Daniel S. Morris

Daniel S. Morris
Partner
Business Litigation

Biography

Dan is a trial and business lawyer who handles complex business cases in federal and state courts across the country, and in domestic and international arbitrations. He represents companies and their officers and directors in litigation relating to commercial contracts, corporate disputes, intellectual property issues, and employment matters, with a focus on trade secrets theft, software and technology litigation, disputes with former executives, and post-closing M&A disputes relating to breaches of representations and warranties, working capital adjustments, and earn-outs.

In addition to his trial practice, Dan regularly advises business leaders, boards of directors, in-house counsel, and public officials on corporate governance issues, risk management, employee and personnel issues, and other related matters. He also has substantial experience in planning and performing internal investigations into alleged corporate misconduct, including investigations into accounting and financial fraud. He frequently counsels corporate clients on the scope and enforceability of restrictive covenant agreements and a host of commercial contracts.

Dan has knowledge across a broad range of industries, including financial services, telecommunications, and healthcare, primarily medical devices and pharmaceuticals.

In 2019, The Legal Intelligencer named Dan as a Professional Excellence Award Winner and “Lawyer on the Fast Track,” a designation given to only 25 lawyers throughout the Commonwealth under the age of 40 determined to have influenced the legal community based on the development of the law, commitment to the community, and service to the bar.

Super Lawyers named Dan as a “Pennsylvania Rising Star” in Business Litigation from 2015 through 2019.

Outside the Firm

Outside of the office, Dan enjoys spending time at the beach with his wife and children. He also enjoys cycling and playing squash. He’s also a volunteer coach with the Radnor Soccer Club.

Experience

  • Telecommunications company in a trade secrets dispute; full defense verdict and defeated $82 million contract and fraud claims following federal jury trial, and won sanctions and attorneys’ fees for destruction of evidence.
  • Financial services company in software implementation and customization dispute with custom software developer; defeated a $170 million trade secrets lawsuit, and obtained a permanent injunction in federal court securing intellectual property rights, followed by contempt order for violations of injunction. Action was litigated in three courts, including Pennsylvania state and federal, and California federal court.
  • A l?eading staffing and recruiting firm, in a nationwide Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) collective action; secured dismissal of FLSA claims and dismissal of named plaintiff.
  • Technology and IT consulting firm; secured a dismissal with prejudice of complaint alleging breach of a Supplier Agreement.
  • A leading global asset management company, in an international arbitration relating to a dispute under an Acquisition Agreement; secured indemnification and significant financial settlement.
  • Real estate investment trusts (“REIT”) and largest owner of shopping malls in the United States in a nationwide class action suit brought by former tenants alleging a RICO conspiracy to overcharge for electricity, seeking hundreds of millions in damages; defeated class certification, and plaintiff dismissed all claims with prejudice with no financial payment or other compensation paid to plaintiff or plaintiff’s counsel.
  • Leading-edge Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (“CDMO”) specializing in the production of plasmid DNA products, in a trade secrets and patent infringement dispute; secured significant financial settlement following litigation in Texas federal court and arbitration.
  • Secured significant financial settlement and injunctive relief on behalf of technology company against agricultural corporation following litigation in Delaware, Minnesota, and Kansas federal courts.
  • Medical devices manufacturer; secured an injunction in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania enforcing the terms of a non-compete against a former senior sales executive, prohibiting him from taking a position with a direct competitor for a period of 18 months.
  • President Pro Tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate in connection with political gerrymandering challenges to the Commonwealth's Congressional Districts; secured a judgment and complete dismissal of an action commenced before a three-judge panel in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
  • Fraud action against derivatives trading website; secured verdict in California state court, upheld as a nondischargeable debt in federal bankruptcy proceedings in Texas, affirmed by Texas federal court, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and review denied by U.S. Supreme Court.
  • Pharmaceutical sourcing and distributing services company; defense of multi-count complaint for defamation, negligent supervision, tortious interference, and false invasion of privacy. Action voluntarily dismissed after filing of Preliminary Objections in Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.
  • Cyber school management and services provider; secured injunction protecting trade secret curriculum and confidential information.
  • Minority shareholder in intra-corporate dispute with directors and officers of private pharmaceutical distributor; prosecuted derivative action in federal courts in New York and Georgia, and negotiated buyout of shares.
  • Minority LLC member in dispute with Managing Member over distribution rights to custom software; compelled arbitration in an action filed in California state court, defeated request for stay of related litigation pending in Germany and proposed derivative claims for breach of fiduciary duty, and secured award for dissolution of LLC.

News & Views

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Recognitions

  • 2019, “Lawyer on the Fast Track,” by The Legal Intelligencer
  • 2015–2019, “Pennsylvania Rising Star” in Business Litigation, listed in Super Lawyers®

Affiliations

Memberships

  • Philadelphia Bar Association
  • Villanova University Alumni Association
Professional Activities

Dan serves on Blank Rome’s Recruitment and Retention Committee and co-chaired the Summer Associate Program in 2014, 2016, and 2019.

Dan serves on the Board of Directors for the American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Dan handles a number of pro bono cases each year on behalf of elderly and indigent clients. He received Blank Rome’s Pro Bono Award, and he has been named to the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania’s Pro Bono Roll.

Credentials

Admissions

  • Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey
  • Supreme Court of the United States
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • U.S. District Court - Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court - New Jersey

Education

  • Villanova University, BA, cum laude
  • Rutgers University School of Law, Camden, JD, with honors
  • Villanova University, MA, magna cum laude
Languages
  • Spanish

A description of the standard or methodology on which the accolades are based can be found here.

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