Mario Gazzola

Mario Gazzola is a partner in Quinn Emanuel’s New York City Office.  His domestic practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, disputes regarding debt instruments, and bankruptcy-related disputes.  Mario also regularly handles international and cross-border disputes with a focus on Brazil and Latin America.  Mario’s victories have been recognized in Law.com’s “Litigator of the Week” publication, including victories against Citibank and Oi S.A.

Mario routinely advises private equity, hedge fund, and financial services clients in disputes relating to their managed funds and portfolio companies, both on the plaintiff and defense side.  On the defense side, Mario successfully represented Sculptor Capital Management in litigation challenging Sculptor’s approximately $720 million sale to Rithm Capital Management, allowing the transaction to go through.  Mario was also part of the trial team that won a defense verdict for ten investment managers sued by Citibank in a case stemming from over $500 million in payments on syndicated term loans.  On behalf of an investment bank’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Mario won a defense-side jury verdict in a case seeking approximately $200 million in damages.  On the plaintiff side, Mario excels at identifying pressure points and driving early settlements.  For example, on behalf of the Blockchain Recovery Investment Consortium, Mario recovered a $300 million post-motion to dismiss settlement against Tether, and on behalf of an independent investment bank, Mario has recovered nearly $100 million in pre-Complaint or pre-motion to dismiss settlements.  

In all aspects of litigation, Mario has extensive experience handling clients’ most important matters.  For example, Mario currently represents KKR in its litigation against the Department of Justice relating to Hart-Scott-Rodino Act filings.  Mario previously represented Cleveland-Cliffs in successfully opposing Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel’s attempts to file expedited litigation relating to their proposed merger, after which claims were dropped.  Mario also previously represented Spotify in litigation filed by the owners of the rights to Eminem’s early catalog, helping win summary judgment on all plaintiffs’ claims. 

Mario is Brazilian and speaks fluent Portuguese, and has significant experience advising Brazilian and Latin American companies and clients.  Mario combines his U.S. litigation experience with his knowledge of the language, culture, and commercial customs to help clients achieve their goals.  Mario develops global litigation strategy and guides clients through complex multi-jurisdictional disputes across various countries and forums.  Mario won a trial victory for V.tal in successfully opposing Oi S.A.’s attempts to close its chapter 15 case and file a chapter 11 case in the U.S.  The evidence developed in the U.S. trial contributed to Oi S.A.’s management being removed and replaced by the Brazilian courts. Mario also represented the reference shareholders of Americanas SA in disputes relating to the 2024 Americanas accounting scandal, including by successfully arguing and defeating creditors’ attempts to seek discovery from the reference shareholders in the United States, and coordinating strategy in related disputes in Brazil and the Netherlands.  Mario also represented a major Brazilian meat producer in post-M&A disputes relating to the sale of a subsidiary, winning 98% of amounts in dispute in a $145 million purchase price adjustment arbitration.