Judgment in the Cloud: The future of risk and regulation with James Lord, Google Cloud
William J. Trunk
Partner Litigation, Arbitration, and Employment
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Overview
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Experience
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Credentials
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Insights and events
Willian Trunk is a seasoned litigator who handles high-stakes commercial litigation for corporations, boards of directors, financial institutions, hedge funds, trustees, and individuals. With experience in federal and state courts across the country, Bill has tried cases throughout the country, argued before the U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal, and represented clients before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Bill frequently represents hedge funds and investors in complex refinancing and liability-management litigation. Notably, Bill tried to judgment a complex bondholder dispute against Windstream Services, securing a US$300 million judgment for his hedge-fund client, and represented bondholders in a US$4.6 billion settlement with Argentina. He also defends companies and boards against derivative lawsuits and fiduciary duty claims, including successfully defending independent directors of a Guernsey fund in a US$2 billion lawsuit.
In addition to his trial work, Bill handles significant appeals, including a criminal appeal in the Fourth Circuit and amicus briefs in landmark Supreme Court cases such as Murphy v. NCAA and National Labor Relations Board v. Noel Canning.
Representative experience
Defending a multinational banking company and its affiliates against fraudulent transfer and related claims brought by junior lenders to the American Dream Mall construction project.
Defended hedge-fund / equity sponsor against fraudulent transfer and breach of fiduciary claims brought by the Chapter 7 Trustee for the jointly administered bankruptcy estates of Bayou Steel.*
Served as special litigation counsel to oil and gas producer in Ch. 11 proceeding, prosecuting fraudulent-transfer and related claims against upstream affiliate.*
Defending a major health care provider against fraudulent transfer, illegal dividend, and related claims brought by the trustee for the QHC Litigation Trust, seeking more than US$2 billion in damages.
Defended a Fortune 500 company in a federal securities class action alleging misstatements regarding the company’s expected revenue growth.*
Represented crypto stablecoin issuer in Delaware Chancery Court and cross-border litigation arising from a dispute over crypto-mining infrastructure.*
Represented an administrative agent, on behalf of term loan lenders, in an action to set aside a debt exchange as violative of a credit agreement.*
Tried a complex bondholder dispute from Windstream Services' exchange offers, winning on all issues and securing over US$300 million in damages for the client after a bench trial.*
Represented holders of defaulted bonds in years-long litigation against the Republic of Argentina, culminating in a US$4.6 billion settlement.*
Defended a major health care services provider and its directors and officers against federal and state securities fraud claims arising from a 2016 spinoff transaction.*
Briefed and argued the Fourth Circuit criminal appeal of Jeffrey A. Sterling, convicted under the Espionage Act for leaking classified material to a New York Times reporter.*
Defended former independent directors of Carlyle Capital in multijurisdictional litigation, securing exoneration and complete victory after a five-month trial over nearly US$2 billion in damages.*
Obtained summary judgment for an international engineering firm defending against a False Claims Act retaliation claim.*
Represented on appeal The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of TOUSA Inc., securing the affirmance of a US$500 million judgment awarded by the bankruptcy court.*
On behalf of a large multinational renewable power company, briefed and won a Second Circuit appeal defending a series of administrative rulings by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.*
Drafted Supreme Court amicus briefs for a trade association on the winning side of National Labor Relations Board v. Noel Canning, relating to the scope of the President’s recess appointment power.*
Drafted Supreme Court amicus briefs on the winning side of Murphy v. NCAA, overturning the federal statute prohibiting state-authorized sports betting.*
*Matter handled prior to joining Hogan Lovells.
Credentials
Education
- Juris Doctor, Boston College School of Law, summa cum laude, Order of the Coif (class salutatorian), 2008
- Bachelor of Arts, State University of New York at Albany, summa cum laude, 2005
Bar admissions and qualifications
- District of Columbia
- New York