Overview
Maria Fehretdinov is an experienced litigator. She regularly represents public and private companies and executives in complex litigation matters at the trial and appellate levels in both federal and state courts nationwide, including counseling foreign parties on U.S. matters.
Areas of Concentration
- Actions involving federal, state and local government entities
- Securities and shareholder derivative claims
- Antitrust litigation and merger review
- Class actions
- Product liability litigation
- False Claims Act suits
- Deceptive and unfair trade practices cases
- Anti-corruption and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigations
Prior to joining the firm, Maria was a litigation associate in the Washington, D.C. office of a large international law firm. She also served as a law clerk for Judge Stephen H. Glickman in the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and worked at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, Office of International Affairs. A native of Uruguay, she is fluent in Spanish.
Representative Experience
- Was Lead Counsel in successfully representing the iconic Ball & Chain and Taquerias El Mexicano/Los Altos, affiliated with The Mad Room LLC, a Hospitality management company, in a federal suit against the City of Miami alleging violations of substantive and procedural due process, equal protection, unlawful searches and seizures, as well as other constitutional law violations. These were issues of first impression against a prominent municipality where the City developed and deployed a deliberate policy to abolish client’s fundamental protected rights to their property. Ultimately, the City of Miami Commission approved a $12.5 million payout (along with non-monetary benefits) to our clients. Assisted with parallel lawsuit that secured a $63.5 million jury verdict against City commissioner for the political vendetta predicating the City’s unlawful policies.
- Argued before the Third District Court of Appeal to obtain an important victory on an issue of first impression under the Bert J. Harris Private Property Rights Protection Act, which is closely followed by specialists in the property rights arena as only a handful of appellate decisions govern this space. In a unanimous opinion, the Court reversed an order granting summary judgment to the City of Miami and upheld the finding that Ms. Fehretdinov’s client had an existing use in advertising murals. Her client sued the City for damages for the loss of property value when the City gerrymandered its map to singularly carve out the property, while preserving rights for all similarly situated properties, as a result of back-room political deals.
- Successfully defended six senior executives of Argentina’s largest oil and natural gas producer, including the Chairman of the Board, CEO, and CFO, in a $14 billion action brought by the Maxus Liquidating Trust in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware to recover damages relating to allegedly fraudulent transfers and alleged alter ego liability arising out of the alleged pollution of the Passaic River in New Jersey.
- Represented Flagstone Island Gardens LLC and Flagstone Development Corporation in a suit against the City of Miami in connection with Flagstone’s right to develop and lease a $1.2 billion mixed-used hotel, retail and marina project on Watson Island. Flagstone sued for breach and repudiation of the parties’ agreements, and the City counterclaimed to declare Flagstone in default and order it to vacate the property. The case was bifurcated between liability and damages. Ms. Fehretdinov second-chaired a 7-day bench trial on liability and obtained a 27-page order finding against the City and in favor of Flagstone on every disputed issue. In regards to the remedies phase, Ms. Fehretdinov achieved a settlement allowing Flagstone to recover all of its fees and costs of about $5 million, an additional $5 million for other expenses and an additional $10 million over time. Additionally, the City accepted development agreements providing substantial economic value. The project was fiercely opposed by community activists, who also filed suit to block its development for alleged violations of the City Charter; Ms. Fehretdinov obtained the prompt dismissal with prejudice of their complaint against Flagstone, which was affirmed by the Third District Court of Appeal.
- Represented Perry Ellis International in an appraisal litigation against various professional appraisal arbitragers, including Burford Capital Investment Management’s (BCIM) Strategic Value Master Fund LP and other hedge funds with billions under management, which sought over $160M for the fair market valuation of their shares in connection with a take-private transaction. Perry Ellis brought an action for declaratory relief on the basis that the hedge funds lacked standing under Florida’s appraisal statute to assert appraisal, in an issue of first impression in the State on an important statute affecting Florida corporations. In Feb. 2020, Ms. Fehretdinov obtained a complete dismissal of the hedge funds’ appraisal claims on summary judgment after a contentious 14 months of discovery and thousands of pages of briefing on the issue.
- Developed novel component product tracing theory to help obtain the fourth largest antitrust settlement ever – $151,250,000 – for an indirect-purchaser class, after defeating appeals to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court by the leading manufacturers of polyurethane foam.
- Second-chaired a three-week product liability jury trial defending the leading distributor of defective Chinese-manufactured drywall in the Southeastern United States and secured a favorable verdict with nominal damages.
- Achieved a favorable settlement for one of the largest insulation contractors in the U.S. in a class action based on an alleged hub-and-spoke price-fixing conspiracy with claimed damages in excess of $750 million.
- Successfully represented two targets of an investigation by the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services (“OIG”) into a multi-million dollar healthcare kickback scheme; the OIG closed its investigation without bringing any charges. Also, successfully defended those clients in a complex civil litigation, involving more than twenty parties, spawned by the investigation.
Judicial Clerkships
- Law Clerk, Honorable Stephen H. Glickman, District of Columbia Court of Appeals
Professional & Community Involvement
- Miami-Dade Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers (MDFAWL), Judicial Liaison, 2024-2025
- Women's White Collar Defense Association, Communications Coordinator, 2018-Present
- American Bar Association
- National Hispanic Bar Association
- Florida Association for Women Lawyers (FAWL)
Recognition
- Chambers USA, Litigation: General Commercial (Florida), Up & Coming, 2024-Present
- Forida Trend, Legal Elite NOTABLE – Women Leaders in Law, 2024
- Benchmark Litigation
- Future Star, 2024-Present
- 40 & Under Hot List, 2018-2021
- Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 40 Under 40 Outstanding Lawyers of South Florida, 2017
- Pro Bono Honor Roll, U.S. District & Bankruptcy Courts of the Southern District of Florida, 2016
Publications & Presentations
Events:
MDFAWL Twelfth Annual Trial Skills Workshop
Miami Dade Florida Association for Women Lawyers (MDFAWL)|February 2024
Publications:
A Look Back at South Florida’s First Female United States Attorney
Women's White Collar Defense Association|April 2021
Events:
Webinar: Trial Strategy in a Virtual World
Broward County Bar Association and U.S. Legal Support|October 2020
Events:
Faculty, Seventh Annual Women’s Litigation Skills Workshop
Miami-Dade Florida Association for Women Lawyers|February 2020
Publications:
Miami Turns Up the Heat On Corruption
Women's White Collar Defense Association |May 2019
Publications:
Billionaire Kraft’s Claims of Prejudicial Pretrial Publicity Trump Florida’s Sunshine Laws
Women's White Collar Defense Association |May 2019
Events:
Litigation Skills Luncheon
Miami-Dade Florida Association for Women Lawyers|February 2019
Events:
Redeeming Gideon: Access to Counsel 50 Years Later
2013 District of Columbia Judicial and Bar Conference |April 2013
Newsroom
Firm Announcements:
Three Stearns Weaver Miller Shareholders Selected as Florida Trend’s Legal Elite NOTABLE – Women Leaders in Law for 2024
December 2024
In the Media:
Miami Approves $12.5M Deal To End Little Havana Bar's Suit
Law360|September 2024
In the Media:
‘Put this chapter behind us’: Miami agrees to pay $12.5M to settle Ball & Chain lawsuit
The Miami Herald |September 2024
In the Media:
Rumble in Little Havana: Ball & Chain owner sues city of Miami for $28M
The Real Deal|October 2021
In the Media:
Negocios demandan por $28 millones a Miami por "acoso" y "pérdidas millonarias"
Diario Las Americas|October 2021
In the Media:
Calle Ocho Restaurants Allege City of Miami Shut Them Down With Intimidation: Stearns Weaver Repping Plaintiffs
Daily Business Review|October 2021
In the Media:
Miami's Watson Island Flagstone Project Wins on Appeal
Daily Business Review|July 2019
In the Media:
Miami Residents Can't Revive Suit Against $400M City Project
Law360|July 2019