for a victim of retaliation under the New York City and New York State Human Rights Laws.
  • SEC Investigation: Represented a publicly traded packaging company in connection with an SEC investigation into accounting irregularities where the SEC closed the investigation without any enforcement action. 
  • Excessive Force: Represented a class of current and former inmates of New York City jails on Rikers Island challenging the unconstitutional use of excessive force by the Department of Correction staff, with a resulting settlement that put in place a comprehensive set of reform measures. 
  • Breach of Contract Litigation: Won a dismissal of breach of contract claims against a foreign sovereign in the District of Columbia and Southern District of New York, and successfully defended the decisions on an appeal to the D.C. and Second Circuits, respectively; involved in all aspects of the case, including drafting all motion to dismiss and appellate briefs.
  • Employment Litigation: Obtained a highly favorable settlement for a victim of age and race discrimination under the New York State Human Rights Law and Title VII; served as lead counsel on the case.
  • Pre-Suit Settlement: Advised a major international energy company in developing a strategy for potential litigation, and ultimately reaching a pre-suit settlement of the dispute with a former joint venture partner. 
  • Foreign Sovereign: Directly advising a foreign sovereign regarding the risk of attachment of assets located in the United States in connection with numerous tort claims pending against the sovereign in various U.S. courts.
  • Employment Litigation: Obtained a highly favorable settlement for a defendant company and its directors and officers in a case alleging breach of contract, defamation, and employment discrimination under the New York City Human Rights Law; served as lead counsel and managed all aspects of the case.

Recognitions

  • 2020–2022, 2024, “Future Star,” New York, listed in Benchmark Litigation
  • 2020–2023, Business Litigation, New York, listed in Super Lawyers
  • 2019, “Top Woman Faculty,” listed in Lawline
  • 2013–2019, “Rising Star,” Business Litigation, New York, listed in Super Lawyers

Affiliations

Memberships

  • International Bar Association
  • New York City Bar Association

Credentials

Admissions

  • New York

Education

  • Harvard Law School, JD, cum laude
  • Arizona State University, BS, summa cum laude