December 2022 LOCAL STRENGTH | GLOBAL INSIGHT

Richard Mancuso, Drew Nelson, Nick Douglas and Eleni Choephel acted as deal counsel to Zollner Elektronic AG, a German electronics manufacturing services company, in connection with the negotiation and sale by Zollner of Sourceability, a global electronics component distributor, in a management-led buyout supported by CrowdOut Capital LLC, an investment firm based in Austin, TX. The transaction involved the sale of the six Sourcability subsidiaries owned by Zollner located in the US, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Germany, India and Singapore.

On December 15, 2022, Margaret Conboy, on behalf of the Greenwich Land Trust, closed on a new 11.5 acre conservation easement located on King St., Greenwich, CT. The beautiful property will be conserved in perpetuity.  The Greenwich Land Trust now has a total of 869 acres of permanently conserved land. This easement area is a type of meadow habitat has become increasingly rare and conserving it will ensure that the flora and fauna found there will have a place to thrive.  The parcel is adjacent to more than 250 acres of existing protected open space.  Conserving this land ensures that the greenway is further expanded and protected for future generations.

Drew Nelson and Nick Douglas represented White Mountain, a New Hampshire-based footwear brand with operations in the US, Hong Kong and China, and its shareholders in connection with the negotiation and sale of the company to American Exchange Group, an accessories design, manufacturing and wholesale business based in New York City.

Rod Saggese was elected to serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Greenwich Emergency Medical Service. Known affectionately as GEMS, it is the non-profit organization that is the sole provider of pre-hospital emergency medical services to the Town of Greenwich.

Drew Nelson, Kevin Walsh and Nick Douglas represented a Connecticut based family-owned manufacturer and seller of promotional products in connection with the negotiation and sale of the company to a national industry leader in custom fabricated promotional and specialty products for different industries.

The Firm successfully defended the validity of a significant gift to a charitable trust in an appeal before the Connecticut Supreme Court.  The gift, which was challenged by a relative of the donor, was intended to – and now will – benefit quadriplegics and their caregivers.  It is believed to be among the largest individual charitable donations in Connecticut history.   The appeal followed a trial victory on the Complex Litigation Docket of the Superior Court.  On behalf of family trustees, the appeal was argued by Whitman Breed partner Charles Pieterse with assistance from partner Wyatt Jansen and associate Trevor Larrubia.  The Firm worked closely on the appeal with co-counsel at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, including lead trial counsel Lynn Neuner, Laura Twomey, Joshua Polster, and Sara Ricciardi.

Drew Nelson and Nick Douglas represented a Connecticut based developer of an online investment research platform designed to offer content to assist in investment research distribution, management and consumption in connection with the negotiation and sale of the company to a world-wide provider of virtual solutions for financial communications.

Whitman Breed Partners and Associates have been named “Connecticut Super Lawyers®” for 2020. Connecticut selection information at http://www.superlawyers.com/connecticut/selection_details.html

Charles Pieterse (Trusts & Estates Litigation), Jim Riley (Business Litigation), George Smith (Estate Planning & Probate), Rod Saggese (General Litigation), Thomas O’Connor (Rising Star – Civil Litigation), Luke Tashjian (Rising Star – Estate Planning & Probate), Kathryn O’Neill (Rising Star – Business/Corporate), and Wyatt Jansen (Rising Star – Business Litigation and Trusts & Estates Litigation) were named Connecticut Super Lawyers.

Following a three-day bench trial in late 2019 and early 2020, the Firm obtained a permanent injunction on behalf of a client owning waterfront property in Greenwich, prohibiting the adjoining property owners from developing or building any structure within an area on their property in proximity to the seawall that was the subject of a reciprocal easement agreement.  The Superior Court determined that the proposed project violated the terms of a 2002 agreement between the client and defendants’ predecessors-in-title, and rejected defendants’ statute of limitations and other defenses.  Jim Riley acted as lead trial counsel, and was assisted by Michael Battema.  Ladd v. Foley, 2020 WL 5607778 (Conn. Super. Aug. 24, 2020).

The Firm represented the Greenwich Land Trust in its purchase from the Aquarion Water Company of 72 acres of unimproved real property in the Lake Avenue area of Greenwich.  The acquisition was first approved by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority and then closed between the parties.  For the transaction, the Land Trust entered a public/private partnership with the Town of Greenwich, with the Land Trust holding title to the property and the Town having a conservation easement over the property.  The Land Trust will now be able to conserve these 72 acres, protect critical habitat, enhance water quality, and preserve the community’s character.  Margaret Conboy and Tony Macleod worked on the transaction for the Firm.

The Firm is proud to announce that Michael Thomason has joined the Firm as an associate in the Litigation Department.  Michael represents clients in all aspects of litigation matters in state and federal court.  Prior to joining Whitman Breed, Michael was a judicial law clerk for United States Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish.  Before his clerkship, Michael was an associate attorney at a boutique litigation firm in Greenwich.

Drew Nelson represented a non-U.S. company in the negotiation of a strategic investment in a startup manufacturing cell towers and other structures using carbon fiber and other composite materials.

Luke Tashjian presented at the Connecticut Legal Conference on tax provisions in the CARES Act.

A trial team led by Lynn Neuner of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and Charles Pieterse from the Firm prevailed on behalf of two trustees in a litigation challenging a significant gift to a charitable trust.  The decision was a complete victory for the trustees and a consortium of other interested parties supporting the gift, which is believed to be among the largest in Connecticut history, on what the Court considered an issue of first impression.  The case was tried before the Complex Litigation Docket in the Connecticut Superior Court in Waterbury in January.  The trial team representing the trustees also included Sara Ricciardi and Joshua Polster of Simpson Thacher and Wyatt Jansen from the Firm.  Helen Z. Benjamin et al. v. Ralph P. Corasaniti et al., 2020 WL 3058149 (Conn. Super. May 1, 2020)

Luke Tashjian presented at the National Business Institute on The Probate Process from Start to Finish.

Drew Nelson represented a Connecticut manufacturer of portable supplemental oxygen cannisters in the negotiation of an investment from a prominent serial investor in startups.