Jeffrey J. Zeiger
Professional Profile
Jeffrey Zeiger is a litigation partner in Kirkland's Chicago office. He has extensive experience in complex commercial litigation matters in federal and state trial and appellate courts throughout the United States, including antitrust, contract, fiduciary duty, products liability, restructuring, and securities fraud cases. He also counsels clients with respect to contract and commercial disputes.
Representative Matters
JPMorgan v. Solutia: Trial counsel for Solutia in suit alleging that Solutia engaged in bad faith by stripping $450 million of bonds of their secured status when Solutia knew that a bankruptcy filing was imminent. Three-week bench trial before the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. Obtained judgment for Solutia on all counts.
In re Solutia: Represented Solutia Inc. and its affiliates in litigation matters and negotiations with various constituencies in their chapter 11 cases before the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. Cases involved complex legacy liability issues, including mass tort, environmental, retiree, pension, and indemnification issues. Solutia successfully emerged from chapter 11 in February 2008.
Ferro v. Solutia: Lead counsel for Solutia in suit alleging that Solutia failed to convey certain property to Ferro under an asset purchase agreement. Case pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.
City of St. Louis v. Philip Morris: Represent Brown & Williamson in billion dollar health care cost recovery action. Case pending in the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis, Missouri.
DBCP Litigation: Represent The Dow Chemical Company with respect to mass tort claims brought by Latin American workers for personal injuries as a result of alleged exposure to Dow's DBCP product. Obtained dismissal of plaintiffs' attempt to enforce a $480 million Nicaraguan judgment in Franco v. The Dow Chemical Company, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Dismissal affirmed by Ninth Circuit. Action seeking to enforce $97 million Nicaraguan judgment pending in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Morefield v. Exelon Corporation, et al.: Trial counsel for defendants in one of the first cases to be tried under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act's "whistleblower" provision. Two-week trial before a U.S. Department of Labor Administrative Law Judge. Case settled on confidential terms.
Rao v. BP Products North America Inc.: Represented BP Products in dealer termination suit under Petroleum Marketing Practices Act before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Obtained dismissal or summary judgment for BP Products on all counts. Representing BP Products in appeal before Seventh Circuit.
Wayne v. BP Oil Supply Company: Represented BP Oil in class action filed on behalf of all California gasoline consumers under California's Unfair Competition Law that alleged BP Oil improperly manipulated the price of Alaska North Slope crude oil. Obtained judgment on pleadings for BP Oil before Superior Court of Los Angeles County. Second District Court of Appeal affirmed.
DeLoach v. Philip Morris, et al.: Represented Brown & Williamson in putative class action brought on behalf of 500,000 U.S. tobacco farmers and quota holders alleging a conspiracy among cigarette manufacturers and leaf dealers to fix the price of leaf tobacco sold at auction. Plaintiffs claimed damages of more than $1 billion before trebling. After extensive pretrial proceedings, case settled on favorable terms.
In re Midway Games Inc. Securities Litigation: Represented Midway Games Inc. in purported securities fraud class action. Obtained dismissal of all claims before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Shaev v. Redstone: Represented Midway Games Inc. in suit alleging breach of fiduciary duty claims in connection with Sumner Redstone's purchase of majority of Midway's common stock. Obtained dismissal of all claims before the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois.
City of Westerville v. 3M: Represented 3M in alleged toxic tort action brought by school district in Ohio in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. Obtained favorable settlement for client.
Publications
Mentioned in "Diary of a Deal," Bankruptcy Court Decisions Weekly News & Comment, April 1, 2008
Seminars
Guest Lecturer, New York University School of Law, "Negotiating Complex Transactions in Corporate Restructurings" (Fall 2007)
Prior Experience
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Commercial Litigation Associate, October 2002 to October 2007
Courts
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth, Seventh, and Ninth CircuitsU.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
Supreme Court of Illinois
