Tracy O. Appleton

Partner

tappleton@dnfllp.com (212) 717-2900 Vcard

Education

Columbia University School of Law, J.D., Pauline Berman Heller Prize, James Kent Scholar (all years), Columbia Law Review articles editor

Yale University, B.A., with honors

Clerkships

Hon. Debra A. Livingston, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

Admissions

New York

Second Circuit

Southern District of New York

Eastern District of New York

Publications

“Note, The Line Between Liberty and Union: Exercising Personal Jurisdiction over Officials from Other States,” 107 Colum. L. Rev. 1944 (2007)

A creative problem-solver who tailors effective strategies to address her clients’ legal issues, Tracy Appleton is a general commercial litigator knowledgeable in securities law, banking law, art law, internal and government investigations, and deal litigation. She works with a range of clients including banks, hedge funds, companies, art galleries, and individuals.

Tracy holds substantial experience in all stages of trial court and appellate litigation, as well as mediation.

Prior to joining the firm, Tracy worked in the litigation department of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, where she represented Bank of America in an $8.5 billion RMBS settlement, assisted Goldman Sachs with its successful litigation against Dragon Systems, and won a directed verdict for Simon Property Group in a recent trial arising from a mortgage dispute. Previously, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Debra Ann Livingston, US Court of Appeals, Second Circuit.

Notable Matters

One of the world’s largest investment banks hired the firm in a $2 billion trial in New York State Court involving allegations of gross negligence in managing portfolios with heavy concentrations of mortgage-backed securities. Tracy prepared witnesses, argued objections and other legal points before the judge, and first-chaired cross-examination.
The firm represented a well-known art gallery and its founder in a federal copyright trial involving a disputed work by the artist Richard Prince. Tracy briefed and argued the motion to dismiss in the case (outcome currently pending in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York).