Clients turn to Mark Rotatori for his formidable experience representing corporate clients in commercial litigation matters with an emphasis on disputes involving public-private partnership (P3) infrastructure transactions, False Claims Act (FCA) and consumer fraud cases, and tax matters. He has more than 25 years of extensive trial and appellate experience in these areas in state and federal courts.
Mark's recent cases include a trial win resulting in a $11.5 million tax refund for Mayo Clinic in Minnesota federal court, eliminating the City of Chicago's billion dollar exposure in its highly publicized parking meter infrastructure transaction with a consortium of private companies, obtaining a multimillion dollar verdict for Bridgestone/Firestone against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in Nashville federal court, defeating class certification against Expedia and Hotels.com in Chicago federal court, successfully defending Williams-Sonoma in an income tax sourcing case, dismissing FCA lawsuits brought against retailers for alleged nonpayment of sales and use tax, and reversing, on appeal, a state court ruling relating to a dispute over rates charged by public utility, Illinois American Water.
Mark is a leader in the legal community where he serves as chairperson of the board of directors for Equip for Equality, a nonprofit that operates the federally mandated Protection and Advocacy System for Illinois, and is a director for the Public Interest Law Initiative.
Mark is also the pro bono partner for the Chicago Office.
Experience
Additional Speaking Engagements
- February 23, 2022
Attorney-Client Privilege and Work Product Doctrine Part I: U.S. Litigation Issues - January 12, 2021
Jones Day University: The CARES Act Loan Programs and the Provider Relief Fund: What Lies Ahead - April 22, 2020
Leveraging The Voluntary Payment Doctrine in Litigation - November 12, 2018
Tax Gambling -- Not Planning For Litigation - June 30, 2016
Chaos in Nexus Land - November 4, 2015
Local Tax Morass: Making Sense of Recent Tax Development & Navigating the New Minefields, The Chicago Tax Club 62nd Annual Fall Seminar - September 19, 2013
Enterprise Zones and HIB Reform: Something New for Everyone -- even if you didn't know it - June 7, 2012
Situational Ethics: Privilege Developments That In House Counsel Need to Know, Jones Day Chicago 2012 MCLE University - February 21, 2012
Common Ethical Issues for In-House Counsel - September 20, 2011
Review of ethical issues confronting tax professionals, including duties of confidentiality in the context of evidentiary privileges, the duties of candor with respect to the disclosure of known tax preparation errors and the interplay between ethical duties and the workplace use of social media, Taxpayers' Federation of Illinois' Annual Meeting
- Case Western Reserve University (J.D. cum laude 1994; Managing Editor, Law Review); University of Notre Dame (B.A. with high honors 1991)
- Illinois; U.S. District Courts for the Northern (Trial Bar) and Central Districts of Illinois; and U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Circuits
Member of the board of directors and member of the executive committee for Equip for Equality, a nonprofit organization that advances the civil rights of people with disabilities
Member of the board of directors for Public Interest Law Initiative, a nonprofit organization that provides equal access to justice to people, families, and communities in need