Jean Ralph Fleurmont

Jean Ralph (“JR”) Fleurmont handles the cases where a client’s business, reputation, or liberty is on the line: high-stakes commercial disputes, criminal matters, and government investigations. He has litigated at trial and on appeal in state and federal court and in arbitration. His clients have included Fortune 500 companies, former heads of state and cabinet-level officials, a former NFL head coach, and individuals facing criminal charges.

JR represents companies and individuals in investigations by the Department of Justice, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and other agencies, in matters involving wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, and the False Claims Act. He represented Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes as one of her trial counsel in a three-and-a-half-month federal wire fraud trial in the Northern District of California. He was also counsel to a former President and Defense Minister of a Latin American country in what is believed to be the first civil trial in the United States against a former foreign head of state.

On the civil side, JR has litigated a variety of matters including contract, partnership, professional malpractice, and copyright disputes. With Courtney Elgart and Stephanie Command, he won a $120 million settlement from AMC for the producers of The Walking Dead. He has represented the creator of a hit television series against a network, a former NFL head coach in a contract arbitration, and several major media networks that won summary judgment in a copyright action against a streaming service. He also won dismissal of every count for a major law firm sued for malpractice.

JR clerked for Judge Pamela Harris on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and for Judge Emmet G. Sullivan on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He began his practice at Williams & Connolly LLP, where he litigated high-stakes commercial and criminal cases, and later practiced at Sullivan & Triggs, LLP before co-founding EFC LLP.

Before law school, JR earned a master’s degree in psychology from New York University and spent several years at a nonprofit assessing criminal defendants with mental illness in the Bronx court system. That experience shapes how he reads witnesses, juries, and the people across the table. He is based in Washington, DC, and litigates across the country.

When he’s not in court, JR can usually be found working out, spending time with his small army of nieces and nephews, or spoiling his goddog, Piglet.

Experience

JR’s experience includes:

• $120 million settlement for the producers of The Walking Dead in a profit participation dispute with AMC
• Multi-million-dollar award for a hotelier in private arbitration
• Multi-million-dollar award for a claimant in private international arbitration
• Counsel for a former President and Defense Minister of a Latin American country in the first civil trial in the United States against a former foreign head of state
• Counsel for a former biotech CEO in a wire fraud case in the Northern District of California
• Counsel for the creator of a hit television series in a breach of contract dispute with a network
• Counsel for a former NFL head coach in a breach of contract arbitration
• Counsel for a company and its 50 percent owner in a partnership dispute
• Summary judgment for several major media networks in a copyright infringement action brought against a streaming service
• Dismissal of all counts for a major law firm in a malpractice action

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each matter depends on its own facts and law.