Attorney Profiles: Anthony U. Battista

Anthony U. Battista joined Condon & Forsyth LLP in 1999 and is a partner of the firm. Anthony's practice encompasses general counsel work for aviation and other corporate entities, litigation and employment matters. He has defended air carriers and manufacturers in aviation accident cases and commercial class actions. By using a cost-effective and result oriented litigation approach, he has led the firm’s clients to the successful resolution of various complex litigations. Anthony has also represented air carriers and their employees in government enforcement proceedings.

With invaluable industry experience in representing his clients, some of Anthony’s recent work includes:

Representing foreign and domestic air carriers in multiple consumer class actions (valued in excess of $500m) arising from the application of European Union regulations for compensation and assistance to U.S. passengers in the event of denied boarding, cancellation or long flight delays

Securing a favorable settlement valued in excess of $100m on behalf of a European air carrier in a dispute with a major airframe manufacturer for late delivery of a fleet of new generation wide body aircraft

Defending one of the world's largest international air carriers in class action litigation arising from mass transportation disruptions involving a putative class of more than 30,000 passengers and achieving a favorable resolution within one year of appointment as counsel

Litigating a commercial dispute valued in excess of $75m on behalf of the largest Asian international air carrier and achieving a favorable jury verdict after a two week trial in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

Anthony began his aviation career in the late 1980s with British Airways. He was trained as a flight dispatcher and obtained qualifications to balance, load and flight plan several aircraft types. In 1989, he received manual flight-planning certification for Concorde aircraft. By the early 1990s, Anthony’s role as the Operations Manager for British Airways at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York required him to manage the airline’s largest station outside of the United Kingdom. In this position, Anthony implemented various cost saving measures, emergency preparedness programs and worked with architects and engineers in the $300 million design and re-development of the British Airways Terminal (Terminal 7) at Kennedy Airport.

In 1996, elevated to Area Director Northeastern United States for British Airways, he was responsible for the management of five airport facilities (including New York, Newark, Boston and Philadelphia), 200 union employees and a $35 million annual budget. His achievements included the renegotiation of union work rules and contract language resulting in significant corporate savings. During this time period and working in conjunction with the United States Department of Transportation in the aftermath of the TWA Flight 800 disaster, Anthony drafted new security and safety regulations for industry-wide implementation.

Anthony is a frequent author and speaker on aviation business and legal issues. He also remains actively involved in the Kennedy Airport community and other airport communities throughout the United States. He is admitted to the bar of New York (1997), the U.S. District Court for the Southern, Northern and Eastern Districts of New York (2000), the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (2011), and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second (2004) and First (2011) Circuits.

Anthony is a member of the New York State and American Bar Associations. He served as Vice Chairman (2008-2010) of the Aviation and Space Law Committee (American Bar Association) and as Vice President of the Association of Transportation Law Professionals (2009-2010). He is also a former member of the Program Committee for the Association of Transportation Law Professionals (2005-2010) and of the First Decade Committee on behalf of the Federal Bar Council (2001-2006). He is a graduate of St. John’s University (J.D., 1996) and Hofstra University (B.A., 1992).

On June 30, 2010, Anthony received the distinguished "Presidential Award" by the Association of Transportation Law Professionals ("ATLP") for his "outstanding service" to the organization consisting of leading transportation practitioners from the United States and Canada.

Published Works and Presentations:

Instructor, Airline Contract Law, IATA Training and Development Institute (ITDI), Montreal, Canada, 2010.

Speaker, "The Volcanic Ash Airspace Shutdown: Questioning the Limits of Air Carriers' Obligations to Passengers in Extraordinary Circumstances", Association of Transportation Law Professionals, 81st Annual Meeting, June 2010.

Co-Author, "Collecting, Preserving and Presenting Evidence In Domestic and Foreign Aircraft Accident Cases", McGill Law, Annuals of Air and Space Law, Volume XXXV, 2010.

Contributor, The Liability Reporter, published jointly by IATA and Condon & Forsyth LLP. (13th ed., February 2010).

Moderator, "Legislative & Regulatory Overview on Transportation and the Environment", Association of Transportation Law Professionals, 80th Annual Meeting, June 2009.

Author, "Framing the Government Contractor Defense: Origin, Extension, and Potential", American Bar Association, The Brief, Winter 2009.

Author, "Managing Expert Discovery", Defense Research Institute, The Voice of the Defense Bar - Skywritings, Fall 2008.

Speaker, "Security, Discrimination and Denied Boarding through the Eyes of a Jury", Association of Transportation Law Professionals, 79th Annual Meeting, Williamsburg, Virginia, June 2008.

Speaker, "Fractional Ownership of Aircraft", Airfinance Journal Air Law Conference, London, England, February 2007.

Co-Editor, "Aviation" Column of Bi-monthly Newsletter, Association of Transportation Law Practitioners (2005-Present)

Speaker, "Legal Developments in Aviation Law", Association of Transportation Law Professionals, 77th Annual Meeting, June 2006.

Moderator, "What's Flying - Aviation Security", Association of Transportation Law Professionals, 77th Annual Meeting, June 2006.

Editorial Board Member, "Jury Instruction Handbook, Aviation Law", American Bar Association, 2005.

Speaker, "British Airways World Cargo - A Look Into the Future", Association of JFK Customs Brokers, Annual Meeting, January 1999.