Dickstein Shapiro Skirts NYC Office Lawsuit

The former partners of Dickstein Shapiro have dodged another bullet, in that the defunct firm is no longer being sued for breaking a real estate lease in Manhattan.

In February, Sullivan & Worcester, which sublet space in Manhattan from Dickstein, sued the defunct firm for $8.4 million, after the roughly 100 partners made a massive lateral jump to Blank Rome.

The suit claimed that Dickstein had broken a sublease agreement at 1633 Broadway, leaving Sullivan on-the-hook for rent payment and putting it in a difficult situation with the landlord.

Apparently, the dispute has resolved. Attorneys for both parties signed a stipulation of discontinuance in Manhattan Supreme Court on Tuesday, according to court documents. But there aren’t many details around the resolution at this point.

Earlier this week, Andrew Solomon, a Sullivan & Worcester partner, told the New York Law Journal , that the firm has worked out the issue with its landlord and is staying at 1633 Broadway. “As part of that resolution, we voluntarily terminated the lawsuit against Dickstein Shapiro.”

The court papers said that the parties agreed to dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice, “with each party bearing its own respective attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses.”

Solomon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Big Law Business on Thursday. Neither did John Jureller Jr., who is representing Dickstein Shapiro at the law firm Klestadt Winters Jureller Southard & Stevens.

The Law Journal noted that Dickstein continues to face other litigation stemming from the firm’s downfall.

The defunct law firm continues to battle other litigation. Robert Gingher, a former Dickstein Shapiro attorney, is suing the firm and several of its former partners in Suffolk County Supreme Court, claiming the firm discriminated against him and has failed to pay him bonus money owed to him.

And in Washington, D.C., a vendor providing forensic and e-discovery services, Innovative Discovery, has sued Dickstein Shapiro for about $72,000 in unpaid bills.