Overview
Jeremy Lockhart is an attorney in the Litigation Department who concentrates his practice on high-stakes complex commercial litigation. His broad range of litigation experience includes disputes involving private equity funds and their portfolio companies, internal investigations and white collar defense, public company shareholder litigation, and breach of contract disputes, business torts, and injunction proceedings.
Jeremy also serves as the firm’s Assistant General Counsel and is a member of the firm’s Ethics Committee.
- Represents private equity firms and their portfolio companies in commercial litigation and internal investigations typically involving allegations of criminal or civil fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of contract
- Represents private equity firms and their portfolio companies with representations and warranties insurance claims and coverage disputes
- Represents public and privately held companies and their officers and directors in shareholder disputes, including claims arising in connection with the purchase and sale of the business
- Possesses broad experience in several aspects of litigation—from pre-filing investigations through post-trial motions—including e-discovery, written discovery, depositions, and significant dispositive and non-dispositive motion practice
Services
Practice Areas
Experience
Representative Matters
Private Equity Litigation
- Represented multiple private equity backed portfolio companies in indemnification disputes, earnout disputes, and representation and warranty insurance claims and insurance coverage disputes
- Assisted in obtaining the dismissal of multi-million dollar complaint filed in Michigan state court against a publicly traded company alleging breach of fiduciary duty and breach of contract, among other claims
- Represented private equity client in dispute with former owner and CEO of portfolio company over fraudulent representations and warranties made in connection with sale
- Obtained early dismissal of a Delaware Chancery Court suit brought against a private equity owned portfolio company by a former owner asserting allegations of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of contract
- Obtained favorable settlement on behalf of a private equity seller of a large company sold for hundreds of millions of dollars in litigation alleging breach of representations and warranties and other claims arising from the merger transaction
- Represented private equity portfolio company in unfair competition litigation with a competitor entity
- Conducted an internal investigation for a private equity firm following the discovery of a multi-year accounting fraud by its portfolio company’s Chief Financial Officer, managed e-Discovery and data collection efforts, and assisted in the negotiation of a settlement with a national accounting firm on related accounting malpractice and gross negligence claims
- Completed an internal investigation of a private equity portfolio company following a terminated employee’s allegations of fraud and harassment; assisted in the development of a plan for corrective action and dissuaded the former employee from pursuing claims
Investigations & White Collar Defense
- Completed an investigation for the president and Board of Trustees of a public research university regarding allegations of faculty and staff misconduct and sexual harassment related to an external public relations firm. Honigman interviewed 53 witness, including faculty, staff, employees, former students, and university officials, applying their analysis to the university’s obligations to follow state and federal laws and university policies
- Completed internal investigation regarding suspected unauthorized access to a client’s computer network system by a former IT employee
- Assists clients in internal investigations to determine compliance with federal regulations, including FCPA and SEC issues
- Advises clients in responding to SEC, DOJ, IRS, and other government subpoenas
- Successfully defended a company executive charged in connection with widespread public corruption and bribery investigation and related suit
Securities Litigation
- Defended federal lawsuit filed against a publicly traded company and its officers and directors alleging securities violations, breach of fiduciary duty, and other claims
- Represented a privately held corporation as second-chair trial counsel in a jury trial involving trade secret and confidentiality issues
Class Action
- Represented private equity portfolio company in connection with class action litigation alleging violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act
- Assisted in defeating class certification in federal court in Ohio on behalf of company in a putative environmental class action arising out of the alleged discharge of hazardous material
Credentials
Education
University of Michigan Law School, J.D.
- magna cum laude
- Governing Council of the State Bar of Michigan, Student Representative
Ohio University, B.A.
- cum laude; Alpha Kappa Delta Honors Society
- Ohio University Men’s Rowing Team, President (2008-2009) & Treasurer (2007-2008)
Admissions
- Michigan
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Recognition
Awards
- The Best Lawyers in America, 2024
- Recognized in the area of Commercial Litigation
Michigan Super Lawyers, Recognized as a Rising Star, 2017-2022
Professional & Community Involvement
State Bar of Michigan