BIO
Christopher’s practice focuses on bankruptcy and commercial and business litigation. Christopher has substantial experience representing secured and unsecured creditors and other stakeholders in all aspects of bankruptcy cases and related proceedings. Christopher also represents civil litigants in state and federal trial courts and in alternative dispute resolution forums throughout California, with a particular emphasis on provisional remedies and judgment enforcement matters.
PRACTICE AREAS
Bankruptcy and Business Reorganizations
Creditors’ Rights and Commercial Litigation
Business Litigation
ADMISSIONS
State Bar of California
All U.S. District Courts and U.S. Bankruptcy Courts in California
EDUCATION
Stanford University, B.A., 2002
The University of Chicago Law School, J.D., 2007
REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS
Bankruptcy Litigation
- Achieved victory for judgment creditor owed more than $10 million as first-chair attorney at trial involving dischargeability determination under Bankruptcy Code section 523(a)(2)(B).
- Won summary judgment for bank in adversary proceeding involving validity of competing real property liens and successfully defended judgment on appeal.
- Obtained dismissal of chapter 7 trustee’s complaint against bank concerning validity of bank’s lien on deposit account funds, by persuading court to reject trustee’s interpretation of Commercial Code section 9332(b) and Bankruptcy Code section 544(a)(1).
- Negotiated favorable resolution of hotly-contested dispute with chapter 11 debtor- in-possession concerning debtor’s efforts to surcharge client’s collateral under Bankruptcy Code section 506(c) for client’s purported pro rata share of costs to preserve and dispose of collateral.
- Achieved full payoffs, through Bankruptcy Code section 363 sales in unrelated bankruptcy cases, for real-estate-secured creditor owed more than $21.5 million and $5.1 million respectively.
Non-Bankruptcy Litigation
- Prevailed, as first-chair attorney, for equipment lessor plaintiff at breach-of-contract trial involving various fact-intensive affirmative defenses.
- Won summary judgment for defense in litigation involving national solar panel manufacturer’s alleged misappropriation of corporate opportunities, and obtained full affirmance of judgment on appeal.
- Obtained dismissal of claims against bank for negligent processing of $755,000 fraudulent payment order, on eve of summary-judgment hearing and without bank making any settlement payment, based on bank’s defense to liability under Commercial Code section 11207(b)(1).
- Represented judgment creditor owed more than $1 million in federal regulatory enforcement receivership and negotiated advantageous resolution for client in subsequent state-court interpleader action involving surplus receivership funds.
