David Goewey has tried cases and handled complex civil litigation, arbitration, and mediation at Venable since 1987.

One of Mr. Goewey's primary strengths is his versatility. He is admitted in all federal and state courts in DC, Virginia, and Maryland and has defended and prosecuted cases involving a broad array of contracts and commercial, regulatory, and constitutional issues and federal statutes, including securities actions and the Lanham Act, as well as copyright, unfair competition, trade secrets and software licensing claims. He has represented a national insurance company, as well as officers and directors of financial institutions, and service providers, in court and in regulatory proceedings. Mr. Goewey enjoys the highest ranking for professional skills and ethical conduct based upon his zealous but principled advocacy for his clients (AV® Rated by Martindale-Hubbell).

In addition to his defense-oriented business litigation practice, Mr. Goewey has successfully defended attorneys against legal malpractice claims and in Bar Counsel proceedings before three state Bars and two appellate courts. Because he has also tried cases and argued appeals for plaintiffs based on various business torts, contract actions, and wrongful deaths, Mr. Goewey brings a unique perspective to his corporate defense work.

Significant Matters

Mr. Goewey successfully arbitrated a significant contract dispute between a credit card processing company and an online seller of wireless services in Denver in 2011. His most recent trial ended with a judgment for his client in a contract dispute between two publicly traded companies – a financial institution and a consumer credit monitoring service provider.

Defense work in recent years includes:

• secured favorable settlement through mediation for a national bank in a Truth in Lending Act/Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act filed in federal court in District of Columbia;
• a comprehensive litigation risk assessment, undertaken at the direction of federal regulators, for a client defending similar civil actions throughout the United States;
• representation of officers and directors in both regulatory proceedings and civil actions involving negligence and fraud allegations;
• a publicly-traded company in the successful defense of contract and fraud claims in New York related to the spin-off of a division;
• an IT contractor defending contract and securities fraud claims associated with the sale of its federal contracting business;
• a defense contractor that prevailed in a securities fraud claim in the Eastern District of Virginia;
• a hospitality company in a premises liability and wrongful death case of first impression in federal court in District of Columbia;
• five clients named as defendants in a contract and tort action in federal court in Texas;
• an insurance company that was the subject of several federal and state regulatory investigations;
• a Texas company and its principal named in a multi-party RICO action;
• an international sports federation in a defamation action brought in federal court in Virginia;
• the U.S. Soccer Federation in a putative class action based on ticket sale practices;
• a bank principal in a class/securities action;
• a software company in the successful arbitration of a dispute stemming from a software licensing and support agreement and related work orders;
• attorneys accused of malpractice and ethics violations securing the dismissal outright of a related Complaint and Bar Complaints filed in several states; and
• a large retailer in a Title VII jury trial (defense verdict).

In years past, civil actions Mr. Goewey brought on behalf of plaintiffs for business torts and personal injuries concluded with two multi-million dollar verdicts and two seven-figure settlements. Mr. Goewey prevailed at trial and on appeal in the pro bono representation of a single mother defending a claim for the partition and sale of her family's home.

Activities

Instructor, Intensive Trial Advocacy Program and Deposition Skills Program, National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) at Georgetown University Law Center.