• Ronald S. Greenberg is an accomplished lawyer with 35 years of experience litigating complex business and real estate disputes at both the trial and appellate levels. Ron has a long record of achieving favorable outcomes for clients in cases running the gamut from “business divorces” and corporate control disputes to commercial foreclosures, construction litigation and a broad range of contract disputes. He represents banks and developers as well as commercial landlords and tenants in real estate matters, and counsels individual and corporate clients, including Fortune 100 companies, insurance carriers and dot-coms, in a wide variety of commercial disputes. Ron has argued dozens of appeals and is an experienced practitioner in the Commercial Division of the New York County Supreme Court. He chairs the firm’s Real Estate Litigation group, which was recognized as that category's Litigation Department of the Year for 2023 by The New York Law Journal, and as a Tier 1 practice both nationally and in New York for 2024 by Best Law Firms.

    On the real estate side, Ron recently obtained a landmark ruling from New York’s highest court permitting Gamma Real Estate’s $100 million-plus tortious interference claims against members of the Pilevsky family and related entities to proceed. The decision was widely reported, including as the lead story on the front page of The New York Law Journal. He also separately represented Citigroup and Gamma in their successful attempts to foreclose on loans exceeding $100 million, in both cases defeating the defaulting borrowers’ attempts to enjoin UCC foreclosures. The borrowers subsequently filed for bankruptcy, and Ron secured judgments on their principals' “bad boy” guarantees, for $126 million and $24 million, respectively. He also obtained a multimillion-dollar judgment for a large telecommunications company after a federal trial on its commercial lease dispute, and then successfully defended the judgment in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Ron has achieved a number of significant successes for major developers, including defeating a breach of contract claim asserted by a potential buyer of a multimillion-dollar condominium at a below-market price based on a novel “failure of consideration” theory in one case and, in another, obtaining a judgment in favor of the seller of a $201 million office building, enabling the seller to retain the defaulting purchaser’s $15 million down payment. He has also secured litigation victories in multimillion-dollar rent reset and porters’ wage escalation disputes, and favorable outcomes for Forest City Ratner Companies in several large construction litigations.

    Ron’s noteworthy successes have not been limited to the real estate arena. He represented Ken Langone, the former chairman of the New York Stock Exchange’s Compensation Committee, in a lawsuit brought by the New York State Attorney General. The dismissal of the lawsuit was reported on the front page of both The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times (and Mr. Langone subsequently acknowledged Ron in his book). Ron also represented Elizabeth Elting, the co-owner and co-CEO of the world’s largest privately held translation company, in a business divorce trial held in Delaware Chancery Court. Ms. Elting prevailed at trial and in the Delaware Supreme Court, and her adversary was sanctioned $7.1 million for various litigation misconduct. In early 2022, Ron was lead trial counsel representing the Unsecured Creditors Committee of Brazos Electric in a $1.1 billion claim objection Adversary Proceeding in the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Ron also has prevailed in numerous arbitrations, including obtaining defense decisions rejecting multimillion-dollar claims against an insurance company, a dot-com and partners in a hedge fund. Ron also represented the former CFO of Dow Chemical Co. in an action arising out of the CFO’s departure from the company, and a famed Major League Baseball player and a former state senator in separate disputes before administrative tribunals.

    Demonstrating his versatility, Ron has been recognized both by Chambers USA for excellence in real estate litigation and by New York Super Lawyers for his accomplished appellate advocacy. Chambers sources describe Ron as a “great litigator” who is “strong,” “expertly savvy” and “highly respected.” They also say he “is extremely knowledgeable, responsive and professional, provides valuable strategic guidance” and is “a fantastic communicator.”

    Experience

    • Represented Ken Langone, the former chairman of the New York Stock Exchange Compensation Committee (and a founder of The Home Depot), successfully obtaining dismissal of a lawsuit brought by the New York Attorney General arising out of the compensation received by former NYSE Chairman Richard Grasso.

    • Represented Gamma Real Estate in multiple lawsuits arising out of a $147 million loan it provided for the construction of a residential tower at Sutton Place, including defeating the borrowers’ attempt to enjoin Gamma’s UCC foreclosure sale, obtaining a $24 million judgment on personal guarantees and prevailing in the New York Court of Appeals on Gamma’s tortious interference claims.

    • Represented the Unsecured Creditors Committee of Brazos Electric as lead trial counsel on $1.1 billion claim objection Adversary Proceeding in the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.

    • Represented Elizabeth Elting in successful business divorce trial concerning the world’s largest privately held translation company in Delaware Chancery Court. The decision was upheld by the Delaware Supreme Court, including a $7.1 million sanction levied by the Chancery Court on Ms. Elting’s adversary.

    • Represented a large telecommunications company in the federal trial of a commercial lease dispute, securing a judgment of more than $7 million and successfully preserving it in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

    • Represented Citigroup, defeating a defaulting borrower’s attempt to enjoin the bank’s foreclosure on a $126 million loan facility and successfully obtaining summary judgment on the personal guaranty of the borrower’s principal.

    • Represented a Fortune 250 company in a successful rent reset, allowing it to remain in its flagship Manhattan property.

    • Represented two hedge fund partners, obtaining a favorable decision in a “business divorce” arbitration brought by their former partner.

    • Represented a prominent Major League Baseball player, successfully defending him before the New York State Department of Taxation.

    • Represented a public dot-com, obtaining a defense decision (including an award of attorneys’ fees) in a multimillion-dollar arbitration brought by a former officer of the company.

    • Represented a large developer, obtaining the dismissal of two cases, one involving claims of approximately $30 million and the other permitting the developer to obtain the last property in a Manhattan assemblage, and preserving the judgments on appeal.

    • Represented a GE Capital subsidiary that owned a Park Avenue office building in a series of disputes with a number of its commercial tenants, all resulting in either judgments in favor of the GE Capital subsidiary or favorable resolutions.

    • Represented a large insurance carrier, obtaining a defense verdict in an arbitration arising out of the carrier’s denial of a multimillion-dollar claim for coverage on a representations and warranties policy.

    • Represented a former state senator in the successful defense of an administrative trial before the New York State Department of Insurance.

    • Represented Forest City Ratner Companies, obtaining favorable outcomes in several multimillion-dollar construction litigations.

    • Represented J. Pedro Reinhard, the former CFO of The Dow Chemical Co., in an action arising out of Mr. Reinhard’s termination by the company.

    • Represented New York Community Bank, obtaining an injunction that permitted it to protect a $12.6 million leasehold mortgage.

    • Sutton 58 Assocs. LLC v. Pilevsky, 55 N.Y.3d 297 (2020) (reversing dismissal and reinstating $100 million-plus tortious interference claims).

    • 4069 Rosen Assocs. v. TournamentOne Corp., 168 N.Y.S.2d 312 (1st Dep’t 2022) (affirming $5.8 million judgment in favor of lender on defaulted loan).

    • Goldstein v. 12 Broadway Realty LLC, 105 A.D.3d 506, 961 N.Y.S.2d 919 (1st Dep’t 2013) (affirming arbitration award in favor of developer in connection with rent reset appraisal).

    • CARI, LLC v. 415 Greenwich Fee Owner LLC, 91 A.D.3d 583, 936 N.Y.S.2d 892 (1st Dep’t 2012) (affirming dismissal of multimillion-dollar breach of contract action based on novel lack of consideration theory).

    • El-Ad 250 W., LLC v. 30 Hubert St. LLC, 67 A.D.3d 520, 891 N.Y.S.2d 11 (1st Dep’t 2009) (affirming judgment on breach of contract claim, allowing developer client to retain defaulting purchaser’s $15 million down payment).

    • Reed Elsevier Inc. v. Watch Holdings LLC, 30 A.D.3d 322, 817 N.Y.S.2d 21 (1st Dep’t 2006) (affirming judgment in favor of commercial landlord in rent escalation dispute).

    • In re Fayolle, 159 Fed. Appx. 221 (2d Cir. 2005) (affirming summary judgment dismissing challenge to commercial lease termination).

    Credentials

    Education

    • J.D., New York University School of Law, 1987
      • Member, New York University Law Review, 1985-1986
    • B.S., magna cum laude, University at Albany, State University of New York, 1984

    Bar Admissions

    • New York, 1988

    Court Admissions

    • U.S.C.A., 2nd Circuit
    • U.S.D.C., Eastern District of New York
    • U.S.D.C., Northern District of New York
    • U.S.D.C., Southern District of New York
    • U.S. Tax Court

    Professional Affiliations

    • New York City Bar Association
    • American Bar Association
  • *No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. A description of the Super Lawyers selection methodology can be found here.