Peter G. Siachos

Partner

  • Office Contact Info
  • Biography

    Peter G. Siachos is the Co-Chair of the firm’s Commercial Litigation and Class Action practice groups and is Managing Partner of the firm's Charleston office.  An experienced trial attorney, Peter has taken 74 trials to verdict. He routinely handles class action and individual matters nationwide, many of which are high-exposure with media coverage, before federal and state trial and appellate courts, administrative and regulatory agencies, and arbitration panels (domestic and international).

    Peter is licensed in numerous jurisdictions (New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, District of Columbia, and South Carolina) and utilizes creative dispositive motions, innovative deposition tactics, well-crafted trial strategies, and focused and effective appeals to regularly assist his clients with their litigation needs in all 50 states.

    Peter has successfully litigated and tried individual and class action cases involving consumer protection claims, franchise issues, class action/mass tort, environmental/toxic tort, prosecution and defense of trademarks, product liability, shareholders disputes, financial institution liability, directors and officers claims, professional liability (lawyers, accountants and design professionals), catastrophic transportation claims, sports and fitness club claims, construction claims, and employment matters, including claims regarding anti-competition, retaliation, discrimination, and harassment.

    In addition to his trial experience, Peter has handled in excess of 100 hearings seeking injunctive relief (temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions), including trademark, franchise, shareholder, consumer protection, and real property matters.

    Representative examples of his specific expertise include the following.

    Franchise Law

    Peter devotes a significant portion of his practice to the representation of franchisors. He has extensive experience litigating and enforcing franchise agreement terminations, non-competition restrictions, forum selection clauses, indemnification provisions, and liquidated damages provisions. Peter has had repeated success in enjoining trademark infringement on behalf of his franchisor clients, and has obtained injunctive relief against franchisees in a number of jurisdictions, which ranged from enforcement of simple franchise agreement provisions to forcibly shutting down franchise locations.

    Class Action Defense Including Consumer Protection Statutes

    Peter routinely defends class action litigations including, nationwide and state class claims arising under consumer protection statutes and false advertising or unfair competition statutes, including alleged violations of the TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act), FDCPA (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act), and FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act).

    Product Liability

    Peter defends clients in product liability matters and has tried nearly 20 products cases to verdict. He has represented manufacturers of automobiles, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, consumer products, and diagnostic testing equipment in product liability matters. His extensive work on automotive products and warranty litigations, coupled with his love of cars, has allowed him to gain automotive technical proficiency that has proved to be invaluable during the defense of a case.

    Banking/Financial Institution

    Peter has nearly two decades of experience representing financial institutions, including multinational and regional banks, credit unions, mortgage lenders and financial services companies. His practice includes the handling of matters related to lender liability, including the defense of FDCPA, FCRA, TILA, and RESPA claims, commercial collections, and other matters related to lender’s rights.

    Trucking & Transportation

    Peter has extensive experience defending trucking and transportation companies in complex litigation, including freight and property claims, commercial litigation, driver citations, and most importantly, large loss injury and death claims. He understands the importance of rapid response to catastrophic incidents, early case evaluation, the economics of transportation litigation, and, if necessary, the need to aggressively defend cases through trial.

    Awards and Honors

    Peter served as law clerk to South Carolina Governor James H. Hodges from 1999 to 2000. Peter served on appointment by Governor Hodges and Governor Mark Sanford as South Carolina Commissioner for National and Community Service from 2000 to 2005, and was responsible for the administration and allocation of funds to state and federal-funded community service projects in South Carolina and was responsible for the administration and allocation of funds to state and federal-funded community service projects in South Carolina, including AmeriCorps and City Year.

    In 1997, Peter was awarded the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, the highest undergraduate award at the University of South Carolina.

    In 2013 Peter was named as one of the 2013 New Leaders of the Bar, a recognition by the New Jersey Law Journal of attorneys under the age of 40 who have developed practice niches, amassed strong books of business, demonstrated leadership qualities, shown expertise in litigation or transactional work, and committed themselves to volunteer work.

    In 2019, the Franchise Times named Peter a Legal Eagle, one of 154 attorneys in the US and Canada identified as the best franchise attorneys as designated by their clients and peers.

    Admissions

    • New Jersey
    • New York
    • Pennsylvania
    • South Carolina
    • District of Columbia
    • Supreme Court of the United States
    • U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey
    • U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina
    • U.S. District Court, Southern, Eastern, Northern and Western Districts of New York
    • U.S. District Court, Eastern and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania
    • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio
    • U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
    • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
    • U.S. Court of Appeals, Second, Third, Fourth and Sixth Circuits
    • U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of New Jersey
    • U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York

    Memberships

    • Defense Research Institute
    • International Franchise Association
    • American Bar Association
    • Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA)
    • Charleston Motor Carrier Association
  • Practice Areas
  • Representative Experience
    • Obtained an appellate class action defense ruling against a claim that consumers could not dispense the full labeled quantity of thick, viscous makeup from the pump bottles in which L’Oréal packaged multiple lines of cosmetics. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that plaintiffs’ case violates the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act ("FDCA"), which expressly preempts any state law requirements that differ from federal law. For more information, click here.
    • Obtained a complete class action dismissal of two-year pending case for L’Oréal against a claim of deceptively marketing a black women’s hair relaxer as scalp-protecting but instead caused burns and hair loss. For more information, click here.
    • Obtained a unanimous defense verdict in Ulster County, New York after a week-long jury trial defending the largest refrigerated trucking company in the nation, along with its truck driver. For more information, click here.
    • Obtained a defense verdict for New York Sports Clubs (“NYSC") after a four-day jury trial in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Essex County. For more information, click here.
    • Obtained a favorable ruling from the Massachusetts Federal District Court dismissing a six-count class action complaint against the firm's client, a beverage manufacturer, facing a large potential exposure. For more information, click here.
    • Defeated a bid protest concerning a $150 million contract with the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority in Tampa, Florida. For more information, click here.
    • Obtained a judgment in favor of an Alternative Retail Electric Supplier client in the Northern District of Illinois after the Judge granted the Motion to Dismiss. For more information, click here.
    • Obtained complete dismissal of a multi-count complaint filed against their client, a worldwide luxury travel company, on a pre-answer motion to dismiss in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. For more information, click here.
    • Obtained complete dismissal of a federal lawsuit against a client that manages and services domestic and international consumer debt portfolios for credit grantors and debt buyers. For more information, click here.
    • Obtained complete dismissal of a multi-count complaint filed against their client, the second largest tax preparation franchisor in the nation, on a motion to dismiss in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. For more information, click here.
    • Obtained complete dismissal of a lawsuit against their client, a credit union, regarding a large-denomination fraudulent check. For more information, click here.
    • Obtained complete dismissal of a professional negligence action filed against their client, a construction lien clearinghouse, on a motion for summary judgment. For more information, click here.
    • Obtained complete dismissal of a multi-count arbitration filed against their client, a worldwide franchisor of fitness centers before a three-member arbitration panel of the International Arbitration Tribunal of the American Arbitration Association. For more information, click here.
    • Obtained complete dismissal of a federal lawsuit against a client that manages and services domestic and international consumer debt portfolios for credit grantors and debt buyers. For more information, click here.
    • Obtained complete dismissal of a multi-count lawsuit filed against their client, one of the largest tax preparation service franchisors in the country, in the Eastern District of Virginia. For more information, click here.
    • Earned a key victory before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in a putative class action alleging that gym members were retaliated against for bringing claims against the gym under consumer protection statutes. For more information, click here.
    • Obtained a complete defense verdict for L’Oréal against a claim that one of its hair products badly injured users. For more information, click here.
    • Obtained summary judgment for a national insurance carrier in a coverage dispute in the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina. For more information, click here.
    • Scored victory that will benefit every maker of food, drugs, and cosmetics sold at retail. For more information, click here.
    • GRSM Team Convinces En Banc Third Circuit to Reverse Three-Decades-Old Precedent in Riccio v. Sentry Credit. For more information, click here.
    • Secured a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against a franchisee, who continued to a operate a business in violation of her franchise agreement’s non-competition and non-solicitation provisions in the Western District of Washington. For more information, click here.
    • Obtained a unanimous defense verdict in a case related to a motor vehicle accident where a tractor-trailer was subject to a sudden lane change by another vehicle and crossed the median into oncoming traffic. For more information, click here.
  • Publications & Presentations

    Presentations

    • Presenter, Through the Looking Glass:  Ethics & the Elimination of Bias in Legal Representation, GRSM Legal Education Conference, New York, New York, May 2023
    • Presenter, Through the Looking Glass:  Ethics & the Elimination of Bias in Legal Representation, GRSM Legal Education Conference, Hartford, CT, May 2023
    • Presenter, Defense Bar Current Case Law Roundup, National Creditors Bar Association, May 19, 2021
    • Presenter, Ethics Quiz Show, GRSM Legal Education Conference, May 2019
    • Presenter, How to Win at Trial When Your Case Won’t Settle, GRSM Legal Education Conference, New York and Hartford, May 2018
    • Presenter, Responding to Subpoenas for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Records, Alere, August 21, 2015
    • Presenter, Crossing the Finish Line: Best Practices in Avoiding Malpractice During Mediation and Settlement, GRSM National Professional Liability Webinar Series, July 16, 2015
    • Presenter, Ethics Quiz Show, GRSM Legal Education Conference, January 22, 2015
    • Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Trade Secrets, Non-Competes and Franchise Issues in the Employment Arena, GRSM National Employment Webinar Series, December 9, 2014
  • Education

    Education

    J.D., University of South Carolina School of Law, 2000

    B.A., University of South Carolina Honors College, 1997

    Honors

    Legal Eagle, Franchise Times 
    (2019, 2021)*

    AV® Preeminent™, Martindale-Hubbell*

    New Leaders of the Bar, New Jersey Law Journal (August 2013)*

    Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award

    Order of the Barristers

     

    *No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
    The Legal Eagles list is issued by Franchise Times. A description of the selection methodologies can be found at:
    https://www.franchisetimes.com/.
    A description of the Martindale-Hubbell selection methodology can be found at:

    https://www.martindale.com/ratings-and-reviews/.
    The Leaders of the Bar list is issued by New Jersey Law Journal. A description of the selection methodologies can be found at:
    https://www.law.com/.
  • Languages
    • Greek
    • Spanish
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