John C. Goodchild, III

Partner

Bankruptcy Litigation

• Represented a nationally-known financial advisory services firm as trial counsel in a case brought in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware alleging statutory conflicts of interest and failure to disclose connections under Bankruptcy Rule 2014.
• Represented the largest creditor as trial counsel in two contested matters and an adversary proceeding brought in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado, relating to the heritage retiree health care costs to be paid as part of the disputed Chapter 11 proceeding of the nation's largest independent coal company.
• Representing a financial advisory firm as lead trial counsel in a case pending in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky alleging breach of fiduciary duty in connection with the conduct of the Chapter 11 case of a coal company in Eastern Kentucky.
• Represented a major consulting firm as lead trial counsel in a contested matter brought in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the U.S. Virgin Islands alleging civil perjury and witness tampering in connection with the conduct of a prior exemptions trial.
• Represented a publicly traded transportation company in a lawsuit in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania brought by the trustee of a bankrupt trucking operator, alleging fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and deepening insolvency.
• Represented a leading pharmacy retail company in an adversary proceeding in the Northern District of Illinois regarding a dispute with a bankruptcy trustee of one of its beauty products suppliers, involving retail credits and returns.
• Represented one of the nation's largest food suppliers in a lawsuit in the Eastern District of Michigan in a PACA action brought in connection with the bankruptcy of a grocery store chain.
• Represented a group of health and retirement trust funds in the District of Colorado and Eastern District of Kentucky bankruptcy proceedings for Westmoreland Coal Company and Horizon Natural Resources.
• Represented a major mutual fund company in connection with, and served for two years as Chair of the Liquidation Committee of, the Cayman Islands liquidation proceeding for the SPhinX group of hedge funds.

Real Estate and Mortgage Litigation

• Represented one of the country's largest national banks as trial counsel in a case brought in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware alleging fraud and breach of contract in connection with the sale of residual interests in residential mortgage-backed securitizations.
• Represented the owner and operator of the Gettysburg National Tower as lead trial counsel in the condemnation proceedings in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania as well as the later arbitration proceedings with an adjacent landowner, all relating to the value of the condemned property and the allocation of value among interests in the real estate.
• Served as the Lead Lawyer for Servicing and Default of one of the three largest servicers of residential mortgages in the U.S.
• Represented a nationally known residential mortgage company in connection with its efforts to respond to changes in the legal and regulatory landscape caused by increased defaults and foreclosures.
• Represented a mortgage lender in connection with a series of putative class actions relating to consumer credit practices.

General Litigation

• Represented a big-four accounting firm as trial counsel in a case brought in Pinellas County, Florida alleging breach of fiduciary duty and aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary in connection with the firm's engagement by a subprime automobile lender.
• Represented a national accounting and consulting firm as lead trial counsel in an arbitration in New York in which the accounting firm was alleged to have committed malpractice in connection with the preparation of U.S. federal and state tax returns n the area of treatment of international income and expenses.
• Represented a regional health system as lead trial counsel in a case brought in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia by a former vendor, alleging wrongful termination in connection with an internal investigation of fraud and corruption conducted by the health system.