Christopher N.Thatch (Chris)

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Washington + 1.202.879.4658

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Chris Thatch is a trial lawyer whose practice focuses primarily on construction, antitrust litigation, mass torts, and contract disputes. He has tried cases in multiple state and federal courts and has represented clients in commercial arbitrations throughout the world.

Chris has handled construction disputes on large-scale public and commercial projects, including environmental cleanup and remediation efforts, flood protection repair, power plant builds, aerospace development, infrastructure, and military programs. Recently, he successfully represented two global aerospace companies in separate International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitrations, and he was counsel to a major utility in a dispute related to the licensing, design, and construction of the first nuclear power project authorized to be built in the United States in more than 30 years. Chris also has defended companies against enterprise-threatening litigation resulting from natural and man-made disasters and allegedly defective products. Chris achieved a complete defense verdict for a global engineering firm in a lawsuit alleging billions of dollars in damages from flooding in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, and he has successfully defended a multinational company in several high-stakes product liability cases. Representative clients include URS Corporation, Boeing, Southern Company, Bechtel, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and Reynolds American.

In addition, Chris has more than 15 years of antitrust litigation experience in a variety of industries, including banking, credit cards, transportation, health care, and higher education. He has defended several merger challenges brought by the federal government, including representing American Airlines' defense of its merger with US Airways, and representing Aetna in the challenge to its merger with Humana.

Experience

  • University defends against antitrust conspiracy claimsJones Day is defending a university in a putative nationwide class action alleging that it and over a dozen other universities entered into a conspiracy in violation of federal antitrust laws to fix the amount of financial aid available to students.
  • Disabled man obtains settlement of more than $1 million in police brutality caseJones Day represented client M, a young man with cerebral palsy, and his grandmother in a Section 1983 matter against the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, the Prince George's County Police Department, and many individual officers related to an excessive force case.
  • Global engineering and aerospace company resolves ICC dispute with its engine supplierJones Day successfully settled a private arbitration before the International Chamber of Commerce ("ICC") on behalf of a global engineering and aerospace company.
  • PinnacleHealth System and Penn State Hershey attempt to merge Pennsylvania hospitalsJones Day represented PinnacleHealth System and Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center as antitrust counsel in the hospitals' proposed merger.
  • CSXT seeks advice regarding claims and NTSB investigation arising from derailment following grade crossing accidentJones Day represents CSX Transportation, Inc. ("CSXT") in connection with a railroad crossing accident that occurred in a mixed industrial residential area in Baltimore, Maryland.
  • Georgia Power disputes construction claims related to design of two new nuclear units, Vogtle Units 3 & 4Jones Day represented Georgia Power Company and the other owners of the Vogtle Units 3 & 4 Project in Waynesboro, Georgia in a 3-year litigation concerning more than $1.5 billion in alleged cost overruns relating to the licensing, design and construction of the first new nuclear power projects licensed in the U.S. in over 30 years.
  • R.J. Reynolds wins jury verdict in federal Deshaies ''Engle progeny'' lawsuitOn February 3, 2014, following six days of trial and approximately 90 minutes of deliberation, a jury in Tampa, Florida returned a verdict in favor of Jones Day client R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in a personal injury action finding that the smoker was not an Engle class member.
  • Washington Group International prevails in Hurricane Katrina mass tort actionJones Day successfully defended Washington Group International, Inc. ("WGI," now URS Energy & Construction Company, a subsidiary of URS Corp.) in a mass tort action alleging that WGI's work on behalf of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contributed to floodwall breaches in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.
  • American Airlines merges with US Airways in $11 billion dealJones Day represented American Airlines in the antitrust investigation and federal court challenge to its $11 billion merger with US Airways, which closed after the Department of Justice and State attorneys general agreed to settle their lawsuit that sought to block the deal.
  • Significant dispositive motion and appellate victoryJones Day is serving as court appointed, pro bono counsel for Timothy Brockington in Brockington v. Boykins, No. 08-1713 (D. Md.).
  • Royal Bank of Scotland obtains dismissal of certain claims pending in Thornburg bankruptcy caseJones Day obtained dismissal of 22 out of 31 claims for The Royal Bank of Scotland Plc that were filed by the Chapter 11 Trustee in the chapter 11 case of Thornburg Mortgage, Inc.
  • Chrysler sold to Fiat-led "New Chrysler" after historic court proceedingsAfter a historic battle all the way to the United States Supreme Court, Chrysler LLC sold substantially all of its assets to Fiat-led "New Chrysler" (Chrysler Group LLC) on June 10, 2009, providing the opportunity for its iconic brands and U.S. operations to survive.
  • Army awards disabled soldier's retirement benefitsThrough a partnership with Disabled American Veterans ("DAV"), Jones Day provides pro bono legal representation to injured soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and to disabled sailors and Marines at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C.
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    APRIL 2024 Alert

    U.S. Department of Energy Conditionally Commits Up to $1.5 Billion to Finance Nuclear Plant in Michigan

    February 2024 White Paper

    Earnout Provisions: When Litigation Arises and How to Avoid It

    April 2022 Commentary

    Home-Court Rules and Construction Disputes: An Update

    June 2020 White Paper

    Construction Projects and Disputes: A Look Beyond the Lockdown, Part III

    May 2020 White Paper

    Construction Projects and Disputes: A Look Beyond the COVID-19 Lockdown, Part II

    May 2020 White Paper

    Construction Projects and Disputes: A Look Beyond the COVID-19 Lockdown

    May 2016 Commentary

    Concurrent Delay: Clearing Up the Confusion Over "Apportionment" in Construction Litigation

    September 2015 External Publications

    Litigators and Experts: Ignore GIS Technology at Your Peril

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