Ian Hoffman is an experienced trial lawyer and litigator who represents clients in high stakes business disputes in courts across the country. Recognized as a "Rising Star" in the Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers magazine, Ian represents Fortune 500 companies, government contractors, financial services institutions, and non-profits.
Ian has extensive experience in Virginia federal and state courts, including the "Rocket Docket" of the Eastern District of Virginia, where he served as a law clerk. He is also a member of the Judicial Conference of the Fourth Circuit and was nominated for that role by a district court judge.
In his 15 years of practice, Ian has handled trials, arbitrations, preliminary injunction hearings, and appeals. He has argued numerous motions and examined and cross examined dozens of witnesses at trial. Ian also has deep experience conducting and overseeing all phases of complex civil litigation, including early case assessment and investigation, dispositive motions practice, discovery, e-discovery, depositions, and expert discovery.
Ian maintains an active pro bono practice representing deaf clients seeking access to legally-required accommodations. In 2021, Ian won an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs for his decade-long work on behalf of a deaf inmate in federal prison. In 2020, Ian won a historic ruling against the White House on behalf of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), with the court ordering the White House to provide American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters for all briefings related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The case garnered national media attention, including from CNN, The New York Times, NBC, Forbes, and People.
Recently, Ian served as a faculty member teaching cross examination skills for the Washington Council of Lawyers Trial Advocacy Training Program, and as an advisor for Arnold & Porter’s Trial School Program.
Experience
- Booz Allen Hamilton. Led the defense of Booz Allen in putative consumer class action relating to Booz Allen's operation of the website Recreation.gov on behalf of the federal government. Obtained complete and voluntary dismissal with prejudice after plaintiffs conducted limited jurisdictional discovery on the issue of derivative sovereign immunity. Wilson et al. v. Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., No. 1:23cv43 (E.D. Va.).
- Government Contractor Arbitration. Successfully defended prime contractor with a military contract against a multi-million dollar subcontractor non-payment claim, and prevailed on a multi-million dollar counter-claim against the subcontractor following a week-long arbitration hearing in Washington, D.C. (2022).
- Federal Housing Finance Agency. Defended FHFA, the government conservator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, in two multi-week jury trials (in 2022 and 2023) seeking billions in damages on behalf of Fannie and Freddie shareholders. In re Fannie Mae / Freddie Mac Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement Class Action Litigations, No. 1:13mc1288 (D.D.C.); Berkley Insurance Co., et al. v. FHFA, No. 1:13cv1053 (D.D.C.).
- Calico Critters. Defending manufacturer of Calico Critters toys against putative class action alleging certain products are unlawful under the California Unfair Competition Law. Jackson-Jones v. Epoch Everlasting Play, LLC, et al., No. 2:23cv2567 (C.D. Cal.).
- Johnson Controls. Defended various Johnson Controls entities at trial against claimed damages related to a military project in Kuwait. Following trial, the Court denied all of the plaintiff's claims and awarded client $6.6 million in damages on its counterclaim. Technology and Supply Management LLC v. Johnson Controls Building Automation Systems LLC, et al., 2017 WL 3219281 (E.D. Va. July 28, 2017).
- Inverness Technologies. Obtained preliminary injunction for government contractor client that prohibited poaching of client's employees and enabled client to continue work on military training contract. Inverness Technologies, Inc., v. GBX Consultants, Inc., et al. No. CL-2018-0012618 (Va. Cir. Ct., Fairfax Co.).
- Young Yi. Defended healthcare company founder and chief in two-week federal jury trial against on charges of Medicare fraud and tax evasion. U.S. v. Yi, et al., No. 1:17-cr-224-LO (EDVA) (J. O'Grady).
- NAD Litigation Against the White House. Won preliminary injunction ordering the White House to provide ASL interpreters for all public briefings related to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the court finding the lack of access to health information put deaf persons at risk and that closed captions were not adequate. Nat'l Ass'n of the Deaf v. Trump, 486 F. Supp. 3d 45 (D.D.C. 2020).
- Inmate Litigation Against the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. Following trial and appeal, won recognition of deaf inmate's First Amendment right to use a videophone to communicate with other deaf individuals outside the prison walls using American Sign Language. Heyer v. United States Bureau of Prisons, 984 F.3d 347 (4th Cir. 2021).
- CEO Litigation. Defended former CEO and board member in litigation involving breach of fiduciary duty claims arising out of bankruptcy of car haul company, with alleged damages exceeding $100 million.
- Federal Housing Finance Agency. Prevailed in multiple appeals on behalf of FHFA, the conservator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, against various institutional shareholders' attempts to undo portions of the funding agreement between FHFA and the U.S. Treasury, and unwind more than $100 billion in dividends paid to Treasury. Jacobs v. FHFA, 908 F.3d 884 (3d Cir. 2018); Saxton v. FHFA, 901 F.3d 954, 957 (8th Cir. 2018); Roberts v. FHFA, 889 F.3d 397, 402 (7th Cir. 2018); Perry Capital v. Mnuchin, 864 F.3d 591 (D.C. Cir. 2017). These decisions were ultimately affirmed by the United States Supreme Court in Collins v. Yellen, 594 U.S. ---- (2021).
- Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Successfully defended foreign sovereign at trial against alleged breach of contract and various torts. Defeated some claims pre-trial on basis of foreign sovereign immunity; defeated all remaining claims on the merits at trial. UNC Lear Services, Inc. v. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 581 F.3d 210 (5th Cir. 2009); 720 F. Supp. 2d 800 (W.D. Tex. 2010).
Perspectives
Recognition
Credentials
Education
- J.D., College of William and Mary Law School, 2007, Order of the Coif
- B.A., University of Virginia, 2004, with distinction
Admissions
- District of Columbia
- Virginia
- District of Columbia Court of Appeals
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- U.S. District Court, District of Columbia
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia
- Supreme Court of Virginia
Clerkships
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, The Honorable Claude M. Hilton