Gabor Balassa

Gabor Balassa is a senior litigation partner and trial lawyer. Gabor has successfully tried significant commercial disputes in federal and state courts and in arbitrations across the country, including in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Pittsburgh, Tampa, and Wilmington.

He represents a diverse client base, ranging from big-four accounting firms, to oil & gas, telecommunications, and pharmaceutical companies, to private-equity firms.

Gabor’s broad experience encompasses class actions, accounting malpractice, breach of contract, fiduciary-breach, common-law and securities fraud, fraudulent transfer, and non-compete matters. He was recently commended in The Legal 500 for his trial work in the energy space.

Education:

• Columbia University School of Law, J.D., 1997
• Columbia University, B.A., Economics and Political Science, 1994

Clerkship : Law Clerk to the Hon. Shira A. Scheindlin, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

Admissions : 1997, Illinois

Representative Matters:

• Private Equity Litigation (M.D. Fla.). Trial counsel for private-equity firm in billion-dollar lawsuit involving claims for fiduciary breach, conspiracy to defraud, and fraudulent transfer. Obtained complete defense verdict following three-week trial.
• Corporate-Opportunity Litigation (Dallas, Tex.). Trial counsel for private-equity firm in six-week jury trial on $700 million claims alleging aiding and abetting and conspiracy to breach fiduciary duties. Case resolved before closing arguments.
• Accounting Malpractice Lawsuit (Tulsa, Okla.). Trial counsel for big-four accounting firm in malpractice lawsuit asserted by litigation trustee of one of the country’s largest private midstream oil companies, claiming $2 billion in losses. Resolved shortly before trial.
• Property-Preservation Litigation (D. Md.). Obtained dismissal of all class claims against country’s largest property-preservation service provider.
• Accounting Malpractice Arbitration (Pittsburgh, Pa.). Trial counsel for big-four accounting firm against $500 million claim that the auditors should have uncovered insider fraud at beverage manufacturer that filed for bankruptcy. Ruling for the defendant on all claims.
• General Growth Properties Bankruptcy Litigation (S.D.N.Y.). Trial counsel for “bankruptcy-remote” debtors whose bankruptcy filings were challenged as having been made in bad faith. After trial, in a landmark decision on the bad-faith standard, the court rejected those challenges. Also lead litigation counsel representing debtors in connection with confirmation of their plans of reorganization, covering more than $15 billion of secured debt.
• Groundwater Contamination Class Action (Goshen, Ind.). Trial counsel for national gasoline retailer in class action alleging station had contaminated groundwater under surrounding neighborhood. Plaintiffs settled three weeks before trial.