Overview
Regardless of the subject matter, John takes a practical approach to problem solving and seeks to maximize client value, eliminate unnecessary inefficiency, and make strategic use of client resources.
John’s work in the commercial and industrial real estate sector involves construction defects, change order and cost disputes, force majeure claims, breaches of representations and warranties, lease disputes, recovery under guarantees, mechanics liens, and both public and private condemnation. John’s cases have included litigation involving medical facilities, power production plants and transmission lines, office buildings, apartment complexes, retail shopping centers, mixed-use developments, and golf courses. John also regularly provides contract negotiation assistance designed to limit client exposure and promote efficient claim resolution.
John’s land use and zoning experience concerns both quasi-judicial and legislative proceedings. His cases involve conventional and conditional rezonings, variances, special and conditional use permits, and appeals of entitlement interpretation involving a myriad of project types, including industrial, commercial, residential, and mixed-use. John also negotiates development, reimbursement, and transportation improvement agreements with local municipalities, as necessary to facilitate development.
John’s commercial litigation work primarily focuses on shareholder and corporate governance, claims under the Uniform Commercial Code, breaches of services agreements, and creditors’ rights issues. John’s cases have included representation of international and regional financial institutions, private equity firms, manufacturers, real estate developers and investment trusts, other medium and large business, and their owners, officers, directors, and shareholders. John’s cases have included representing international financial institutions in actions to recover loan proceeds from defaulted borrowers, representing secured parties in actions to recover debt, representing manufacturers in suits involving defective goods, and derivative actions involving individual malfeasance, self-dealing transactions, and other breaches of fiduciary duties.
Representative Experience
The following examples are representative of the attorney’s practice and are not intended to indicate or predict similar results can be obtained for other clients. See Disclaimer
Commercial and Industrial Real Estate
- Obtained increase in excess of $1 million in compensation for government condemnation of commercial development
- Successfully defended owner’s engineer against negligence and breach of contract claims arising from construction of multi-state transmission line
- Successfully defended owner of power plant against claims in excess of $20 million arising from construction of power plant
- Successfully defended against injunction seeking to halt construction of residential real estate development
Land Use and Zoning
- Successfully challenged agency interpretation of zoning regulation in connection with mixed-use development
- Successfully defended against proposed special use permit to prevent commercial development on behalf of neighboring land conservancy
- Obtained special use permit to allow development of recycling facility
- Obtained special use permit to allow development of drug treatment facility
- Obtained approval of multiple developments involving industrial, commercial, and mixed use projects totaling millions of gross square feet and thousands of units
Commercial Litigation
- Obtained $106 million judgment against medical rebate company on behalf of lead arranger for syndicated credit facility
- Obtained jury verdict of $2.5 million in shareholder derivative suit involving impropriety by officer and director of steel manufacturing company and the company’s accounting firm
- Obtained dismissal of claims against real estate investment trust brought by former officer and director related to purported freeze out
- Obtained dismissal of class action suit against multi-state lending institution arising from alleged violations of state usury law
Notable
Notable
- Best Lawyers in America, Commercial Litigation, 2024-2025; Construction Law, 2024-2025; Litigation - Construction, 2023-2025; Litigation – Land Use and Zoning, 2024-2025; Litigation - Real Estate, 2023-2025
- Business North Carolina Legal Elite, Construction, 2023-2024
News
News
Affiliations
Affiliations
- American Bar Association
- North Carolina Bar Association
- South Carolina Bar Association
- Charleston County Bar Association
- South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys' Association
- Member of the Board of Directors, Charlotte Internal Arbitration Association, 2019-Present
- Member, Charlotte Zoning Board of Adjustment
- Member, Cedarwood Country Club
Capabilities
Education
J.D., University of South Carolina, 2009; Cum Laude, Order of the Coif, Order of Wig and Robe, Phi Delta Phi
B.A., University of South Carolina, 2002
Admissions
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- District of Columbia
- District of North Dakota
- 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals
- 4th Circuit Court of Appeals
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina
- U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina