Craig E. Zieminski

Secured reversal of an injunction issued by the Delaware Court of Chancery against an oilfield services company and its directors in a fiduciary duty lawsuit; the Court of Chancery subsequently granted defendants’ motion to dismiss and denied plaintiff’s motion for fees, and the Delaware Supreme Court affirmed the dismissal.  C&J Energy Services, Inc. v. City of Miami Retirement Trust, 107 A.3d 1049 (Del. 2014), on remand, 2016 WL 4464274 (Del. Ch. Aug. 24, 2016), aff’d, 158 A.3d 885 (Del. 2017)

Obtained pleadings-stage dismissal of securities fraud class-action filed after a pipeline leaked oil in the Pacific Ocean; Plaintiffs challenged the pipeline company’s disclosures regarding its operations and maintenance efforts; the Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal. In re Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. Sec. Litig., 307 F.Supp.3d 583 (S.D. Tex. 2018), aff’d, 777 Fed. Appx. 726 (5th Cir. 2019)

Obtained pleadings-stage dismissal of securities fraud claims arising after a sudden drop in a company’s stock price; the Third Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal. Anderson v. StoneMor Partners, L.P., 296 F. Supp. 3d 693 (E.D. Pa. 2017), aff’d, 927 F.3d 710 (3d Cir. 2019)

Obtained pleadings-stage dismissal of federal securities lawsuit challenging the proxy disclosures in a private equity firm’s acquisition of a publicly traded financial services company. In re Focus Financial Partners Sec. Litig., 2025 WL 961488 (D. Del. Mar. 31, 2025)

Obtained pleadings-stage dismissal of derivative lawsuit challenging the compensation paid to a CEO who controlled the company. Eckert v. Hightower et al., 2025 WL 93078 (Del. Ch. Mar. 24, 2025)

Obtained pleadings-stage dismissal of claims brought by an investor alleging breach of an LLC agreement in connection with a securities offering; defendants represented by other counsel were not dismissed in full. CC Strategies Fund, LP v. Fairwood Peninsula Energy Corp. 2022 WL 1104921 (Del. Ch. Apr. 11, 2022)

Obtained pleadings-stage dismissal of breach-of-contract claims brought by warrant-holders in connection with a merger. Sudarsan v. Seventy Seven Energy Inc., 2018 WL 1088004 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 6, 2018)

Obtained dismissal of class action challenging an upstream energy company’s disclosures in a merger proxy under the federal securities laws. Braun v. Eagle Rock Energy Partners, L.P., 223 F. Supp. 3d 644 (S.D. Tex. 2016)

Defeated a unitholder’s attempt to enjoin a merger between an MLP and its affiliate under federal securities laws. Greenthal v. Joyce, 2016 WL 362312 (S.D. Tex. Jan. 29, 2016)

After defeating an attempt to enjoin a merger, obtained a favorable settlement for an MLP and its directors in a breach-of-duty lawsuit; Plaintiffs sought approximately $500 million in damages but settled for minimal non-cash consideration on the eve of trial. In re Inergy L.P., 2010 WL 4273197 (Del. Ch. Oct. 29, 2010)

Obtained a favorable mid-trial settlement for a private equity firm in expedited litigation concerning the sale of its interests in an MLP AIM Midstream Holdings, LLC v. High Point Infrastructure Partners, LLC, et al., C.A. No. 8803-VCP (Del. Ch. 2014)

Obtained summary judgment for an MLP and its directors in a breach-of-duty derivative lawsuit in Texas state court

Defeated a shareholder’s attempt to enjoin a merger between two energy companies in Texas state court