Stephanna F. Szotkowski is a partner in the firm's Securities Enforcement and Litigation practice group. Stephanna defends public and private companies, accounting firms, broker-dealers, financial services firms, life sciences companies, and executives in high-stakes securities litigation, commercial litigation, government investigations, and enforcement proceedings brought by the SEC, DOJ, FINRA, PCAOB, and state Attorneys General, and conducts securities-related internal investigations.
Stephanna has significant experience handling all phases of litigation – including trials, dispositive motion and appellate briefing, and complex e-discovery projects – in federal, state, and appellate courts, and in proceedings before arbitral bodies. She has successfully defended securities class actions, fraud claims, accountant liability disputes, and commercial actions, as well as enforcement actions involving financial reporting, quality control, and whistleblower issues.
Stephanna maintains an active pro bono practice, and has litigated cases to a successful resolution involving violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act. Recent work includes a landmark settlement on behalf of deaf and hard of hearing individuals on supervision in Georgia, and successful representation of an inmate in a federal penitentiary against the Bureau of Prisons for the failure to protect him and for medical malpractice.
Stephanna graduated, magna cum laude, from the University of Minnesota Law School, where she served as an Articles Editor on the University of Minnesota Law Review.
Experience
- National accounting firm in defense of various regulatory proceedings.
- National accounting firm in defense of whistleblower as well as accountant and auditor malpractice actions brought in various courts.
- National accounting firm engagement partner in an SEC investigation in which revenue recognition issues of a public issuer client were at issue.
- National accounting firm engagement partner in an SEC investigation involving the valuation of highly illiquid assets.
- Credit and monitoring service, where secured dismissal of case involving alleged violation of the Credit Repair Organization Act and fraud in the inducement.
- Locomotive manufacturer in federal court litigations and arbitrations against suppliers for breach of warranty and breach of contract claims.
- Administrative and collateral agent for lenders in multiple litigations against Steak n Shake Inc. involving alleged breaches of credit agreement.
- IT Infrastructure/Disaster Recovery Company in suit against former officer/director who was terminated and whose equity interest was repurchased by the company.
- The special committee of the board of directors of a money transfer company in responding to and investigating a stockholder litigation demand.
- State of Israel, where secured unanimous affirmance of dismissal on the basis of sovereign immunity in long-running dispute arising out of payments of proceeds from sovereign bonds.
- Former officer and director of AIG in Martin Act action by the New York State Attorney General.
- Private hospital system in defending data breach class action litigation.
- Global investment bank in litigation related to the sale and repurchase of residential mortgage loans.
- Owners of restaurant on Long Island in dispute over ownership of restaurant in parallel proceedings in state and federal court.
- Owners of private beachfront property in the East Hamptons who had been joined in an action to quiet title to a portion of the beach, and our clients were the only homeowners who successfully demonstrated title to their portion of the beach.
- Board members of a leading media and entertainment company in parallel federal securities class action and state common law fraud and negligent misrepresentation litigation related to a proposed going-private transaction.
Perspectives
Credentials
Education
- J.D., University of Minnesota Law School, 2014, magna cum laude
- B.S., Political Science, International Studies, and Religious Studies, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 2010
Admissions
- Illinois
- New York
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit