John Reilly is a commercial trial lawyer with more than 35 years’ experience. John serves as lead counsel in federal trial and appellate litigation throughout the United States involving antitrust, price-fixing conspiracies, monopoly, commercial and real estate disputes, RICO actions, class actions, as well as arbitrations in both US and global forums. In addition, John has been an arbitrator and counsel in numerous arbitrations involving commercial disputes, international disputes and New York Stock Exchange proceedings including several FINRA arbitrations of claims relating to securities and other investments. He has also advised and counseled clients regarding joint venture arrangements in several industries including airline and shipping, and with respect to re-sale price maintenance programs, as well as in grand jury antitrust investigations into the shipping industry.

John served as a captain in the United States Marine Corps from 1967 to 1971, with a tour of duty in the Republic of Vietnam.

He is the author of “Wind Farms and The Law Of The Sea,” which appeared on Law360 February 15, 2011 and examines the prospects for ratification of the Law of the Sea Treaty in light of wind energy project development in the United States.

He serves as co-chair of the Maritime Committee of the Public Utility, Communications and Transportation Law Section of the American Bar Association and as a director of The Ireland-U.S. Council for Commerce & Industry, Inc. John is a member of the American Bar Association Section of Litigation and former chair of the New York County Lawyers’ Association Committee on Admiralty and Maritime Law.

As he has been since 2009, John is named a 2011 Super Lawyer, a distinction honoring the top five percent of lawyers in New York.

Representative Experience

• Serving as lead defense counsel in a multimillion-dollar suit in which the court held that the statue of limitations was not tolled and the suit on a promissory note was time-barred when the subordination provision established priority between senior and subordinated note-holders but did not restrict the plaintiff note holder’s right to bring suit against the defendant at an earlier date. Appeal to the New York Court of Appeals was denied, and the US Supreme Court denied certiorari.
• Serving as lead defense counsel in M/V Summer Meadow litigation tried in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York and involving claims arising out of a collision between the M/V Summer Meadow and a fishing vessel off the east coast of the US.
• Serving as lead defense counsel in a two-week trial in the US District Court in the Southern District of New York resulting in a defense verdict on a multimillion-dollar claim for liquidated damages arising out of an alleged breach of a maintenance covenant.
• Serving as lead defense counsel in an arbitration resulting in a favorable decision regarding a claim for more than US$25 million under UNCITRAL rules.
• Serving as lead defense counsel in obtaining dismissal on motion in a US$66 million dollar claim in New York Supreme Court, subsequently offered in the Appellate Division.
• Serving as lead counsel in defense of multiple class action suits in federal courts in New Jersey and California alleging environmental damages and business disruption.
• Serving as lead defense counsel in the Nautilus litigation tried in the US District Court for the District of New Jersey and involving a massive oil spill resulting from the grounding of the vessel in the Kill van Kull between Staten Island and New Jersey. The trial court's decision, after a seven week trial, is reported at 900 F.Supp. 697 (D.N.J. 1995), 862 F. Supp. 1251 (D.N.J. 1994), aff'd 95 F.3d 105 (3d Cir. 1996). The maritime limitation proceeding included several class action suits by individuals and business, and claims asserted by the federal government and state and local governments.  
• Serving as lead defense counsel in the American Trader litigation involving both state and federal court actions, including a maritime limitation proceeding in the US District Court for the Central District of California and several class actions, arising out of an oil spill from a vessel attempting to berth at a single point mooring system at Huntington Beach. Environmental claims and certain business disruption claims were tried in state court in California, other environmental claims were asserted by the federal government, businesses and fisherman, and business disruption claims were subject to the maritime limitation proceeding. One aspect of the case is reported at 190 F.R.D. 649 (C.D. CA, 2000).
• Serving as lead defense counsel in litigation involving allegations of theft of trade secrets and breach of employee covenants not to compete.