Jeffrey (Jeff) A. Soble is a partner and litigation lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP. His practice focuses on product liability, commercial disputes between businesses, class action defense, post-transaction disputes, construction losses, and general contract and tort law.
He is experienced in supply chain management and contract enforcement, in particular with limited or sole-source suppliers and just-in-time suppliers. He has further experience in the litigation of insurance coverage claims. Jeff is a member of the Business Litigation & Dispute Resolution Practice and former co-chair of the Automotive Industry Team.
He is a member of the American Arbitration Association’s Roster of Neutrals. Jeff is the co-editor of Dashboard Insights, the Automotive Industry Team blog, which was named to the ABA Journal’s Blawg 100 in 2016. His varied clientele includes manufacturers (light and heavy), distributors, service providers, and technology companies.
Representative Experience :
- Defense judgment in bench trial obtained in favor of insurance brokerage firm defeating claims for breach of contract. Case affirmed on appeal. Altman Mgmt. Co. v. AON Risk Ins. Servs. W., Inc., No. 328593, 2016 WL 5122109 (Mich. Ct. App. Sept. 20, 2016), appeal denied, 893 N.W.2d 632 (Mich. 2017).
- Attained a Temporary Restraining Order on behalf of Tier 1 automotive supplier client against its customer OEM compelling the OEM to conduct a recall of certain vehicles to replace certain emissions related components.
- Obtaining a jury verdict in a premises liability matter for a leading national retailer. Plaintiff claimed permanent head injuries and sought $6.5 million. As liability was admitted, the matter only concerned damages. The jury awarded Plaintiff $150,000. After setoff from a settling defendant, the client’s liability was reduced below $65,000 – less than the last settlement offer before trial and only 1% of plaintiff’s claimed damages.
- Successfully obtaining a Preliminary Injunction against a former employee after he nefariously obtained confidential and trade secret information from the client after the employee’s termination.
- An award of $13.09 million on behalf of a private equity client in a post-transaction working capital adjustment arbitration.
- Successfully obtaining a $2.55 million arbitration award in a post-transaction working capital adjustment for a scrap metal recycling client.
- The victorious defense through the granting of a motion for judgment on the pleadings prior to the start of discovery in defense of a purported consumer class action against a large international retailer.
- The defeat of a Motion for Class Certification in the defense of a heavy equipment manufacturer in a purported nationwide class action lawsuit alleging breach of express and implied warranties, and negligent misrepresentation.
- The granting of class certification in a pro bono habeus corpus proceeding in an action challenging the indefinite detention of foreign citizens ordered removed from the United States. Kazarov v. Achim, No. 02 C 5097, 2003 WL 22956006 (N.D.Ill. Dec. 12, 2003).
- The winning defense through the granting of judgment after a bench trial of a contested $33 million breach of contract and express warranty claim. Judgment affirmed, In re Comdisco, Inc., 434 F.3d 963 (7th Cir. 2006).
- Obtaining summary judgment in a class action lawsuit on behalf of a corporation alleged to have violated its Articles of Incorporation. In re Sunstates Corp. Shareholder Litigation, 788 A.2d 570 (Del. Ch. 2001).
Education :
A 1996 cum laude graduate of the Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Jeff was a member of Loyola’s National Champion Trial Competition Team and received the George A. Spiegelberg Award presented to the Best Oral Advocate at the competition by the American College of Trial Lawyers, as well as the Loyola Academic Achievement Award in Appellate Advocacy.
Admissions and Professional Memberships :
Jeff is admitted to practice in the State of Illinois. He is admitted to practice in the following additional jurisdictions: the USDC for the Northern and Central Districts of Illinois, the USDC for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, the USDC for the Eastern District of Michigan, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth and Seventh Circuits.
He is a member of the Trial Bar of the Northern District of Illinois. As a result of his national practice and having represented clients on a regional and national basis both directly and in coordinating litigation, Jeff has been admitted pro hac vice in many state and federal courts around the country.
Cost
Rate : $$$