A seasoned trial lawyer and legal troubleshooter, Chris helps closely held companies, including many family businesses, mitigate the risks of litigation, resolve disputes and navigate operational challenges.

With a focus on construction, employment, ownership, fiduciary, post-acquisition and contract disputes, Chris regularly handles and litigates matters in Pennsylvania and Delaware state courts and through the American Arbitration Association. He is a zealous advocate who is dedicated to finding efficient resolutions that enable clients to move beyond the dispute at hand and achieve their business goals.

Chris also serves in an outside general counsel role to many of his clients, helping them develop pragmatic measures that lessen the likelihood of lawsuits on an enterprise-wide and project-specific basis. He often assists with a broad range of day-to-day issues, including employment matters, contract management/compliance, compensation issues, collections, governance issues and risk mitigation.

When Chris takes on a matter, he always starts by listening to his clients. He immerses himself in their business and industry in order to tailor his advice to their unique needs. 

Litigation

In his litigation practice, Chris helps businesses resolve internal disputes involving owners, directors, employees and stockholders as well as external disputes with outside contractors, customers and other entities with which they do business. He also provides proactive counsel on steps companies can take to avoid litigation.

Companies in the construction and solar energy industries rely on Chris to find effective, practical resolutions to disputes involving delays, defective services and materials, property damage and payment problems.

A skilled negotiator, Chris is adept at reaching favorable settlements that advance his clients’ commercial goals. When litigation is the only option, he is tenacious and resourceful, defending his clients and protecting their vital interests in court. He handles matters involving:

• Breach of contract claims
• Construction defects and delays
• Warranty claims
• Payment and collection disputes
• Partnership disputes and dissolutions
• Breach of fiduciary duty claims
• Post-acquisition disputes
• Investment-related disputes
• Employment-related claims

Select Matters

• Serves an outside general counsel role for a large roofing company and manages disputes/compliance relating to warranty coverage, payment disputes, employment issues, vendor management, compliance, and contract matters.
• Litigated, as first chair in an AAA arbitration proceeding, and settled a construction dispute involving a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) contract, delay claims (by both owner and the contractor), and claims relating to defective construction work, including stormwater management issues.
• Litigated, as second chair in a hearing before an Administrative Hearing Officer, a $5 million differing site conditions claim on behalf of a contractor against a public entity relating to subsurface differing site conditions encountered by the contractor after commencing work. A decision on this claim remains pending.
• Litigated and resolved multiple disputes on behalf of owners involving defective and/or incomplete work by site contractors on residential developments in Chester County, Montgomery County and Bucks County, PA.
• Litigated and resolved multiple cases in Pennsylvania (on behalf of homeowners and contractors) involving claims of breach of warranty and violation of Pennsylvania’s Home Improvement Contractor Protection Act and Unfair Trade Practices Consumer Protection Law.
• Litigated and settled a post-acquisition dispute involving earn-out compensation owed to our client (a home health care agency) and allegations that our clients violated restrictive covenants (non-compete and non-solicit restrictions). The case involved an injunction proceeding in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and resulted in a favorable settlement early in the litigation process.
• Litigated several disputes involving the breakup of a family-owned HVAC business. The dispute is ongoing and has involved numerous allegations of solicitation of customers in violation of restrictive covenants as well as other alleged anti-competitive conduct.
• Negotiated a favorable pre-litigation resolution for a minority owner and executive of a family-owned, Pennsylvania-based fire equipment supplier related to the sale of the company to a third party. The dispute, with other family members regarding the ownership and management of the company, involved claims of excessive compensation and breach of fiduciary duty.
• Secured a court-ordered stock sale that allowed clients to recoup more than $1 million invested in medical technology companies controlled by an individual who was later charged with running a Ponzi scheme. Initially negotiated a favorable settlement agreement that was breached, leading to execution proceedings that ended with the court-ordered sale of the debtor’s stock in a third-party company in Delaware.
• Obtained a favorable outcome for the 50% owners of a company in the particle sizing industry involving the redemption of the clients’ stock following an arbitration proceeding. Asserted claims of shareholder oppression and breach of fiduciary duty on the client’s behalf in connection with the other owners’ management and control of the company.
• Negotiated a favorable settlement for the 50% owners of a medical marijuana operation in an ownership and management dispute involving claims of breach of fiduciary duty, including self-dealing and unauthorized corporate actions. The matter involved emergency injunction proceedings and an arbitration.
• Litigated and resolved several claims by employees against a grocery store chain. These claims were litigated and settled at the administrative level with the Delaware Department of Labor or the Pennsylvania Department of Labor.

View a full list of representative engagements.