Robert E. Toone
Robert Toone focuses on complex commercial and financial litigation, securities enforcement, and related government and internal investigations. He has successfully represented leading corporations, financial institutions, corporate officers, and educational institutions in a broad range of trial and appellate matters, including cases in the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the First, Second, Fourth and Eleventh Circuits and in federal and state trial courts across the nation. Robert has authored briefs for educational organizations and members of Congress in U.S. Supreme Court cases, and he has coordinated the defense of companies in congressional and executive-branch investigations.
A graduate of Yale Law School, Robert served as counsel for Senator Edward M. Kennedy on the Senate Judiciary Committee from 2001 to 2005. He also litigated complex civil rights cases at the Southern Center for Human Rights and clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Bars and Court Admissions
- Massachusetts
- District of Columbia
- Georgia
- Supreme Court of the United States
- U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
Representative Experience
The following is a brief summary of Robert's experience and accomplishments:
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Won dismissal of a purported $259 million class action filed against an international accounting firm seeking imposition of a constructive trust on fees and alleging violations of the Credit Repair Organizations Act. Successfully defended the ruling on appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
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Led the defense of an educational company in a year-long investigation by the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
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Won dismissal of all SEC securities fraud claims against a mutual fund company executive. Successfully defended the ruling on appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
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Won dismissal of a federal lawsuit filed against an educational testing company and government agencies claiming employment discrimination, breach of contract and violation of consumer protection.
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Secured the dismissal of an international consulting firm from a federal lawsuit claiming antitrust and RICO violations.
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Conducted an extensive internal investigation on behalf of trustees for a financial investment adviser into the pricing practices of a custodian bank.
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Drafted a U.S. Supreme Court brief on federal sentencing issues for Senators Edward Kennedy, Orrin Hatch and Diane Feinstein.
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Represented a private investment fund in a fraud lawsuit against a foreign reinsurance company. Case was settled on favorable terms following mediation.
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Represented a public medical device manufacturer in a dispute concerning breach of contract, theft of trade secrets and unfair competition. Case was settled on favorable terms.
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Drafted a U.S. Supreme Court brief on equal protection and school integration issues on behalf of 20 higher education organizations.
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Successfully prosecuted a Fair Housing Act pro bono lawsuit, obtaining a comprehensive consent order to provide relocation services to displaced public housing tenants and site replication housing units outside areas of minority concentration.
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Negotiated an injunctive order requiring county officials to increase funding for public defender offices and facilitate the continuous representation of indigent defendants.
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Obtained damages in a Bivens action challenging the prolonged, punitive use of four-point restraints at a federal penitentiary.
professional / civic involvement
- Advisory Committee to Recommend Appointment of U.S. Attorney, U.S. Marshal and U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Massachusetts (2009)
- Lawyers’ Committee For Civil Rights and Economic Justice, Board of Directors
- CJA Appellate Panel, U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
- Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Pro Bono Recognition Award (2009)
- Adjunct professor at Northeastern Law School, teaching course on counter-terrorism and civil liberties (2005-06)
- Named “Top Staffer Under 35” in Congress by The Hill newspaper (2004)
- Boston Bar Association
- American Bar Association