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HOW WE PRACTICEWinning Solutions for Complex Problems

ABOUT US

For two decades, we have earned our reputation as aggressive advocates who not only take on difficult civil and criminal cases but also win them.  We take pride in delivering exceptional, personalized results to each of our clients.

We are problem solvers.  We approach each case with a deep understanding of the law and a desire to win.  We focus on the factual details to create a simple narrative that drives our handling of the case.  We file critical motions earlier to try and resolve disputes before protracted discovery.  If a case goes to trial, we compete fiercely and pride ourselves in being more prepared than our opponents.

We are confident in our abilities to out strategize, out brief, and out litigate our opponents.

We are not afraid to take on challenging matters, and clients often come to us when everything is at stake for them, either personally or professionally.  Simply put, we have a track record of developing and implementing winning litigation strategies in high profile cases.

The SEMM team in 2003

WHAT WE DOWe have litigated a wide variety of complex civil and criminal cases in courts throughout Louisiana

We’re known for aggressively protecting and pursuing our clients’ legal rights throughout the Gulf South region. We have handled many sensitive and high profile cases for Fortune 500 companies, local businesses, and individuals.

Our partners are committed to approaching each case with intellectual rigor and creative thinking in order to achieve the best possible results for our clients.

Saints, Pelicans Ownership Dispute
Benson v. Rosenthal, No. 2:15-cv-00782 (EDLA)
The firm represented a trustee in litigation over the ownership of the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans.  After the controlling member of the two New Orleans Sports Franchisees had a falling out with his daughter and grandchildren, he filed suit seeking to take back  ownership interests in the teams that he had previously given to trusts establish for his family.  The owner unilaterally attempted to replace the valuable ownership interests with an interest only promissory note.  The beneficiaries of the trusts stood to lose over a billion dollars.  The contentious litigation involved complex legal issues such as a grantor’s ability to unilaterally exchange promissory notes for limited liability membership interests, the intersection of federal tax law and state limited liability laws, a trustee’s fiduciary duties to the trust beneficiaries, and the fair market valuation of sports franchises.  After several years, the case was resolved via a confidential settlement. Read NOLA.com article…
Sofia Vergara Embryo Litigation

Nick Loeb, et al. v. Sofia Vergara, 25th JDC, No. 64-217, and Human Embryo #4 HB-A, by and through Emma and Isabella Louisiana Trust No. 1, et al. v. Sofia Vergara, No. 17-1498 (EDLA)
The firm represented actress and model Sofia Vergara in litigation pursued by her ex-boyfriend attempting to bring two frozen pre-embryos to term without Ms. Vergara’s consent.  The stakes exceeded the interests of the parties involved, with the outcome potentially impacting procreative rights in Louisiana and beyond.  After the firm succeeded in having the first case dismissed in federal court on personal jurisdiction grounds, Mr. Loeb filed suit in state court on a different legal theory contending he could seek custody of the pre-embryos under the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act and purporting to assert the rights of the pre-embryos, themselves, under Louisiana law.  The case involved novel theories of statutory interpretation, the potential deprivation of Ms. Vergara’s constitutional rights, and intensive factual development to reveal the faulty jurisdictional premise on which the case was based.  The firm prevailed on every Exception raised and succeeded in having the case dismissed, which was affirmed on appeal, and the writ to the Louisiana Supreme Court subsequently denied.

New Orleans Businessman Fred Heebe Defense

Heebe v. United States of America, No. 10-3452 (E.D. La.); Heebe v. Perricone, No. 12-922 (E.D. La.); Heebe v. Mann, No. 12-10298 (Orleans Parish Civil District Court)
In its defense of Fred Heebe, a New Orleans businessman improperly targeted in a high profile, years-long federal investigation into allegations of public corruption, the firm successfully sued the government for conducting an illegal search and filed defamation suits against two prosecutors for spreading false information about Mr. Heebe.  These three lawsuits exposed systemic prosecutorial misconduct in the New Orleans U.S. Attorney’s Office, led to the resignation of several high level prosecutors, and caused the government to drop its investigation into Mr. Heebe and dismiss an indictment against the CEO of Heebe’s company. Read New York Times article…

New Trial Won in Police Misconduct Case

United States v. Bowen, No. 10-204 (E.D. La.)
Following the convictions of five New Orleans Police Officers in a case described by the Justice Department as one of the most significant police misconduct cases brought in decades, the firm successfully won a new trial for the defendants based on widespread prosecutorial misconduct.  Over the course of a year-long proceeding, the firm exposed what the district court called “highly unusual, extensive and truly bizarre actions” by federal prosecutors; specifically, a secret public relations campaign against the defendants involving, among other things, anonymous blogging on NOLA.com by government attorneys and systematic leaks to the media.  The district court’s decision to grant the defendants a new trial was affirmed by the Fifth Circuit on appeal. Read CNN article… | Read NOLA.com article…

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