Erik S. Groothuis
Erik S. Groothuis joined the Firm in January 2008
and became a partner in January 2011. Mr. Groothuis received his A.B. in Economics from Columbia College in 1994 (Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude) and his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1997 (cum laude). From 1997 to 1999, Mr. Groothuis clerked for the Honorable Whitman Knapp of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Before joining the Firm in 2008, Mr. Groothuis was associated with the law firms of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen and Hamilton (from 1999 to 2001) and Heller Ehrman LLP (from 2002 to 2008). Mr. Groothuis has been trained as a mediator by the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association and the American Bar Association.
Mr. Groothuis specializes in complex commercial litigation with a focus on the financial services industry. He has represented clients in accounting malpractice, business divorce, breach of contract, corporate governance, insurance, real estate, and securities litigation and appeals. He is a member of the New York Bar, as well as the Bar of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Representative engagements include:
- winning dismissal of a lawsuit brought by the purchaser of a co-op apartment against SSD's client LeMadre Development, LLC, plus an award of the deposit in escrow and attorneys' fees (see Rivas v. LeMadre Dev., LLC (Supreme Court, New York County 2011));
- representing a financial services company in a dispute about the purchase of a Mexican insurance company;
- representing a corporation in the retail jewelry industry involved in a dispute with an Italian luxury jewelry manufacturer;
- obtaining an $8 million arbitral award (including $500,000 in punitive damages) on behalf of an investor plaintiff asserting churning, breach of fiduciary duty, and fraud claims against a broker-dealer and certain affiliated individuals;
- obtaining dismissal at the summary judgment stage on behalf of the foreign affiliate of an international accounting firm in a malpractice action brought by liquidators of a Cayman Islands-domiciled hedge fund;
- obtaining dismissal at pleadings stage on behalf of the foreign affiliate of an international accounting firm in federal securities action brought by investors in hedge fund (see Fraternity Fund Ltd. v. Beacon Hill Asset Mgmt. LLC, 376 F. Supp. 2d 443 (S.D.N.Y. 2005));
- representing Italian affiliate of international accounting firm in: (1) securities class action, (2) suit by administrator of bankrupt Italian dairy conglomerate, and (3) suits by trustees of U.S. subsidiaries. Obtained dismissal at pleadings stage in two related actions. See In re Parmalat Sec. Litig., 501 F. Supp. 2d 560 (S.D.N.Y. 2007).
Areas of Practice
Bar Admissions
New York, 1998
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, 1999
Education
Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1997, J.D. Honors: cum laude
Columbia College, New York, New York, 1994, A.B. in Economics Honors: Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude
Past Employment Positions
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the Honorable Whitman Knapp, Law Clerk, 1997-1999
Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton, Associate, 1999-2001
Heller Ehrman LLP, Associate, 2002-2008