Roy C. Cheatwood

Successfully defended a national bond insurer before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana and the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals against claims brought by a Louisiana hospital over a $350 million bond issuance alleging bad faith breach of contract, negligent misrepresentation, abuse of right, and related business torts, ultimately prevailing on appeal pursuant to a unanimous three-judge decision affirming the trial court's dismissal of the entirety of the plaintiff hospital's suit with prejudice.

Successfully defended a client in an $18 million lawsuit filed in federal court alleging violations of federal securities laws, state law fraud and intentional misrepresentation concerning the client's purchase of the plaintiffs' interest in a company formed after the Deepwater Horizon explosion in 2010 to employ unique centrifuge technology to separate oil from water to assist oil spill remediation efforts in the Gulf.

Lead trial counsel in a bellwether case in a multi-district litigation comprising tens of thousands of individual lawsuits alleging injuries due to formaldehyde exposure while living in FEMA trailers following the devastation from Hurricane Katrina. After two-week federal jury trial, won a unanimous verdict in favor of our client dismissing all claims and removing them from third bellwether case.

Defended a major integrated health care system against dozens of claims seeking damages in excess of $300 million for the alleged breach of management and consulting contracts. The case involved every facet of health care delivery, including health care system management, hospital operations, quality of care, academic interests, community service obligations, fiduciary duties, and operations of profit versus non-profit health care systems. Our efforts resulted in a favorable settlement for our client.

Successfully defended a leading international bond insurer in a suit before the Western District of Louisiana against claims for fraud, conspiracy to defraud, unfair business practices, negligent misrepresentation and other intentional and non-intentional business torts seeking more than $1.1 billion in damages based on allegations that the insurer, individually and in concert with various investors and other credit insurers, sought to force the plaintiff hospital system into a default on a series of conduit financing bonds used to develop integrated and stand-alone facilities within the plaintiff's system.

Successfully defended an international disaster recovery and remediation company in an $85 million suit in the Middle District of Florida against civil claims asserted under the RICO Act, as well as for fraud, civil conspiracy, tortious interference and related business torts involving alleged conspiratorial misconduct with the plaintiffs' insurers and adjusters, third-party construction managers and others related to property damage claims for nine beach front hotels stemming from hurricanes Charlie, Francis and Jeanne.