A tenacious and talented client advocate and a well-rounded, experienced litigator, Peter Sartorius has achieved an impressive track record in successfully resolving complex commercial disputes in state and federal courts.
Representing clients large and small across various industries, Peter litigates business disputes and works closely with Olshan colleagues from other practice areas on finding creative ways to avoid litigation in the first place. He has significant experience successfully litigating and resolving commercial disputes, real estate disputes, securities matters, breach of fiduciary duty actions, and shareholder class action lawsuits, among other matters.
Peter’s clients include corporations, private investment funds, commercial property owners and landlords, real estate developers, and individuals. They appreciate his attentiveness, efficiency and ability to craft creative solutions to their problems and benefit from his courtroom experience, in-depth knowledge of the litigation process, and ability to assess and address the complex issues they face.
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Obtained summary judgment dismissing unfair competition claims asserted by a competitor to our client, a well-known global tourism company. Decision affirmed on appeal to the New York Appellate Division – First Department.
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Obtained summary dismissal of state and federal antitrust and multi-million dollar unfair competition claims on behalf of our client, a well-known global tourism company. Decisions affirmed on separate appeals to the New York Appellate Division – First Department and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
- Represented global tourism company in complex, multimillion dollar unfair competition action resulting in favorable jury verdict in Los Angeles Superior Court.
- Represented a hedge fund client seeking rescission of a $3 million stock purchase agreement entered into with a public company on the basis of material misrepresentations made by the company in its offering documents. After a bench trial in the New York Supreme Court, Commercial Division, obtained a final judgment rescinding the stock purchase agreement and awarding damages of more than $3 million to our client.
- Represented a well-known real estate developer in a dispute regarding the ownership and control of a proposed mixed-use development project in Astoria, Queens, with an estimated value exceeding $300 million. The plaintiff sought damages in excess of $15 million and injunctive relief. Obtained full dismissal of all claims against our clients.
- Represented a hedge fund client seeking to enforce its exercise rights under common stock purchase warrants issued by a public company. The matter involved significant expert discovery in the areas of securities regulation, securities valuation, and GAAP. Prepared the case for a bench trial in New York federal district court in less than one year after commencement and achieved a multimillion-dollar judgment and reimbursement of nearly $1 million in attorney’s fees for the client.
- Defended a director of a public company in shareholder class action lawsuits filed in the Delaware Court of Chancery objecting to the fairness of a $120 million merger transaction. Favorably settled the case for our client on the eve of trial. Defended the hedge fund client in a $10 million action commenced by a “fund-of-funds” investor alleging breach of the limited partnership agreement, breach of fiduciary duties, and fraud arising out of our client’s election to suspend redemptions, close fund, and distribute fund assets to investors. Obtained complete prediscovery dismissal of the action; the dismissal was affirmed by the New York Appellate Division and the New York Court of Appeals. The decisions created a New York precedent for enforcement of broad contractual exculpation of fiduciary duties under limited partnership agreements governed by Delaware law.
- Represented owners of a well-known New York City boutique luxury hotel in a dispute with a ground lessee’s lender concerning its purported security interest in the hotel structure and fixtures and improvements therein. Obtained pre-answer dismissal of all claims against our clients.
- Currently representing numerous commercial landlords in disputes with commercial tenants arising out of the parties’ respective contractual obligations in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
- Represented a private equity client in a dispute with a former joint venturer alleging breach of contract and fraud arising out of our client’s investment in overseas mining ventures. The case resulted in a multimillion-dollar settlement in favor of our client reached on the eve of trial.
- Represented a controlling shareholder and directors of a public company in numerous shareholder class action lawsuits filed in a New York state court and Delaware Court of Chancery arising out of a $128 million merger transaction with an affiliate. Cases were dismissed or settled favorably to our clients prior to trial.
- Represented a group of investors in a lawsuit against a well-known film producer alleging breach of contract and fraud arising out of their investment in failed feature film project. Obtained a multimillion-dollar summary judgment for our clients.
- Represented a major entertainment company in licensing and intellectual property disputes in numerous New York state and federal courts.
- Represented a digital gaming company in a lawsuit against its master licensor, an S&P 500 company, in a licensing dispute over a well-known digital gaming franchise in Rhode Island federal district court. The case settled favorably for our client.
- Represented a boutique art gallery in a series of litigations in New York state and federal courts involving ownership of over $10 million in modernist artworks arising out of the closure of the Salander-O’Reily Galleries, frequently described in the media as the “Enron” of the art world.
- Defended a hedge fund client in a $10 million action commenced by a “fund-of-funds” investor alleging breach of a limited partnership agreement, breach of fiduciary duties, and fraud arising out of our client’s election to suspend redemptions, close fund, and distribute fund assets to investors. Obtained a complete prediscovery dismissal of the action; dismissal affirmed by the New York Appellate Division and New York Court of Appeals. The decisions created New York precedent for enforcement of broad contractual exculpation of fiduciary duties under limited partnership agreements governed by Delaware law.
- Defended a hedge fund client in connection with a dispute with a limited partner arising out of our client’s investment strategy, which was alleged to have resulted in the loss of millions of dollars in value in the wake of the 2009 financial crisis.
- Represented private equity client in New York federal district court action seeking recovery of $2 million invested with a private investment fund alleged to be operating as a fraudulent enterprise.
News
Honors & Recognitions
- Named a “Rising Star” by New York Metro Super Lawyers, 2012 – 2019
Blog Posts
Practice Areas
Education
J.D., Duke University School of Law, 2006
- Articles Editor, Law & Contemporary Problems
- Commentaries Editor, Duke Journal of Constitutional Law and Public Policy
B.A., summa cum laude, University of Missouri, 2003
- Member, Phi Beta Kappa
Admissions
- New York
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
