Category: News on the Homepage

Campolo, Middleton & McCormick is proud to announce that Senior Partner Patrick McCormick has been elected First Vice President of the Suffolk County Bar Association. As First Vice President, McCormick will continue to advocate for the legal community through legal education programs and represent the SCBA in the absence of the President and President Elect.

This election is a particularly noteworthy professional milestone for McCormick, who has previously served as Second Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer of the SCBA Board of Directors, as well as Dean of the Suffolk Academy of Law. A proven leader in the community, this election highlights McCormick’s long-standing dedication to the SCBA. McCormick was sworn in at the SCBA’s 114^th Annual Installation Dinner at Villa Lombardi’s on June 1.

McCormick chairs the Appellate Practice at CMM, having built a reputation as a strategic and talented appellate attorney over three decades in the field. Representing clients in civil and criminal matters in both federal and state courts, he has argued numerous appeals, including three arguments at the New York State Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court. McCormick is also a respected trial attorney, litigating all types of complex commercial and real estate matters. He represents national commercial shopping centers, retailers, and publicly traded home builders in commercial and residential landlord-tenant matters. McCormick has been recognized by his peers with the Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent® rating for ethical standards and legal ability, the highest possible rating from the most recognized legal directory and resource. 

CMM recently represented our client, a prominent real estate developer, successfully as the plaintiff in a million-dollar East End real property compensation dispute.

Our client sued the defendants (a real estate brokerage firm and its principal) to recover compensation for various services rendered unrelated to real estate brokerage activities.

Following this lawsuit, the defendants moved for an Order to dismiss the complaint. According to the defendants, our client was not a real estate broker and was therefore prohibited from collecting/splitting any commission and from commencing a legal action seeking such commission.

CMM’s Jeffrey Basso and Rich DeMaio opposed the motion to dismiss and ultimately received a favorable decision from the Court denying the motion in its entirety. In its decision, the Court held that our client’s lawsuit stated viable claims and thus, was sufficient to withstand the defendants’ motion to dismiss. The case will now proceed to discovery where CMM can continue to prosecute the claims on behalf of our client.

CMM’s litigation team is well versed in real estate matters, representing clients in all types from contract disputes to landlord-tenant proceedings. Contact us to learn more.

Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP, a premier law firm with offices across Long Island – recognized by Forbes as a Top Corporate Law Firm in America – is delighted to announce that Richard DeMaio has been promoted to Senior Associate.

“This is an important milestone in Rich’s career and is very well deserved,” said Managing Partner Joe Campolo.

DeMaio is a litigator focusing on commercial disputes and environmental matters in state and federal court, municipal litigation, commercial landlord-tenant cases, and a variety of appeals. His municipal work includes Article 78 proceedings, zoning/land use matters, and defending municipalities. DeMaio graduated cum laude from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University, where he served as Notes Editor of Hofstra Law Review. He also earned his undergraduate degree from Hofstra. DeMaio joined CMM as a Summer Associate in 2016.

It’s official – tax season is over! As accountants celebrate by digging themselves out of their piles of paperwork and documents, CMM is happy to report that for our client, a Suffolk County CPA firm, wrapping up tax season isn’t the only celebration. Our client, Cerini & Associates, LLP, is celebrating their acquisition of Syosset-based Joseph Sciacca & Company CPAs P.C.

Cerini & Associates is a full-service New York regional accounting firm serving the Long Island community for over 27 years in industries including healthcare, nonprofit, education, school districts, technology, and construction. According to C&A’s press release, the merger will expand the firm’s footprint and capabilities and add a second location, delivering increased value to clients.

CMM’s Vincent Costa spearheaded the deal on behalf of Cerini & Associates.

Professional service firms trust CMM with all their legal needs, whether mergers and acquisitions, transactions, litigation, or employment issues. Contact us and learn more about our M&A practice here.

Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP is proud to announce that the firm has been honored by Touro Law Center as the 2022 Law Firm of Year! The award will be presented at the Liberty & Justice Dinner on Thursday, April 28, 2022, at the Garden City Hotel. Liberty & Justice Award recipients are honored for their work, steadfast support, and dedication to the ideals of the Law Center.

The mission of Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center to provide students with an innovative and immersive path toward becoming practice-ready professionals complements CMM’s efforts to continuously raise the bar for the legal profession on Long Island. CMM also enjoys a strong relationship with the law school, teaching classes, mentoring students, and providing scholarships and externships. CMM Senior Partner Christine Malafi also serves on the Board of Governors.

Congratulations to all Liberty & Justice Award honorees!

They say a family business is a never-ending journey that is constantly evolving. For our client, a multi-generation family business that has been operating in New York for more than 120 years, this certainly holds true.

CMM recently represented this long-established family business in an M&A deal involving the sale of the company. Our client is a Suffolk County manufacturer in the plumbing, cooling, and heating industry. Developing lines of quality products for wholesale distribution, refrigeration, and food service industries, our client manufacturers the tools and devices needed for all types of industrial applications. The deal involved the multimillion-dollar sale of our client’s assets to an affiliate of a larger midwestern manufacturer of equipment products whose distribution network services countries around the world.

CMM’s team, led by Vincent Costa with support from Paralegal Kat Campolo, negotiated the asset purchase agreement on behalf of our client, evolving and transforming their family business as they know it.

Learn more about M&A practice here and contact us for guidance on your next business purchase or sale.

“Your legal bill was the only one I’ve ever paid where I felt like I paid for a fabulous meal, so it was completely worth every penny!” We’d be thrilled to receive this review from any client, but it carries extra significance coming from a restauranteur.

Our client was a co-founder of a successful East End restaurant. Years later, when the partnership became strained, the ultimate solution was for our clients’ partners to buy him out. At first our client’s business partners did not want to proceed, and the deal was further complicated by the number of companies involved as well as the refinancing of debt. But CMM’s Corporate team, led by Senior Partner Christine Malafi, persisted – and eventually got the job done, navigating a multimillion-dollar buyout.

The client was very happy, comparing paying his legal bill to paying for a delicious dinner! Contact us for our full menu of legal services including buyouts, mergers, or acquisitions.

The remedy for thin skin is thicker skin, not a lawsuit, Campolo, Middleton & McCormick successfully argued in Court on behalf of celebrity defendants Cardi B; her sister, Hennessy Carolina; and her sister’s girlfriend, Michelle Diaz.

After hearing a string of “bad words” and obvious hyperboles exchanged on the beach during Labor Day weekend 2020, three beachgoers decided to seek a windfall by commencing a libel lawsuit against the famous entertainer, her sister, and her sister’s girlfriend.

CMM’s litigation team, led by Senior Partner Patrick McCormick with support from Senior Associate Richard DeMaio, moved to dismiss the complaint and prevailed in a decision dated March 25, exposing the lawsuit for the money grab that it was. The frivolous complaint, filed in New York State Supreme Court, Suffolk County, sought damages for a convenient mix of assault, battery, libel, slander, and civil rights violations – critically, not based on what the defendants allegedly said, but what they allegedly posted online following the incident at the beach.

The Court granted CMM’s motion to dismiss in its entirety, finding that “Cardi B’s activities as related to her celebrity status do not establish activities that are purposeful and there is no substantial relationship between the incident that occurred…and the claims being asserted.” Judge William Condon wrote in his decision that the plaintiffs “failed to allege any special harm or defamation…they cannot specifically identify who the defamatory statements were made to.” The Court found that the allegedly defamatory words “do not arise to defamatory language as they were merely general insults.” The assault claim similarly failed due to the absence of any physical conduct or menacing gestures, as did the battery claim due to the lack of bodily contact made with intent.

“We’re very pleased for Cardi B that the Court saw this lawsuit for what it was: a celebrity shakedown,” CMM’s McCormick told Rolling Stone. “The claims had no merit whatsoever and were an obvious attempt to exploit the system for monetary gain. As we argued before the Court, the remedy for thin skin is thicker skin, not litigation. Today’s outcome should help deter others from using frivolous claims as a money grab.” 

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP congratulates Senior Partner Christine Malafi on being recognized as one of the 25 Most Powerful People in Long Island Law. The LIBN Power 25 Lawyer List honors dedicated, accomplished attorneys who have persevered through challenges and positively shaped Long Island by making inspiring impacts on the lives of their clients and our region.

“Long Island Business News is proud to honor its 2022 Power 25 legal professionals who exemplify the region’s best and brightest legal minds and who show that they also give from their hearts,” said Joe Dowd, LIBN Editor & Associate Publisher. “Long Island’s top legal professionals generously donate their time to provide education and youth mentorship, support a diverse array of charitable initiatives and offer pro bono services for those in need. They are leaders in our communities, serving not only our businesses but also the needs of our youth, the elderly and those who special needs, working to make a difference and strengthen all of Long Island’s diverse populations.”

As Chair of the Corporate department, Malafi has led the CMM legal team in closing countless M&A deals worth billions of dollars. She has vast experience advising on both buy-side and sell-side M&A transactions in a variety of industries. Malafi has the unique perspective of being a corporate lawyer who spent the first half of her career as a trial court litigator and appellate attorney with extensive experience in municipal, insurance coverage, and fraud issues. She brings her deep understanding of litigation and the court system to all aspects of her corporate work and uses this experience to help protect clients from a variety of critical angles.

In addition to her legal work, Malafi serves on the Executive Board of Directors of Family Service League and the Board of Governors of Touro Law School. She has been featured in The Best Lawyers in America® in the category of Employment Law for five consecutive years and was recently recognized with a Leadership in Law Lifetime Achievement Award. Malafi has also been featured in the Long Island Business News Who’s Who in Labor Law section, was honored as one of the Top Outstanding Women in Law by the Center for Children, Families and the Law at Hofstra University, and was named to LIBN’s Top 50 Most Influential Women in Business.

Malafi is frequently quoted on various legal topics in Newsday and Long Island Business News. A sought-after presenter, she has given numerous lectures and presentations at business resource centers, education groups, and bar associations.