Introduction
Michele Di Franco is a member of the Complex Disputes practice group. He represents clients in connection with a wide range of commercial disputes in federal and state court.
My focus
My practice focuses on representing clients in high-stakes business disputes, business torts, constitutional, appellate, administrative, insurance, class action, white-collar regulatory matters, and False Claims Act litigation. I have represented businesses and individuals in disputes in state and federal courts across the country on a wide range of issues.
I have experience conducting internal investigations for special committees to corporate and nonprofit clients, including interviewing witnesses, preparing final reports, and drafting presentations to regulators and government investigators.
Before joining Nixon Peabody, I worked in the litigation department at another law firm, and previously served as a law clerk for the Civil Recoveries Bureau at the New York State Office of the Attorney General. During law school, I was a research assistant to Professor Patrick M. Connors, a leading expert in New York civil procedure, and assisted with researching and editing the McKinney’s Practice Commentaries, many articles published in the New York Law Journal, and the semi-annual supplements to the treatise New York Practice, which has been cited by thousands of reported cases and has been called “The Bible” of litigation in New York State courts.
Representative experience
*The below representative experience includes representations from a prior firm.
- Killmer, Lane & Newman, LLP v. BKP, Inc., 535 P.3d 91 (Colo. 2023)*—extending the litigation privilege to class action attorneys announcing their case and protecting them from retaliatory litigation
- Avon Nursing Home v. Beccerra, 119 F.4th 286 (2d Cir. 2024)*— represented group of nursing homes in challenge to HHS survey rule in the first case at the Second Circuit to apply the framework from Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, 603 US 369 (2024)
Looking ahead
AI use is becoming more common, but also introduces new risks from data privacy to ethical concerns and potential malfunctions. As a result, I expect we will see more disputes related to AI, especially between AI vendors and their users.
/Insights
- Presenter, “Trust Accounts and Unclaimed Funds,” Western & Central New York Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators Conference, June 6, 2023
Admitted to practice
New York
U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York
U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
U.S. District Court, Western District of New York
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
Education
Albany Law School, J.D., magna cum laude
University of Ottawa, Master of Arts in Economics
University of Ottawa, B.Sc., magna cum laude
Professional activities
- Member, Federalist Society
- Member, Monroe County and New York State bar associations
- Former Executive Editor for Research & Business, Albany Law Review
Recognition
- Best Brief, Domenick L. Gabrielli Appellate Advocacy Competition, Albany Law School
Professionals in the Practice Area
View AllJohn Ruskusky
Partner / Practice Group Leader, Complex Disputes- Chicago
- Office:+1 312.977.4460Mobile:+1 708.606.8720
- jtruskusky@nixonpeabody.com
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Daniel J. Hurteau
Office Managing Partner / Deputy Practice Group Leader, Complex Disputes- New York
- Office:+1 518.427.2652
- dhurteau@nixonpeabody.com
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Joseph J. Ortego
Partner / Diversity Partner / Chair, NP Trial® / Leader, Aviation- New York
- Office:+1 212.940.3045
- jortego@nixonpeabody.com
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Carolyn G. Nussbaum
Senior Counsel- Rochester
- Office:+1 585.263.1558Mobile:+1 585.766.1480
- cnussbaum@nixonpeabody.com
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Christopher M. Mason
Partner / Deputy Leader, Class Actions and Aggregate Litigation / Leader, Arbitration Team- New York
- Office:+1 212.940.3017
- cmason@nixonpeabody.com
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