Hagan Scotten is a national trial lawyer, a former U.S. Supreme Court clerk, and a decorated veteran. Prior to joining Hueston Hennigan, he spent 10 years as an assistant U.S. attorney and as a chief with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, where he was involved in several of the country’s highest profile cases, including United States v. Eric Adams, the appeal in United States v. Samuel Bankman-Fried, United States v. Charles McGonigal, and United States v. Lev Parnas. After graduating first in his class at Harvard Law School, Mr. Scotten clerked for Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit before clerking for Chief Justice John G. Roberts of the United States Supreme Court.
Mr. Scotten handles all aspects of complex cases, from pretrial litigation, to resolution by trial or negotiation, to appeals. He also leverages his experience as a white-collar prosecutor to lead internal investigations, counsel corporations responding to subpoenas, and represent witnesses and subjects in investigations.
In his decade at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Scotten tried 13 cases to verdict, successfully argued 14 appeals and supervised many times that number. He has negotiated hundreds of resolutions, and advised government officials on matters of trial strategy, appellate law, and policy. He handled cases related to securities fraud, corporate fraud, official corruption, sanctions, export controls, international law, money laundering, bank bribery, and the Truth in Lending Act, to name a few. During his tenure, Mr. Scotten served in the appeals, public corruption, and violent and organized crime units. He twice received the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service.
Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Scotten was an associate at Hogan Lovells in Washington, D.C. and New York City, where he argued several appeals for corporate and individual clients, and won complete summary judgment for a corporate client, disposing of $2.7 billion in claims.
Prior to attending law school, Mr. Scotten served as a captain in the U.S. Army, leading infantry, Ranger and Special Forces units, including during four combat tours, and was twice awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service in combat.
Experience
Johnson & Johnson et al. v. Samsung Bioepis Co. Ltd. Representing Samsung Bioepis against a breach of contract lawsuit brought by Johnson & Johnson and Jansen Biotech concerning Samsung’s manufacture of the biosimilar Ustekinumab-ttwe. (See “J&J sues Samsung Bioepis over Stelara biosimilar,” Reuters).
Yangtze Memory Technologies, Inc. et al. v. Micron Technology, Inc. et al. Representing Micron Technology against a Lanham Act lawsuit brought by Chinese semiconductor manufacturer Yangtze Memory Technology Corporation. (See “Chinese chipmaker YMTC sues rival Micron in US over spyware claims,” Reuters).
Kelly Toys Holdings LLC et al. v. Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc.; Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc. v. Kelly Toys Holdings LLC et al. Representing Kelly Toys, maker of the top-selling toy in the US for 2023 “Squishmallows,” in a copyright infringement lawsuit against Build-A-Bear Workshop for its copycat Skoosherz product. (See “Squishmallows and Skoosherz Plush Toys Face Off in Court, The New York Times; “Plush wars? Squishmallows toy maker and Build-A-Bear sue each other over ‘copycat’ accusations,” Associated Press; “Kelly Toys Seeks Damages Over Build-a-Bear’s Alleged Copyright of ‘Squishmallows’ Product,” The Recorder).
U.S. v. Eric Adams. Investigated and charged the New York City mayor for campaign finance violations and taking bribes.
U.S. v. Samuel Bankman-Fried. Supervised the appellate briefing in conviction of the FTX founder for fraud, money laundering, and other crimes.
U.S. v. Charles McGonigal et al. Led the prosecution of a former special agent in charge of the FBI Counterintelligence Division who was convicted of sanctions and money laundering violations.
U.S. v. Matthew Madonna et al. Tried and convicted the leadership of the Luchese Mafia Family for murder, attempted murder, racketeering, and other crimes. Also successfully argued the appeal.
U.S. v. Stephen Calk. Tried and convicted a bank chairman for bank bribery based on extending a $16 million loan in exchange for help seeking a high-ranking government job.
U.S. v. Lev Parnas et al. Tried and convicted two defendants for funneling illegal campaign contributions to federal and state candidates in the 2018 elections.
U.S. v. Scott Tucker et al. Tried and convicted the largest payday lender in America for fraud, money laundering, RICO, and Truth in Lending Act violations. Also successfully argued the appeal.
U.S. v. Burrell et al. Prosecuted the largest gang case in the history of New York City, charging 120 defendants with racketeering and other offenses, including seven murders.
Recognitions
- Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service (2019 and 2020)