C. Scott Jones

Chair of the Firm's Business Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice Group, Scott Jones tries and defends cases in state and federal court as well as in arbitration. In his 20-plus years of practice, Scott has represented pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers and life sciences startups; banking, real estate and private equity firms; and aircraft/industrial equipment manufacturers in a variety of tort, contract, qui tam and commercial disputes.

Government Audits & Investigations

Scott handles government audits and investigations, including those initiated by state and federal enforcement officials, on behalf of his clients as well as their officers and employees. Frequently, these matters focus on issues involving defense and other government contracts, pharmaceutical pricing, and the marketing and sale of medications and defense equipment paid for or reimbursed by the government. Such representation often involves issues arising under the False Claims Act, federal and state Anti-Kickback laws, the Medicaid Rebate Act and Stark Law.

False Claims Act (Whistleblower/qui tam) Litigation & Investigations

• Obtained summary judgment for government aerospace/defense contractor in federal False Claims Act case alleging billions of dollars in damages in connection with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program
• Obtained complete dismissal of multibillion-dollar federal and state False Claims Act/qui tam lawsuit under Rule 12(b) for a Fortune 20 health care company
• Past and ongoing defense of pharmaceutical, medical device and health care consulting companies in federal False Claims Act and state qui tam/whistleblower lawsuits, many involving alleged violations of federal and state Anti-Kickback Statutes

Products Liability & MDL Defense

• Lead trial lawyer for in-person jury trial under COVID-19 protocols for private university in property damages litigation; obtained a complete and unanimous jury verdict for client
• Ongoing representation of a drug manufacturer and distributor in Opioid Multidistrict Litigation, the largest MDL in history
• Regularly represents and defends aircraft and aircraft component manufacturers in cases involving fatal air crashes and various products liability issues

Commercial and Business Tort Disputes

• Obtained complete summary judgment for Fortune 50 entertainment company in multimillion-dollar premises liability and personal injury litigation matter
• Past and ongoing representation of industrial and construction equipment manufacturer and dealer in personal injury litigation
• Ongoing representation of one of the world's largest airline carriers in disputes involving federal grant assurances, preferential airport gate access and enforceability of federal airline industry legislation
• Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a major international airport in litigation involving personal injury claims concerning the design and operation of the airport's lightning detection and warning system
• Recently represented a multinational engineering firm that was sued by one of its competitors. In advance of trial, Scott obtained summary judgment against the competitor on each of its claims as well as on his client's counterclaims, including the recovery of attorneys' fees
• Recently tried a case to a jury on behalf of a commercial waste disposal company involving claims regarding the proper handling and treatment of industrial waste as well as the recovery and retention of precious metals
• Served as lead trial counsel for a national bank in a lender liability action, defeating the plaintiff's claims while obtaining a complete recovery on the client's counter-claim
• Defended lending institution in connection with disputed sale and purchase of a professional sports franchise
• Arbitrated environmental preservation and restoration claims on behalf of prolific philanthropist and private equity principal

Real Estate Litigation

Scott regularly advises commercial and multifamily landlords and property owners in a variety of regulatory and commercial matters, ranging from substantive litigation to commercial/workout negotiations. With the onset of COVID-19, Scott has guided several such clients so as to mitigate their potential liability exposure as well as engaging in lease enforcement and rent recovery efforts that are compliant with local and state requirements.

In addition to first-chairing jury and non-jury trials as well as arbitrations before FINRA and AAA, Scott also has represented current and former company employees, officers and directors compelled to provide sworn testimony in connection with litigation and government-led investigations.

Scott also regularly presents CLE and seminar lectures on False Claims Act, Whistleblower and health care legal issues. He has given law school guest lectures on health care regulatory issues and publishes legal commentary and opinions in Bloomberg, Law360 and other publications.