Biography
Michael C. Ledley has over two decades of experience representing clients in a wide range of complex commercial disputes, including insurance and reinsurance litigation and arbitration, securities and derivatives litigation, and bankruptcy. Michael has broad trial experience in bench and jury trials, as well as before arbitral tribunals. He has represented clients in connection with investigations by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, and FINRA.
Mike’s representative experience prior to joining Kibler Fowler & Cave LLP includes:
- Obtaining reversal on appeal of summary judgment order directing specific performance of sale of home health care agency (Extended CHHA Acquisition, LLC v. Mahoney, 215 A.D.3d 18, 187 N.Y.S.3d 187 (2023));
- Representing Preston Hollow Capital in state and federal actions against Nuveen arising out of Nuveen’s orchestration of a group boycott amongst municipal bond industry participants, including a trial victory in the Delaware Court of Chancery on claim for tortious interference and defeating motion to dismiss federal antitrust claim prior to settlement (Preston Hollow Cap. LLC v. Nuveen LLC, No. 20-CV-5597 (PKC), 2021 WL 3542255 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 10, 2021); Preston Hollow Cap. LLC v. Nuveen LLC, No. CV 2019-0169-SG, 2020 WL 1814756 (Del. Ch. Apr. 9, 2020));
- Obtaining dismissal on behalf of AXA Corporate Solutions of claims for contribution by Liberty Surplus Insurance Corp. and prevailing on appeal (Liberty Surplus Ins. Corp. v. AXA Ins. Co., 788 F. App’x 850 (3d Cir. 2019));
- Representation of Ambac Assurance Corp. in objecting to $4.5 billion proposed settlement between JPMorgan and trustees for over 300 RMBS trusts, resulting in $995 million settlement of Ambac RMBS claims (read more here);
- Obtaining dismissal of fraud claims arising out of sale of management consulting company to Oliver Wyman, Inc. (Oliver Wyman, Inc. v. Eielson, No. 15 CIV. 5305 (RJS), 2016 WL 5339549 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 22, 2016));
- Recovering hundreds of millions of dollars for Western & Southern Life Insurance and its affiliates in state and federal securities actions against numerous Wall Street banks for losses on investments in residential mortgage-backed securities;
- Representing AIG affiliates in several actions to collect reinsurance recoveries;
- Representation of The George Maciunas Foundation in settlement of a dispute regarding ownership of original manuscript of Yoko Ono’s 1964 avant garde classic Grapefruit;
- Obtaining dismissal of contractual indemnification claim asserted by Exxon against Tredegar Corporation;
- Successful co-representation of Travelers-affiliate, Gulf Insurance Company, in centi-million dollar reinsurance litigation arising out of losses on its automobile residual value insurance portfolio;
- Successful defense of a major life insurance company in arbitration seeking rescission of a billion dollar acquisition through reinsurance of a block of disability insurance policies;
- Co-representation of JPMorgan Chase Bank, as agent for $8 billion senior credit facility, in four week trial in Chapter 7 bankruptcy of Charter Communications, Inc.; and
- Member of core trial team on behalf of Swiss Re in epic property insurance litigation arising out of the September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center that obtained jury verdict in favor of Swiss Re following three month trial.
Mike is a graduate of Cornell University, with distinction in all subjects, and received his law degree from Harvard Law School, cum laude. Following law school, Mike was a law clerk for the Hon. Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Before joining Kibler Fowler & Cave LLP in 2024, Mike was a litigator at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Wollmuth Maher & Deutsch LLP.
