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Craig S. Kesch

Partner

212-412-9522

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Craig Kesch is a Partner in the firm’s Business Litigation, Professional Liability Defense, Securities Litigation, and Real Estate Litigation Practices.

Versatile Litigator and Tireless Defender

Mr. Kesch is an accomplished, seasoned litigator focused on high-stakes commercial disputes, particularly those related to contracts, partnerships, intellectual property, professional liability, real estate, and financial fraud. Corporate counsel, business owners, and high-net-worth individuals trust Mr. Kesch to protect their companies, recover funds, and defend their reputations. A formidable trial attorney, he is also skilled in arbitration and mediation and negotiation of favorable settlements for his clients.

Prior to joining Ganfer Shore Leeds & Zauderer as a Partner, Mr. Kesch had been a Partner at Flemming Zulack Williamson Zauderer. He began his career at Cahill Gordon & Reindel.

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REPRESENTATIVE CASES

  • Achieved judgment of liability on behalf of co-founder of a popular boutique hotel in Manhattan. Upheld on appeal. Damages sought will be in excess of $50 million dollars
  • Resolved multiple litigations concerning more than 20 properties owned by a prominent real estate family
  • Negotiated non-prosecution agreements for directors of feeder fund involved in Madoff securities fraud
  • Won jury verdict on behalf of an international bank that sought remuneration against the purchaser of a $48 million bond portfolio
  • Represented film production company and achieved settlement shortly before trial was to begin in S.D.N.Y.
  • Represented investor who claimed her broker took advantage of her and failed to act in her best interests
  • Representing law firm against its former partner in litigation that has spanned more than 20 years
  • Represented hedge fund in connection with claims following financial collapse
  • Defended national law firm in a professional liability action concerning claims regarding stranger-owned life insurance transactions
  • Represented prominent satellite television distributor in litigation concerning interpretation of contractual provisions with content providers estimated to be worth upwards of $40 million
  • Successfully negotiated settlement for the largest commercial tenant in a local industrial yard that resolved litigations in two New York State courts
  • Represented New York law firm in a breach of contract action seeking approximately $40 million for representation of client in connection with the dissolution of a commercial real-estate empire
  • Represented one of the nation’s largest providers of consumer loans and credit cards, and several of its senior officers and former directors, in one of the country’s largest federal securities class actions to date, one of only a handful to be tried since the enactment of the PSLRA
  • Represented an underwriter of IPOs in a price-fixing lawsuit brought by two classes of plaintiffs against over 20 defendants, in a complex case involving analyses of antitrust suits in related industries, price fixing allegations based on parallel pricing and class certification
  • Represented the largest commercial and residential roofing manufacturer in the United States in a RICO, antitrust and tort action arising from allegations concerning the handling of asbestos litigation
  • Represented a leading manufacturer in a contract dispute over patent royalties, resulting in one of the largest jury verdicts in a contract action in the United States
  • Defended product manufacturer against suit for damages sought by worker who was not properly trained and where machine was not properly inspected
  • Representation of a prominent real estate investment and management partnership in arbitration proceedings and litigations involving condominium hotels in Florida

EDUCATION

  • New York University School of Law (J.D., 2001), Order of the Barristers
  • University of Pennsylvania (B.A., 1998), magna cum laude

ADMISSIONS

  • New York (2002)
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (2003)
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York (2003)
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit (2018)
  • U.S. Supreme Court (2017)

MEMBERSHIPS

  • Co-Chair, Supreme Court Committee, New York County Lawyers Association, 2015-present
  • Member, Federal Courts Committee, New York County Lawyers Association
  • Member, In-House/Outside Counsel Committee, New York County Lawyers Association
  • Member, Commercial and Federal Litigation Section, New York State Bar Association
  • Member, Judiciary Committee, New York City Bar Association
  • Member, Federal Bar Council