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AREAS OF EMPHASIS
Commercial Litigation, Bankruptcy Litigation
George Spathis has more than sixteen years of experience representing plaintiffs and defendants in commercial and bankruptcy litigation involving breach of contract, fraudulent conveyances, the U.C.C., fraud, business torts, securities and commodities fraud, class actions, franchise disputes, professional negligence, RICO, corporate and partnership governance, breach of fiduciary duties, monopolization, antitrust, unfair competition, trademark, deceptive trade practices, mergers and acquisitions, wrongful termination, restrictive covenants, health care, libel and slander. He has tried cases and had lead responsibilities for all facets of litigation in both state and federal courts. He also serves as an outside general counsel to closely held entities working with executives on managing and avoiding litigation risks, and on diverse transactional matters.
Mr. Spathis currently represents a number of Bankruptcy Trustees and Official Committees of Unsecured Creditors in significant adversarial proceedings involving fraudulent conveyances, breach of fiduciary duties, breach of contract and lender liability, as well as numerous large and mid-sized businesses in varying commercial litigation throughout the Midwest.
Mr. Spathis’ more significant recent engagements include:
The successful appeal to the United States District Court for the Seventh Circuit on behalf of a regional telecommunications carrier challenging a mandatory order of injunction. The Court ruled in the carrier’s favor on the day after oral argument;
Obtaining a judgment for over $10,000,000 on behalf of a Creditor’s Committee that challenged unlawful dividends paid by a Debtor/LLC to its member/owners, following a three day trial in the United States Bankruptcy Court;
Obtaining a judgment for over $2,800,000 against a former officer of a Debtor/corporation for his fraudulent conveyance of the corporation’s property and his usurpation of corporate opportunities following a bifurcated trial over six days in the United States Bankruptcy Court;
Successfully defending an assignee for the benefit of creditors in a $1,500,000 breach of contract action brought by a stalking-horse bidder following a four day trial in the United States District Court. The jury deliberated for less than four hours before returning a judgment (no liability) in defendant’s favor;
Successful representation of a publicly traded gaming corporation in a R.I.C.O. action asserted against it in the United States District Court. The Court granted a motion to dismiss the action with prejudice, before discovery commenced.
EDUCATION
University of Illinois (B.A., 1987)
IIT/Chicago-Kent College of Law (J.D., with high honors, 1990)
Order of the Coif; Executive Articles Editor, Chicago-Kent Law Review
LICENSES AND ADMISSIONS
Admitted to Bar, 1990, Illinois
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois including Trial Bar
U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit | 