Walter Rieman

A partner in the Litigation Department, Walter Rieman focuses his practice on civil litigation arising from securities-related disputes, other commercial disputes, and disputes concerning governmental regulation. His practice has recently included a range of matters related to disclosure and fraud-related issues, fiduciary duties, mergers, corporate governance, commercial contracts, and federal and state regulatory issues. He has argued appeals before the Second, Seventh, and Ninth Circuits, before New York’s Appellate Division, and before the New York Court of Appeals.

Experience

Walter has litigated many individual, derivative, and class actions raising securities-related claims under federal and state law. He has also litigated many other commercial disputes, including contract-based claims, product liability claims, and other tort claims. He has frequently participated in litigating challenges to class certification, including constitutionally based challenges, and other challenges by defendants to various forms of consolidated or mass actions. In addition to his work on private litigations, Walter's experience as a business litigator has included the representation of defendants in actions brought by regulators before federal and state courts and administrative agencies, including the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Walter has represented both private clients and governmental entities in a number of matters concerning statutory or constitutional constraints on governmental regulation. Walter also has extensive experience involving distressed sovereign debt.

Walter recently briefed and argued appeals in Janes v. Triborough Bridge & Tunnel Authority, No. 13‑4377, 2014 WL 7331578 (2d Cir. Dec. 24, 2014) (affirming summary judgment dismissing claims against our client the Metropolitan Transportation Authority alleging that certain tolls violated the Commerce Clause and other provisions of the U.S. Constitution), aff'g 977 F. Supp. 2d 320 (S.D.N.Y. 2013) (decision granting summary judgment, which Walter also briefed and argued); St. Stephen's School v.PricewaterhouseCoopers Accountants N.V., 570 F. App'x 37 (2d Cir. 2014) (vacating and remanding class certification order in securities-related action against our clients The Citco Group Limited and affiliates); NML Capital, Ltd.  v. Republic of Argentina, 952 N.E.2d 482 (N.Y. 2011) (awarding substantial additional interest to our clients on their holdings of defaulted sovereign debt); Assured Guar. (U.K.) Ltd. v. J.P. Morgan Inv. Mgmt,. 962 N.E.2d 765 (N.Y. 2012); Kagan v. HMC-N.Y., Inc., 100 A.D.3d 468 (1st Dep't 2012); and Kagan  v. HMC-N.Y., Inc., 94 A.D.3d 67 (1st Dep't), appeal dismissed, 973 N.E.2d 182 (N.Y. 2012). He briefed and argued the appeal in AHW Investment Partnership  v. Citigroup Inc., No. 13‑4488 (2d Cir.); we are awaiting the Second Circuit's decision. In that securities-related action, he obtained a judgment from the district court dismissing so-called "holder" claims against our client. See 980 F. Supp. 2d 510 (S.D.N.Y. 2013). He is a principal author of other recent appellate briefs, including briefs filed in the Supreme Court of the United States.

Practices

• Litigation
• Securities Litigation
• White Collar Crime & Regulatory Defense
  

Education

• J.D., New York University School of Law, 1984
• B.A., Yale University, 1981

Clerkship

• Hon. Patricia M. Wald, U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia

Bar Admissions

• New York
• California

See Library Tab for articles, publications and presentations by Walter Rieman