Jason B. Savitz

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Jason B. Savitz represents clients in complex civil and white-collar criminal matters including commercial, real estate, and fraud litigation in both state and federal courts; regulatory, criminal, and internal investigations; and SEC receiverships.  Jason's commercial litigation practice often involves matters that include possible exposure to business crimes and various frauds -- including bank fraud, accounting fraud, securities fraud, and investment fraud.

Jason began his legal career in New York where he practiced in the litigation and white-collar crime departments of a large Wall Street law firm.  After serving as a federal judicial law clerk in the Southern District of Florida, he worked at one of the largest international law firms and a trial-lawyer’s boutique before co-founding Lucas | Savitz.

Jason was a member of the litigation and trial team that obtained a $67 million federal jury verdict against TD Bank on behalf of a defrauded investment group victimized by the $1.2 billion Scott Rothstein Ponzi scheme.  The case – involving the largest Ponzi scheme in Florida history and among the largest ever in the United States – was the first and only case to be tried against Rothstein and TD Bank.  The landmark $67 million verdict of compensatory and punitive damages was among the top 40 verdicts in the United States in 2012.

Representative Matters

Internal Investigations & Compliance

• Conducting investigation and representing investment group in legal claims concerning accounting irregularities by prominent Florida business
• Conducting internal investigation concerning possible accounting irregularities for company considering initial public offering and recommending corrective measures and strengthened compliance programs
• Representing companies in developing Foreign Corrupt Practices Act compliance policies and programs and serving as Foreign Corrupt Practices Act counsel in connection with international mergers and acquisitions
• Representing companies and individuals concerning Office of Foreign Assets Control and USA PATRIOT ACT compliance

Litigation:  Commercial

• Conducting litigation exposure review for business contemplating multi-million dollar merger and joint venture
• Representing company executives in partnership disputes and breach of contract matters
• Representing a non-US mining company in a multi-million dollar international commercial dispute involving energy exports and maritime freight shipping
• Representing a major power company in litigation arising from alleged environmental pollution
• Representing a leading agricultural company in connection with a billion-dollar litigation arising out of a failed corporate merger with a leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical company

Litigation:  Fraud

• Representing fraud victim in lawsuit against large international bank
• Representing companies, executives, and employees in investigations and legal claims concerning internal and external fraudulent business activities
• Representing investment group in litigation and jury trial against Scott Rothstein and TD Bank for their participation in a $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme – the largest Ponzi scheme in Florida history and top ten in US history – resulting in a $67 million jury verdict of compensatory and punitive damages (affirmed on appeal)
• Representing additional victim-investors in litigation and parallel proceedings arising from the Scott Rothstein Ponzi scheme
• Representing SEC receiver in successful investigation leading to recovery of assets for victims of a nationwide securities fraud scheme
• Representing a public company facing multiple securities fraud class action lawsuits

Litigation:  Real Estate

• Conducting various litigation exposure reviews for commercial real estate developers in due diligence phases of multi-million dollar real estate projects
• Representing commercial landlord in litigation against multinational corporation concerning faulty construction and breach of contract
• Defending real estate company in a putative class action lawsuit alleging fraud
• Representing commercial landlord in litigation against multinational telecommunications corporation alleging fraud and breach of contract
• Representing commercial landlord in claims against commercial tenant for building code violations and destruction of property

White-Collar Crime

• Representing various companies and individuals in connection with internal and law enforcement investigations concerning alleged accounting and financial fraud
• Representing a corporate executive in connection with multiple fraud and tax evasion investigations and prosecution
• Representing an individual federally indicted for a multi-million dollar Medicare fraud
• Representing a bond trading firm in litigation concerning an international bank fraud and monetary theft
• Representing non-US company in US investigation concerning alleged price fixing violations for international shipping of goods
• Representing an individual federally indicted and tried for bank fraud, tax evasion, conspiracy, and perjury
• Assisting federal prosecutors in the investigation and prosecution of a large array of criminal securities fraud cases, including matters involving broker-dealers engaged in boiler room operations, “kickback cases” concerning secret payments to brokers in exchange for pushing stock and cases arising from Operation Uptick – the largest securities fraud takedown in US history

Publications

• Diligence Can Close Biggest Loophole for Money Laundering:  Real Estate, Miami Daily Business Review, August 28, 2007 (co-author)
• Avoiding Foreign Entanglements: Laws Targeting Bribery of Offshore Officials Challenge US Companies, Miami Daily Business Review, April 1, 2007 (co-author)
• McNulty Reverses Course on Corporate Rights, But Don’t Expect Smooth Sailing, Corporate Officers and Directors Liability Litigation Reporter, March 5, 2007 (co-author)
• Attorney-Client, Work-Product Privileges at Stake, Miami Daily Business Review, July 18, 2006 (co-author)
• SEC, DOJ Policies Parallel on Corporate Penalties, Miami Daily Business Review, January 19, 2006 (co-author)

Interests

A former collegiate volleyball player for the University of California, Jason enjoys a variety of outdoor sports and regularly competes in triathlons, primarily at the Olympic and Half-Iron distances.  In 2015 he raced Ironman Lake Placid for charity, successfully completing the full Ironman distance of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile marathon in the Adirondack Mountains of New York.