Paris is a seasoned attorney with extensive experience, in both the public and private sectors, with state and federal litigation, as well as government investigations and enforcement actions.
Before joining Shook, Paris was an enforcement attorney for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Department of Justice (U.S. DOJ) and a senior trial attorney for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). In these roles, Paris conducted and supervised investigations, litigated enforcement actions, and negotiated settlements with respect to a broad array of statutes and regulatory regimes—e.g., the federal securities laws, the False Claims Act (FCA), and the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA.) With his insider’s depth of knowledge of government agencies, investigations, and enforcement actions, Paris provides comprehensive counsel and representation to clients who find themselves subject to scrutiny from the government.
Before entering government service, Paris was an attorney at two prominent AmLaw 100 firms, where he routinely assisted companies and executives with litigation arising in a variety of areas, such securities fraud, commercial disputes, general liability, insurance disputes, antitrust and white collar matters. In this capacity, Paris routinely engaged in all facets of high stakes litigation, e.g., claim analysis, written discovery, depositions, expert discovery, motion practice, settlement, trial preparation and appeals.
Representative Matters
U.S. v. First Horizon Financial Corp. – Secured a $212 million FCA settlement by obtaining and presenting evidence that a large bank engaged in reckless underwriting and falsely certified compliance with HUD/FHA underwriting and quality control guidelines.
U.S. v. Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Company – Successfully resolved allegations that aerospace company violated the FCA by overcharging the U.S. Air Force for jet fuel in connection with the company’s construction and testing of various aircraft.
U.S. v. Entellus Medical & Dr. Jeffrey Gallups – Obtained $4 million settlement under the FCA after presenting existence of an alleged kickback scheme whereby an Atlanta physician/practice owner coerced his physician-employees to administer medically unnecessary genetic tests and perform unnecessary sinus surgeries for monetary kickbacks.
U.S. v. C.W. Matthews Contracting Company – Obtained $1 million settlement regarding allegations that large Georgia road construction company submitted false DBE certifications regarding work performed on federally funded road projects.
Dudley v. U.S. – Obtained summary judgment in favor of a physician and a federally funded health care facility against medical malpractice allegations of an alleged failure to recognize and treat a patient’s early stroke symptoms.
Johnson v. Small Business Association – Obtained summary judgment in favor of the SBA with reference to a terminated employee’s allegations regarding reasonable accommodations and wrongful termination under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
U.S. v. Energy & Process Corporation – Secured $6 million FCA settlement in connection with an enforcement action alleging that a construction company had caused millions in losses to the government by making false statements regarding its quality control procedures during the construction of a nuclear fuel facility.
SEC v. Mozilo, Sambol & Sieracki – In this intensely litigated matter related to the 2008 financial crisis, identified and substantiated the SEC’s allegations that Countrywide’s senior officers violated the federal securities laws by engaging in insider trading and making false statements regarding Countrywide’s increasing and undisclosed credit risks. This matter was resolved by a $67.5 million settlement in 2010 (which at the time was the largest settlement amount ever paid by individuals to the SEC.)
SEC v. PEM Group – Engaged in extensive and time-constrained discovery and motion practice to obtain temporary and preliminary injunctive relief, which curtailed an $800 million Ponzi scheme perpetrated by an Irvine, California, investment advisor.
SEC v. Oxford Investment Advisors – Successfully pursued an administrative proceeding against a Phoenix, Arizona, investment advisor alleged to have violated the Investment Advisors Act by convincing several of his clients to purchase—at inflated prices, and disadvantageous terms—equity shares in his advisory firm.
In re Entropinc, Inc. Securities Litigation – Represented a California-based drug company, as well as its principal officers, who had been accused of violating, inter alia, SEC Rule 10(b)-5, by making misleading statements regarding the efficacy of a drug that had undergone Phase I, II and III testing under a New Drug Application (NDA).
In re AOLTW Securities Litigation – Assisted in defense of Ernst & Young against allegations that the firm ignored red flags concerning AOL Time Warner’s recognition of millions in online advertising revenues.
In re Tenet Healthcare – Represented KPMG in connection with parallel SEC and U.S. DOJ investigations regarding a large health care company’s business practices and SEC filings.
In re Anicom Securities Litigation – Assisted in defense of executive against claims that he had violated Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act by causing a Chicago-based cable/media company to issue false and misleading statements concerning its earnings and growth.
In re Cendant Securities Litigation – Assisted in representation of Ernst & Young in connection with lawsuit alleging that the firm had violated auditing standards and various provisions of the securities laws by issuing “clean” audit opinions for a firm which later admitted to accounting irregularities.
North v. United States – In connection with a $3.8 million medical malpractice action against a Veterans Administration orthopedic surgeon, obtained favorable $300,000 settlement by identifying critical weaknesses in claim and successfully enforcing the settlement in federal court when plaintiff’s counsel attempted to repudiate.
U.S. v. Charles C. Adams M.D. – Acted as lead counsel in a successful FCA enforcement action involving health care fraud, wherein the government demonstrated that a physician—through the submission of claims that falsely indicated that patients were being treated for lead poisoning—had fraudulently billed Medicare for medically unnecessary chelation therapy.