Christopher M. Joralemon is a partner in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He is a member of several Gibson Dunn Practice Groups, including Securities Litigation, Trials, and White Collar Defense and Investigations. Since 2014, Christopher has served as Chair of the New York Community Affairs Committee, Pro Bono Chair of the New York Office, and as a member of Gibson Dunn's Global Pro Bono Committee.
Christopher represents multinational companies, financial institutions, and senior executives in complex trial and appellate litigation, regulatory proceedings, and internal investigations. He currently serves as lead counsel for Vale S.A., one of the world's largest mining companies, in a billion-dollar securities class action filed in the wake of catastrophic mining accident in Brazil. He also currently represents Kraft Foods Group, Inc. and Mondelez Global LLC in a federal class action asserting Commodity Exchange Act and antitrust claims based on an alleged wheat futures market manipulation.
Christopher has successfully defended a wide range of clients in some of the most noteworthy cases of the last twenty-five years. For example, he was a key member of the Gibson Dunn trial team that successfully prosecuted a RICO action on behalf of Chevron Corporation to block enforcement of a fraudulent $9 billion judgment in the widely covered “case of the century.”
Christopher also recently served as co-lead trial counsel for Investcorp, a world-leading manager of alternative investments, in a $500 million negligent misrepresentation lawsuit brought by a failed hedge fund. Following a three-week bench trial in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Christopher and his colleagues achieved a complete defense verdict in favor of Investcorp.
He also compiled a perfect record over eight years in defending leading global asset management firm Trust Company of the West ("TCW") against a series of unrelated post-financial crisis lawsuits stemming from investment losses in multi-billion-dollar structured finance transactions. In the crowning achievement of that run, the New York Appellate Division (First Department)—in a virtually unprecedented ruling—granted TCW summary judgment against two now-defunct Australian hedge funds based on their failure to rebut TCW's showing that the global financial crisis commencing in 2007 caused plaintiffs' investment losses.
Early in his career, Christopher orchestrated an important victory on behalf of a former mutual fund executive in a closely watched "market timing" enforcement action by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Following an appeal by the SEC from an order dismissing the action, an en banc panel of the First Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the SEC's efforts to expand the scope of Rule 10b-5 primary liability based on an actor's "central role" in securities markets.
Other Representative Matters:
- Vale: Successfully moved to dismiss a multi-billion-dollar putative securities class action (affirmed by the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit) based on plaintiff’s failure to allege a domestic securities transaction.
- Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, UBS and BNY Mellon Capital Markets: Obtained voluntary dismissal with prejudice of a putative securities class action concerning foreign exchange practices.
- Coty: Defeated at motion to dismiss stage a putative securities class action arising out of $1 billion IPO of leading beauty products manufacturer despite the complaint's inclusion of seven "confidential informants" supporting an allegation that company had failed disclose negative material trends in its business.
- The Royal Bank of Canada: Favorably resolved highly publicized regulatory and civil proceedings arising out of structured finance investment losses realized by five Wisconsin School Districts in the wake of the global financial crisis.
- Moody's: Secured positive eve-of-trial settlements of two separate investor actions stemming from the collapse of multi-billion-dollar structured investment vehicles during the global financial crisis.
- Prominent Accounting Firm: Convinced the SEC to forego any charges against the client in connection with investigation and subsequent enforcement action against a publicly traded international technology company.
- Morgan Stanley and The Bank of New York Mellon: Negotiated advantageous settlements in $5 billion civil litigation relating to the collapse of Adelphia Communications Corporation.
- Citigroup: Won summary judgment in a $13 billion class action litigation arising out of the failure of Parmalat.
- Merrill Lynch: Successfully navigated a broad range of Enron-related hearings, investigations, and proceedings.
- SMBC Capital Markets: Won dismissal of a federal False Claims Act qui tam action—affirmed in a seminal Second Circuit decision—involving the municipal bond market "yield burning" scandal.
Throughout his career, Christopher has devoted significant attention to pro bono and charitable efforts. He recently chaired a hearing panel appointed by the Judicial Committee of USA Climbing to resolve disputes involving alleged violations of governing conduct codes. He also has led a team of attorneys representing a man wrongly convicted of murder almost twenty-five years ago, has supervised young attorneys handling criminal appeals on behalf of the District Attorney's Offices for Kings and Queens Counties, has represented the Republic of Liberia in disputes involving diplomatic operations in New York, and has organized groups of lawyers to monitor polling locations in several states as part of nonpartisan voter protection efforts during presidential elections. He also has coordinated fundraising efforts through law firm participation in corporate sporting events on behalf of charitable organizations dedicated to preventing domestic abuse and providing a safe haven for victims of domestic violence.
Christopher graduated magna cum laude from Boston University School of Law, where he served as Editor of the Boston University Law Review.
Capabilities
- Litigation
- Anti-Corruption & FCPA
- Antitrust and Competition
- Class Actions
- Crisis Management
- Financial Institutions
- International Arbitration
- Securities Enforcement
- Securities Litigation
- Transnational Litigation
- White Collar Defense and Investigations
Credentials
Education:
- Boston University - 1997 Juris Doctor
- The College of New Jersey - 1994 Bachelor of Arts
Admissions:
- New York Bar