Cris W. Ray

Cris represents public and private companies, professional services firms, entrepreneurs, creditors, litigation trusts and high-net-worth individuals. His clients operate across a diverse range of industries, including FinTech, cryptocurrency and blockchain, technology, accounting and professional services, healthcare and healthcare technology. He has particular experience with disputes arising from complex financial transactions, business breakups, acquisitions and earnouts, corporate distress and insolvency, and allegations of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and professional misconduct.

Cris has substantial experience litigating matters arising in and around bankruptcy proceedings. He represents creditors, litigation trusts, companies and individuals in contested matters and adversary proceedings involving avoidance claims, director and officer liability, plan confirmation and other complex commercial and financial disputes. His bankruptcy-related representations include matters involving some of the most significant restructurings in the digital asset industry.

Cris also maintains an active pro bono practice focused on civil rights and access to justice. His pro bono experience includes representing incarcerated individuals in prisoners’ rights matters, advocating for LGBTQ+ individuals in constitutional and civil rights litigation, and assisting individuals and families with housing-related legal issues.

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• Represents a cryptocurrency entrepreneur in litigation and other matters arising from the bankruptcy of a major cryptocurrency company
• Represented an ad hoc group of creditors in connection with challenges to the restructuring of a major cryptocurrency company, including at plan confirmation
• Represents the post-confirmation litigation trust in multiple adversary proceedings against individuals and defendants located around the globe seeking to recover creditor assets
• Represented the litigation trust of a liquidated media organization in post-confirmation claims against former officers and directors, resulting in a highly favorable settlement for the client
• Represented a FinTech company in an American Arbitration Association (AAA) arbitration involving claims for fraud, breach of contract and negligent misrepresentation, obtaining a complete dismissal of the claimant’s claims
• Represented a healthcare data company in a post-acquisition dispute with former members of an acquired business concerning earnout obligations
• Represents a Catholic high school in connection with the bankruptcy of an archdiocese
• Represented a corporation, subsidiaries and officers and directors in the successful dismissal of a billion-dollar shareholder derivative lawsuit alleging breach of fiduciary duties under foreign law*
• Represented a Canadian manufacturing company against a hedge fund alleging breach of indenture covenants related to large corporate transactions*
• Represented a British company in complex securities litigation in both state and federal court arising out of a billion-dollar merger with a US corporation*
• Represented a US corporation in successfully defending the dismissal of an antitrust class action in the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit*
• Represented a lesbian couple in a lawsuit against state government officials for violations of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment relating to the state’s foster care system*
• Represented a purported class action against state government officials alleging that conditions in one of the state’s men’s prisons violated the Eighth Amendment*

*Matter handled prior to joining the firm.

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