Yonaton Aronoff’s practice spans a wide array of complex commercial litigation matters, with a particular emphasis on e-commerce issues, privacy and security matters, social media law, commercial real estate disputes, and litigation involving financial institutions and investment companies. Mr. Aronoff is a member of the firm’s Business Litigation & Dispute Resolution; Privacy, Security & Information Management; and Labor & Employment Practices.
Mr. Aronoff’s representative matters include:
- Obtained successful recovery on behalf of a member and fundraiser of a private equity fund, in a Southern District of New York case alleging wrongful termination and breaches of fiduciary duty against the managing members of the fund.
- Successfully represented a client against allegations of trade secret disclosure brought by the client’s former software vendor.
- Received defense verdict from AAA panel as a member of a trial team in a partnership dispute involving a niche eyewear company.
- Obtained dismissal on a successful summary judgment motion on behalf of an insurance company sued by former shareholders seeking upwards of $60 million.
- Advised an affiliate marketer concerning a multi-state Attorney General investigation alleging unfair and deceptive trade practices.
- Consulted with a mobile content affiliate marketer concerning a multi-state Attorney General investigation of consumer privacy issues.
- Advised a Fortune 500 company with investigation, response, reporting, and remediation in potential data breach incidents involving customer data.
- Obtained dismissal with prejudice of Federal Court suit on behalf of an Internet "watchdog" company in a case alleging breach of contract and violations of the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act.
- Assisted large media conglomerate with Federal Trade Commission investigation alleging violations of COPPA and Section 5 of the FTC Act.
- Assisted online retailer with response, investigation, and litigation involving “denial of service” attack.
- Commenced successful litigation on behalf of e-commerce sites against perpetrator of sham lawsuits alleging violations of anti-spam laws.
- Obtained preliminary injunction on behalf of fraternal benefit organization and securities broker-dealer against former contractor who had breached confidentiality agreements and had solicited clients’ customers without authorization.
- Obtained dismissal with prejudice on behalf of product manufacturer from two companion New York asbestos litigations brought by the estates of deceased boiler plant workers.
Mr. Aronoff is admitted to the New York Bar; the U.S. District Court, Southern, Western and Eastern Districts of New York; and the U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit. He began his career with Friedman, Wang & Bleiberg, P.C., prior to that firm joining Foley in July 2004. Mr. Aronoff has participated in a number of leadership initiatives within Foley, including serving as a member of the firm’s Associates Committee from 2006-2009.
Mr. Aronoff received his J.D. from the University of California Berkeley School of Law in 2003 and his B.A., magna cum laude, from Brown University in 1999.
Mr. Aronoff has devoted considerable time and energy to animal welfare issues. He has represented New York Animal Care & Control on a pro bono basis for several years, assisting the organization with a variety of legal matters involving animal cruelty. In June of 2012, in recognition of his pro bono work for the organization, Mr. Aronoff was appointed by New York City Mayor Bloomberg to serve on the board of directors of Animal Care & Control as one of its four independent board members. He also serves on the board of directors of Farm Sanctuary, a national non-profit organization dedicated to improving the conditions of animals on factory farms through education and advocacy.
Mr. Aronoff’s recent speaking engagements and articles have focused on privacy, e-commerce, and social media law and include "Data Privacy and Security Compliance: Legal and Business Strategies - Responding to Security Breaches" presented by Strafford Publications, Inc., February 15, 2011; Cookies 2.0: Flash Cookies, User Profiling, and Privacy,” featured in the October 2011 issue of E-Commerce, Law and Privacy; and “Traps for the Unwary in LOIs, NDAs and Other Preliminary Agreements -- A Litigator's Perspective,” co-presented at the New York Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel, February 23, 2012. Mr. Aronoff has also presented to clients on trends and litigation risks involving the usage of social media by customers and employees.