John C. Leddy
- T. 646.440.8002
- F. 646.440.8000
- E. jleddy@nutter.com
- Download full bio
Overview
John C. Leddy is a trial lawyer who represents companies, investors, lenders, owners, funds, executives, and other sophisticated parties in complex commercial disputes throughout the United States. His practice is particularly focused on disputes where capital, control, and significant commercial relationships intersect.
A substantial part of John's practice involves commercial real estate finance, private credit, and distressed investments. He represents borrowers, owners, investors, guarantors, lenders, and other stakeholders in disputes involving commercial mortgage and mezzanine loans, CMBS loans and special servicers, guaranties and recourse obligations, workouts and forbearance arrangements, mortgage and UCC foreclosures, preferred equity, intercreditor relationships, and other issues arising from complex capital structures.
John also has significant experience litigating disputes among business owners and investors. He represents clients in joint venture, LLC, membership, partnership, and closely held company disputes involving control and management rights, capital contributions, distributions, redemption and exit rights, fiduciary duties, alleged self-dealing, removal rights, and other governance issues.
Beyond finance and investment disputes, John handles complex contract and business litigation across a range of industries. His matters have involved distribution and licensing agreements, payment and accounting obligations, intellectual property-related commercial relationships, brokerage and property management agreements, franchise relationships, financial services, technology, life sciences, consumer products, hospitality, and other significant commercial arrangements. His recent experience includes arbitrations involving television content distribution and licensing agreements, a licensing and accounting dispute involving pharmaceutical development, and counseling related to a sports industry venture.
John represents clients at every stage of a dispute, from pre-litigation strategy and workouts through trial, arbitration, and appeal. He appears in state and federal courts around the country and in domestic and international arbitrations. Clients also engage him before litigation begins to evaluate potential claims, assess litigation risk, preserve leverage, and develop solutions that account for both the legal dispute and the client's broader business objectives.
John also has a particular focus on the sports and media industries. His sports practice is focused on serving agents, client representatives, athletes, companies, and other industry participants as an outside resource when disputes, investments, business ventures, or other legal issues extend beyond the agency's core representation. He serves on both the Sports Law Committee and Litigation Committee of the New York City Bar Association.
Representative Experience
- Represented commercial property owners in litigation against CBRE, Inc. concerning brokerage and property management relationships. After successfully obtaining reinstatement of claims on an initial appeal, obtained a subsequent appellate ruling vacating an approximately $19.9 million judgment against the clients and declaring that no further brokerage commission was owed.
- Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a nonprofit organization in a corporate governance and fiduciary-duty dispute involving former officers and directors resulting in a $9.2 million judgment.
- Represented commercial real estate borrowers, owners, and guarantors in CMBS foreclosure, special servicing, and guaranty litigation, including disputes involving Rialto Capital Advisors and other special servicers.
- Represented managers and investors in disputes concerning the governance, management, capitalization, and control of significant commercial real estate investments and joint ventures.
- Represented clients in disputes involving preferred equity and membership interests, including an arbitration concerning the redemption and payout rights of a preferred member in a joint venture.
- Represented a pharmaceutical company in an arbitration concerning licensing, accounting, and payment obligations arising from pharmaceutical development.
- Represented clients in disputes involving private credit, commercial loan enforcement, guaranties, deed-in-lieu transactions, distressed investments, and other complex financing arrangements.
- Represented companies in commercial disputes involving technology, sports, consumer products, hospitality, logistics, banking and financial services, intellectual property, and other industries.
John is a partner in Nutter's New York office.
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News
Education & Admissions
Education
Boston College Law School, J.D.
Trinity College, B.A.
Admissions
- Massachusetts
- New Jersey
- New York
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- U.S. District Court, District of Columbia
- U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts
- U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
Practices
In the Community
John serves on the Litigation Committee and the Sports Law Committee for the New York City Bar Association and is a member of the Irish American Bar Association of New York. John is also a class agent, and proud alumnus, of Belmont Hill School.
