Commercial Litigation

Hecker Fink lawyers are experienced commercial litigators, representing clients across a wide range of industries, from large financial institutions and global law firms to Fortune 500 companies, tech startups, healthcare companies, media companies, universities, sports leagues and players, and nationally prominent individuals. We guide our clients through commercial disputes involving contracts, partnership issues, class actions, employment, securities, trade secrets, consumer protection, and more. We champion our clients’ interests in litigation, arbitration, and mediation, and routinely try cases to verdict, defend verdicts on appeal, and deliver victories for our clients at the earliest stages of litigation, including favorable settlements.

Hecker Fink has been recognized by Chambers for its exceptional work in general commercial litigation, earning a place among the top-ranked firms in this practice area. Clients commend the firm’s approach, noting that our lawyers are “incredibly easy to work with. They vigorously and aggressively defend their clients’ interests in a way that is respectful of others but inspires respect and confidence in everybody they come across.” Another client described Hecker Fink as “a strong team with strong leadership.”

Chambers also ranks partners Sean Hecker, John Quinn, and Gabrielle Tenzer for their commercial litigation work. Sources describe Sean as “a great trial lawyer, great strategist and terrific writer” who is “capable of taking the most complex and challenging cases to trial.” Gabrielle is recognized for handling a broad range of commercial litigation disputes for clients across the healthcare, finance and telecoms sectors. John is praised as "strategic" and litigating “in the most creative way imaginable.”

Representative Commercial Litigation Matters

• Representation of a leading boutique asset manager pursuing fraud and breach of representation and warranty claims relating to a nine-figure acquisition of direct-mail marketing companies, with trial scheduled for summer 2026.
• Representation of Alaska Airlines in multiple large commercial disputes, including in a Section 1782 proceeding against Delta Airlines, where Alaska Airlines seeks discovery and testimony in aid of ongoing trademark claims against Virgin Group in the UK.
• Representation of Uber in a wide range of matters, including constitutional challenges to various municipal statutes and rules in jurisdictions from New York City to Los Angeles.
• Representation of Australian billionaire Andrew Forrest in high-profile case against Meta, in which Meta’s Communications Decency Action (CDA) Section 230 defense was rejected at the pleading stage, and discovery into Meta’s ad tools has been ordered.
• Representation of Major League Baseball (MLB) in defending a class action suit brought by FTX customers asserting securities fraud claims based on MLB’s advertising relationship with FTX.
• Advising several large tech companies on a range of issues including subscription disclosures, content moderation, and algorithmic pricing.
• Representation of investment adviser and asset-backed lender in multi-million dollar indemnification dispute in the Commercial Division of New York Supreme Court.
• Representation of global law firm Dechert in multiple lawsuits and related proceedings, including a large civil RICO action in the Southern District of New York alleging a criminal scheme to hack a client’s adversary’s emails, publish and use some of the hacked material, and cover up the scheme, where we secured favorable rulings dismissing all claims and successfully resolved all matters.
• Representation of Milbank LLP in lawsuit alleging violation of Judiciary Law § 487 and breach of fiduciary duty, where all claims were dismissed, leave to amend denied, and the decisions affirmed on appeal.
• Representation of global law firm in a confidential arbitration against its insurer and obtained favorable award after two-day arbitration trial.
• Representation of a market making firm in an action against a high frequency crypto trading firm for misappropriation and use of trade secrets, tortious interference with business relationships, and unfair competition, among other claims, including successfully defeating a motion to dismiss the complaint.
• Representation of two scientists in connection with a trade secrets case brought by their former employer, a biotechnology company.
• Representation of French financial institution Natixis in a $1 billion residential mortgage-backed securities repurchase case, engineering a highly favorable resolution that resulted in voluntary dismissal of all claims against the institution.
• Representation of Nielsen ratings in an action brought by a television network claiming that certain COVID-related television ratings issues constituted fraud and breach of contract. Obtained dismissal without prejudice of the initial complaint, and a dismissal with prejudice of the amended complaint and then asserted and negotiated a favorable resolution on our client’s counterclaims.
• Representation of online provider for short-and-long term homestays in multiple federal lawsuits, including a putative class action that was dismissed and a constitutional challenge to data disclosure demands that was preliminarily enjoined and then resolved.
• Representation of prominent boutique hotel developer in high-profile business dispute, including multiple court and arbitration proceedings, forging favorable resolution.
• Representation of startup founder in multiple business and personal disputes, and negotiated favorable resolutions.
• Representation of professional golfers James Hahn, Kevin Kisner, and Cameron Young, and agent Mark Steinberg in connection with third-party subpoenas in the matter of Jones et al. v. PGA Tour, Inc., in which LIV Golf and others alleged breach of contract, antitrust, and other violations on the part of the PGA Tour.
• Representation of prominent rap artist in contractual dispute with agency and management company, and successfully obtained pre-filing resolution.
• Representation of multiple celebrities including Gigi Hadid, Ariana Grande, and Jennifer Lopez in copyright infringement cases brought by paparazzi photographers.
• Negotiated a complex settlement to several contract disputes relating to the management of a prominent art estate.
• Representation of one of the largest U.S. life insurance companies in a contract dispute concerning a highly complex reinsurance transaction. Following a three-day arbitration, the firm secured a complete victory for our client.
• Representation of government and commercial services company in a False Claims Act case alleging false billing on a contract performed for the U.S. Government in Afghanistan, persuading the Government not to intervene and securing dismissal of most of the plaintiff’s claims.
• Representation of university in securing dismissals of multiple lawsuits, which alleged that the university had not fulfilled its obligations under Title IX or the New York State or New York City Human Rights Laws.