Anthony J. Ashley
Shareholder
T: +1 (312) 609 7884
F: +1 (312) 609 5005
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Chicago
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Anthony J. Ashley joined Vedder Price in 1998 and is currently a Shareholder in the Litigation practice area. Mr. Ashley has represented clients in pretrial, trial and appellate proceedings in state and federal courts across the United States involving complex commercial matters, including executive employment contracts and compensation, professional liability, RICO, breach of fiduciary duty, misappropriation of trade secrets, defamation and environmental liability. He also has extensive experience with emergency injunctive proceedings at both the state and federal levels.
In addition to his litigation experience, Mr. Ashley regularly counsels corporations and individuals on how to safeguard corporate assets, including retaining and hiring key executives and protecting customer relationships and confidential information. He also has extensive experience negotiating executive employment contracts, and frequently represents companies and individuals in connection with separation arrangements. Finally, he is a founding member of Vedder Price’s Trade Secrets/Unfair Competition practice group.
Representative clients include Acme Electric Motor, Inc.; CLARCOR Inc.; Coyote Logistics, LLC; Leor Energy, LLP; Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation; Mueller Industries; Ryobi Technologies (UK) Ltd and Techtronic Industries Co. Ltd., among others.
Mr. Ashley was selected for inclusion in 2005, and from 2009 to 2012 in Illinois Super Lawyers. In 2011, Mr. Ashley was honored to be named one of the Top 100 Illinois Super Lawyers. Super Lawyers selects attorneys using a rigorous, multiphase rating process. Peer nominations and evaluations are combined with third-party research. Each candidate is evaluated on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement. Mr. Ashley received an "AV Preeminent" Peer Rating in Martindale-Hubbell.
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In July 2010, Mr. Ashley obtained a seven-year injunction against a former senior executive of firm client GLJ, LLC, a leading designer, producer and marketer of a variety of consumer products. In July 2008, GLJ’s Senior and Executive Vice President of International Operations abruptly resigned and began working with a Chinese manufacturing company to develop competing products. GLJ filed suit shortly thereafter, alleging claims for breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract and civil conspiracy. Mr. Ashley was successful in obtaining a sweeping permanent injunction that prohibited GLJ’s former executive from competing with GLJ for seven years, even though the non-compete covenant in his employment contract had only a three-year term. In August 2010, Mr. Ashley was also able to secure a five-year worldwide injunction to prevent the co-defendant Chinese manufacturing company from competing with GLJ.
In March 2010, Mr. Ashley secured a substantial victory for firm client Leor Energy, L.P. Leor Energy, based in Houston, Texas, engages in the acquisition, development, exploitation and marketing of oil and gas properties, and recently sold all of its Deep Bossier natural gas and land interests to EnCana for $2.55 billion. Back in 2005, after the breakdown of employment contract negotiations that led to his termination, former Leor Energy President William Sullivan filed suit against the Leor entities, alleging breach of contract, fraud, promissory estoppel, equitable estoppel and quantum meruit. Based on the equity-incentive-laden contract, the plaintiff was seeking in excess of $75 million in damages. After removing the case from Texas state court to US federal court in Dallas, Mr. Ashley obtained a complete dismissal with prejudice of all claims brought by the plaintiff at the trial court level. In an opinion issued on March 15, 2010, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court’s dismissal of the plaintiff’s claims with prejudice and awarded costs associated with the appeal to the Leor entities. The plaintiff subsequently sought reconsideration, and his petition for panel rehearing was denied.
In January 2009, Mr. Ashley served as lead counsel for the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists and obtained the dismissal of 440 individual lawsuits pending before the US federal Multi-District Litigation Panel alleging damages resulting from exposure to hormone replacement therapy medications.
In June 2008, Mr. Ashley successfully prosecuted claims for breach of fiduciary duty, misappropriation of trade secrets and civil conspiracy against three departing employees of a large US-based corporation arising from the theft of technology under development. After obtaining a preliminary injunction in federal court in Ohio, the matter was settled shortly thereafter.
In November 2007, Mr. Ashley served as lead US trial counsel prosecuting a declaratory judgment action in the Royal Courts of Justice in London, England. In this case, Mr. Ashley sought a declaratory judgment in the British high court to invalidate certain restrictive covenants that would otherwise have prevented a former senior European executive of Black & Decker Europe from accepting the position as President of Ryobi Technologies (UK) Ltd. After a three-week trial, Justice Field invalidated the restrictive covenants in all respects, and awarded attorneys’ fees and costs.
In June 2005, Mr. Ashley obtained the dismissal of a $110 million defamation suit brought by a former Illinois Appellate Court judge and candidate for the Illinois Supreme Court against a political action committee and one of its members. This trial court decision has now been affirmed by the Illinois Appellate Court and the Illinois Supreme Court.
Mr. Ashley served as trial counsel to the former Chairman of Foley’s Department Stores, a division of May Department Stores Company. Along with counsel for Victoria’s Secret Stores, Mr. Ashley successfully prosecuted a declaratory judgment action to allow Foley’s former Chairman to accept the position of Chief Operating Officer at Victoria’s Secret Stores.
- Mr. Ashley also served as lead counsel for the former President, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of an $80 million hair care conglomerate following these executives’ sudden termination. After pursuing claims for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud and negligent misrepresentation, Mr. Ashley was successful in obtaining a multimillion-dollar settlement on behalf of this senior management team.
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- J.D., DePaul University College of Law, 1992
- B.S., Miami University of Ohio, 1988
- Illinois, 1992
- US District Court, Northern District of Illinois, 1992
- US District Court, Central District of Illinois, 1996
- US District Court, Texas, 2006
- US Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit, 2000
- US Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit, 2007
- US Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, 2007
- US Supreme Court, 2003
- Member, American Bar Association
- Member, Chicago Bar Association
- Member, Seventh Circuit Bar Association
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