Michael R. Pontrelli’s practice focused on high-stakes insurance and reinsurance matters, including title insurance disputes, ERISA claims, disputes among the principals of closely held businesses, and real estate litigation. He handled a range of complex litigation in federal and state courts across the country. Michael brought to the table a pragmatic, businesslike approach to achieving client objectives, coupled with forceful advocacy whenever necessary. A seasoned trial and appellate lawyer, he had particular experience structuring, managing, and resolving large cases.
Representative Experience
- Secured a judgment worth US$200m in a federal court case over rights to share in the compensation paid to policyholders when a mutual life insurance company converted to a stock company.
- Defeated at trial and on appeal the pension-related claims brought against a Fortune 500 company by a former director and senior executive officer. (See Hampers v. W.R. Grace & Co., 202 F.3d 44 (2000).)
- Won decisions worth several million dollars in a lawsuit on behalf of a leading defense contractor and its excess insurance carrier against the primary carrier for coverage of losses sustained by the defense contractor in two class actions.
- Enforced valuable easement rights in a case marked by extensive discovery and motion practice, a multiweek trial, and an appeal. (See Dent v. Lovejoy, 85 Conn. App. 952 (2004), cert. denied, 272 Conn. 912 (2005).)
- Advised on and resolved disputes for leading insurers over myriad direct and reinsurance coverage matters, including directors’ and officers’, banking, professional and fiduciary liability, antitrust, environmental, first-party property, patent and trademark, and products liability.
- Obtained favorable results for both plaintiffs and defendants in cases involving “freeze-out” claims by minority stockholders of close corporations.
Awards and Recognition
- Massachusetts Super Lawyer, an honor received by 5% of the state bar (2004, 2006, 2007, and 2013-2016)
Presentations and Publications
- Principal author, “Close Corporations and the Duty of Utmost Good Faith and Loyalty,” Massachusetts Corporation Law and Practice, a widely cited reference work for business lawyers and litigators
Foley Represents Avantus in Investment from KKR to Support Renewable Energy Development
Foley & Lardner LLP served as legal advisor to Avantus in its signing of a definitive agreement by which investment funds and accounts managed by KKR.
Oyvind Dahle and Michael Pontrelli Author Article on Recent Advancement in Human Genomics
Foley & Lardner LLP Partner Michael Pontrelli and Associate Oyvind Dahle collaborated to author the Drug Discovery World article, “Why a Recent Advancement is a Giant Leap for Human Genomics”, discussing the implications of the first complete, gapless sequence of the human genome.
Giant Leap for Human Genomics
In a technical breakthrough, the human genome has now been nearly 100% sequenced. This development promises broad ranging implications for science and medicine.