Justin J. Santolli

Justin Santolli is a litigation special counsel resident in Fried Frank's New York office. He joined the firm in 2010.

Justin has litigated a wide variety of complex commercial, financial, and securities disputes at both the trial and appellate levels. He represents financial institutions, corporations, and individuals in disputes arising from commercial real estate-related matters, including partnership and joint venture disputes, complex commercial real estate mortgage foreclosures and UCC foreclosures, construction-related disputes, and guaranty-related litigation. 

Work highlights:

• The owner of a hotel chain in a dispute with its joint venture partner, a well-known Manhattan developer, in a week-long arbitration, where the arbitrator ruled that the developer would have to pay virtually all of the costs at issue, and awarded our client its attorney's fees, expert fees, and arbitration expenses.
• Richard D. Cohen of Capital Properties in connection with a claim under a non-recourse carve-out guaranty.
• Princeton Holdings LLC and Joseph Tabak in connection with litigation in the Commercial Division of New York State Supreme Court related to a portfolio of 14 Manhattan properties.
• A leading real estate investor in connection with a dispute with his joint venture partner regarding investments in several development projects in New York and New Jersey.
• Real estate developers in connection with disputes with municipalities regarding development rights.

Justin also has substantial experience representing clients in shareholder class action lawsuits and has represented public and private companies, as well as their officers and directors, in all forms of litigation arising out of transactional matters.

Work highlights:

• Representing multiple underwriters in connection with private securities litigation arising from the initial public offering of a leading business intelligence and marketing company.
• Representing Navios Maritime Holdings and its Board of Directors in connection with shareholder litigation arising out its tender offer for preferred stockholders.
• Representing companies and investment banks in connection with aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty claims alleged in shareholder litigation in the Delaware Court of Chancery.
• Representing companies and individuals in disputes arising out of non-competition and non-solicitation covenants.
• Representing investment banks in state and federal civil litigations concerning residential mortgage-backed securities.

Justin devotes a substantial amount of his time to pro bono work, with a focus on representing indigent criminal defendants in proceedings in the Southern District of New York and New York State courts. Justin was a member of a team of Fried Frank attorneys that represented Lawyers for Children and the Children's Law Center as amici in Brooke B. v. Elizabeth A.C.C. before the New York Court of Appeals.

Justin was recognized by Super Lawyers as a top rated business litigation attorney and a rising star in 2017.