Christopher E. Buckey heads the firm’s Commercial Litigation department. He represents businesses, municipalities, and individuals in complex commercial disputes, employment litigation, shareholder and partner disputes, construction litigation, trade secret, and non-competition covenant litigation, and litigation involving constitutional and civil rights. Christopher has extensive trial and appellate experience in state and federal courts throughout New York, including the New York State Court of Appeals, and has been lead trial and appellate counsel for a regional supermarket chain and the owner and operator of retail shopping center in premises liability and construction litigations.
Christopher recently represented a real estate developer as lead trial and appellate counsel in a high-profile dispute with a municipality arising out of a $350 million mixed-use development project. He obtained a dismissal of both of the municipality’s lawsuits against the developer, recovered more than $1 million for the developer, and successfully litigated a specific performance claim related to the municipality’s breach of the parties’ underlying agreement.
Christopher has also successfully litigated Article 78 proceedings and related appeals on behalf of New York Counties seeking recovery of Medicaid reimbursements from the State of New York, recovering in excess of $25 million for those counties, and he has significant constitutional litigation experience which includes securing dismissal of a controversial lawsuit against a retail shopping center and municipality involving free speech and equal protection claims under the New York State Constitution.