Jeff was selected by his peers for recognition of his professional excellence in the 32nd edition of The Best Lawyers in America for his work in the field of Commercial Litigation and Labor and Employment Litigation. Congrats Jeff!
On June 18, 2025, Craig Cepler secured a unanimous jury verdict for our client after an 8-day trial in federal court in Hartford, Connecticut.
Our client, a former professional athlete, rented a house in Greenwich, Connecticut, for $55,000 per month. When the house developed a mold infestation, we, on behalf of our client, demanded the landlord remediate the mold according to Connecticut law. The landlord failed to do so, and we then terminated the lease and demanded the landlord return the security deposit. The landlord again failed to comply with his obligations and refused to return the security deposit. We filed suit for the return of the deposit, double damages under Connecticut law and other incidental damages. The jury awarded our client more than $220,000, and after adjustments by the court, the full judgment should exceed $500,000.
The jury’s verdict was reported in the New York Times, the Greenwich Time and NJ.com, among other media. In addition, Law360 featured the case after opening statements, closing arguments, the verdict and our demand for prejudgment interest. Law360 also named Craig as a “Legal Lion” for his efforts.
We are very proud to have reached this outcome for our client and to give him the justice that he and his family deserve.
On July 17, 2025, Craig Cepler secured the dismissal of all claims against our client in an employment dispute on a motion to dismiss, saving the client significant resources in not having to defend against a lawsuit brought by a disgruntled former employee.
Our client was sued by a former employee who alleged she was not paid fairly compared to her coworkers. Although she lives and worked out-of-state, the employee brought suit in New York and sought damages under New York law. The employee first filed in state court, and we promptly “snap removed” the case so it could proceed in federal court. We then moved to dismiss the claims for lack of jurisdiction and failure to state a claim. The court agreed with our arguments and dismissed the case in its entirety. The client therefore avoided the expense and stress of defending a meritless litigation.
Motions to dismiss cases in their entirety are seldom granted. Here, the aggressive strategy was the most efficient one, and we are proud to have secured this result for our client.
On May 9, 2025, Craig Cepler secured a verdict for our client in a case against the federal government, thus serving to vacate the IRS’s assessment of tax liabilities (exceeding $2 million, including fees and interest) against our client.
Our client’s husband owned an industrial cleaning company, and she provided minimal support to assist him. When the company failed to remit payroll taxes to the IRS in 2012 and 2013, the government assessed our client for the deficiencies. We brought suit in the Eastern District of New York on behalf of our client, seeking a declaratory judgment that she was not responsible for the company’s payroll tax obligations. After a one-week trial, the jury found in favor of our client on all counts, agreeing with our arguments that her minimal involvement was insufficient to deem her a responsible person under federal tax law and that she did not willfully fail to remit any withholdings to the IRS.
This verdict put an end to the 10+ year campaign by the IRS against our client. We are very proud to have reached this outcome for her and to give her repose from the IRS.
Jury Clears Biz Owner’s Wife Of $2M Payroll Tax Debt – Law360
Kudos to Jeff Carton and Steve Schoenfeld for their continued appointments to the American Arbitration Association’s (AAA) Commercial Litigation Panel of Neutrals. The AAA’s Commercial Litigation Panel focuses on resolving complex commercial disputes through arbitration, requiring a high level of legal knowledge and experience. Congratulations!
