Colin Ɖặng Delaney

Colin Delaney’s practice focuses on complex litigation, matters that require development of deliberate start-to-finish strategies, use of procedural devices to advance objectives, and presentation of arguments in compelling written form, having greatest effect persuading judges and other lawyers (clients and opposing counsel alike). Colin has applied these skills in settings as diverse as class actions, domestic and international arbitration, and appeals. While his experience covers a range of businesses and kinds of clients, Colin has gained the most extensive industry-specific experience with aviation-related litigation supporting the firm’s Global Transport Practice.  An aviation and travel enthusiast himself, Colin keeps in touch with clients, colleagues, and courts from all corners and has been known to interview an expert from the countryside of Spain or send briefs or memos back home from all over Southeast Asia.  As a devoted member the Union of International Advocates, and alumni of AIJA, the Association of International Young Lawyers, Colin has developed a network of international legal contacts and particularly enjoys advising foreign business on litigation in the United States.

Prior to joining the Firm, Colin served as judicial law clerk to the Honorable Danny J. Boggs of the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Louisville, Kentucky.

Colin was a member and Notes Editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review, which published his note, “The Graduation Prayer Cases: Coercion by Any Other Name”, 52 VAND.L.REV. 1783 (1999). He was elected to Order of the Coif upon graduation. In January 2000, he organized “Same-Sex Marriage: A Panel Discussion,” which featured constitutional law scholars from Vanderbilt and Yale Law Schools, where panelists aired ideas that ultimately became the basis of the United States Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges fifteen years later.

Colin's Practice

Representative Matters

Colin’s current active matters:

• Defense of a county government in a class action by taxpayers challenging methods of property assessment for tax purposes
• Defense of a county government in a class action by taxpayers tax-collection and enforcement practices
• Defense of a food producer in Multi-District Litigation involving antitrust claims by contractors
• Defense of a food producer against antitrust claims by opt-out plaintiff purchasers of food products
• Defense of a beauty-product manufacturers against hundreds of individual product-liability claims in Georgia that opted out of a nationwide M.D.L.
• Representation of a land trust in multiple class and individual actions by investors alleging fraud relating to their investments in companies that donated conservation easements to the land trust
• Representation of an aviation asset owner bringing claims for breach of warranty and commercial fraud relating to the purchase of a large commercial aircraft engine
• Ongoing advice to commercial aircraft lessors on various dispute-resolution matters

Colin’s prior representative matters and successes include the following:

• Defense of a hospital against ERISA claims by employees relating to the selection of investment options for a 401(k) retirement fund
• Representation of the seller winning summary judgment in a dispute over the right to the deposit paid for the failed sale of a private aircraft overcoming a force-majeure defense related to the Covid-19 pandemic and travel restrictions, including recovery of hundreds of thousands of dollars of attorney’s fees
• Representation of a foreign pension fund in judgment-enforcement litigation against assets in Georgia
• Representation of a foreign manufacturer in multiple lawsuits against minority shareholder in a joint venture distributing company
• Defense of a foreign manufacturer and U.S. distributor in multiple product-liability class actions and substantial personal-injury cases
• Defense of principals and an off-shore fund in a class action by foreign investors alleging fraud and breach of fiduciary duty
• Defense of a county government in a class action by taxpayers challenging the handling of property tax appeal procedures
• Defense of a county government in a class action challenging property assessment practices
• Representation of a medical practice on appeal from $45 million verdict in a medical malpractice case involving pleading issues and the statutes of limitations and repose
• Defense of the sellers of a hospitality staffing business against a claim asserting breaches of representations and warranties in the contract to sell the business
• Representation of the buyers of a logistics company in a matter involving breaches of representations and warranties in a contract to sell the business
• Representation of the City of Atlanta on appeal in the Georgia Supreme Court in a mass action involving the Fifth Runway at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport
• Defense of a consumer finance company in a first-of-its-kind class action alleging violations of RICO and federal law governing certain lending practices
• Representation of judgment-creditors to obtain restraining orders and charging orders against a judgment-debtor’s interests in scores of LLC’s and partnerships to successfully collect a $13 million judgment from a nationally known real estate developer, including recovery of over $100,000 in attorney’s fees
• Representation of Plaintiffs winning a summary order by the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals affirming a $13 million summary judgment in a dispute over redevelopment of Sacramento Railyards
• Representation of an internationally famous familyentertainment business winning summary judgment in contract and related disputes with a major online booking service
• Representation of a private-equity-backed special purpose entity in an international arbitration arising from a contract to purchase hundreds of millions of dollars of industrial equipment
• Favorable arbitration award for German manufacturer of sinks in $30 million joint venture and contract dispute with major U.S. manufacturer
• Summary judgment, affirmed on appeal, for guarantor in a $3.5 million commercial real-estate dispute
• Summary judgment, affirmed on appeal, for former hospital owner in $1.5 million dispute over an asset purchase agreement, followed by recovery of over $500,000 in attorney’s fees
• Defense of former executives of office-supply company against $8 million fraud claims by leading supplier of office products
• Recovery for airline of nearly $10 million in maintenance reserves from lessor
• Defense of airline in $7 million dispute with lessor over a failed engine
• Summary judgment for successfully reorganizing airline disputing $30 million in claims filed by two major lessors
• Initiating lawsuit and TRO against storage facility, leading to prompt release of aircraft to foreign buyer and favorable settlement
• Representation of low-cost carrier in dispute with lessor over terminated lease and refund of money owed to airline
• Advice to multiple lessors and an airline in various return condition disputes
• Representation of low-cost carrier in lease dispute with airport authority
• Advice to seller of aircraft on rescission of $7 million contract for alterations to passenger aircraft for return to commercial service with foreign carrier
• Defense of energy-consulting startup in bet-the-company trade-secrets and employee-raiding case brought by an international manufacturing conglomerate
• TRO leading to settlement for hedge fund investor in treasure-hunting outfit
• Judgment-collection and appeal proceedings for creditor of mortgage company, including appointment of a receiver of a publicly traded holding company
• Summary judgment for lender in commercial-financing dispute and favorable arbitration award denying lender-liability claims
• Summary judgment for design and dental-supply firm in $1.5 million contract dispute with supplier
• Representation of toy maker in a breach-of-contract arbitration with manufacturer and logistics-provider
• Dismissal of fraud and related claims against restaurant franchisors
• Summary judgment on breach-of-contract counts for hotel franchisor, rejecting claims by franchisees in $30 million franchising fraud case