David L. Belt 350 Orange Street New Haven, Connecticut 06511-6403 |
| Phone: 203-772-3100 Fax: 203-772-1691 | E-mail: dbelt@jacobslaw.com |
David L. Belt graduated from Yale University,
magna cum laude
, in 1965, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Epsilon, the international honor society for economics. Between 1965 and 1967, he served in the United States Army as a military intelligence officer, including a tour of duty in
Since joining the firm in 1970, David has handled a wide variety of civil litigation matters including antitrust, unfair trade practices, contract, employment, securities and other complex civil disputes as well as personal injury lawsuits. He has tried cases in both the state and federal courts and has argued appeals before the Connecticut Supreme Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
David has been selected for inclusion in
The Best Lawyers in America
in the area of commercial litigation (since 2003) and antitrust (since 2006), in
Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business
in Band 1 of the leading lawyers in Connecticut in general commercial litigation (since 2007) and in
Benchmark: Litigation
as a "Local Litigation Star" (since 2008).
David is a member of the Executive Committee of the Antitrust and Trade Regulation Section of the Connecticut Bar Association, of which he has served as Chair. He is the co-author of
Unfair Trade Practices
, Vol. 12 of the Connecticut Practice Series (Thompson Reuters/West 2003); and the author of
Unresolved Issues Under the Unfair Trade Practices Act
, published by the
Connecticut Bar Journal
in 2008;
The Standard for Determining "Unfair Acts or Practice" Under State Unfair Trade Practices Acts
, published in the
Connecticut Bar Journal
in 2006; Unfair Trade Practices included in the
Connecticut Lawyers Deskbook
(Conn. Bar Ass'n, 3d ed, 2008);
Private Actions Under the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act
, published in the
Connecticut Bar Journal
in 1990; and
The Connecticut Anti-Trust Act: A Guide to Interpretation
, published in the
Connecticut Bar Journal
in October 1980. He is also a contributing author to ABA Section of Antitrust Law,
Consumer Protection Law Developments
(2009).
David is an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Quinnipiac University School of Law, where he teaches antitrust law, and has taught antitrust and trade regulation at the University of Connecticut School of Law. He has lectured to other lawyers on antitrust law, unfair trade practices, franchise litigation, and trial and appellate technique. David has been appointed by the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut to serve as a Special Master to hear discovery disputes in complex cases and has served as Counsel to the Grievance Committee of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut.
Significant Representations:
Lead counsel for custom gun manufacturer in declaratory judgment action brought by national gun manufacturer seeking declaratory judgment of noninfringement of trade dress.
Lead counsel for national cabinet manufacturer in defense of case alleging wrongful termination of distributors.
Lead counsel for real estate investment firm claimed by the Commissioner of Consumer Protection to have improperly charged apartment tenants for water based on a ratio utility billing system; resolved by an assurance of voluntary compliance.
Lead counsel for plaintiff limited partner in a convertible securities investment management and hedge fund firm in action alleging that general partner and others had sold the businesses of the partnership to insiders and third parties at less than fair market value.
Co-counsel representing magazine publisher in action alleging that publisher had breached contract and made misrepresentations in connection with the printing of a book. See
SLC Turnberry, Ltd. v. The American Golfer, Inc.
, 240 F.R.D. 50 (D.
Lead counsel for machine and tool company in action in which major firearms manufacturer alleged it had misappropriated trade secrets.
Lead counsel for partner in venture capital firm in dispute with firm.
Lead counsel for co-owner of dental practice in successful negotiation of breakup without litigation.
Lead counsel for major real estate developer in action in which seller of commercial shopping centers alleged developer had made misrepresentations and had tortiously interfered with contract between seller and its employee.
Co-counsel in defense of civil RICO and unfair trade practices action by liability insurer alleging that defendant billed insured's for services not provided. See
Allstate Insurance Co. v. Seigel
, 312 F. Supp. 2d 260 (D.
Lead counsel for major supermarket chain in class action alleging improper collection of sales tax and unfair trade practices.
Counsel for energy conservation contractor in action by competitor alleging that it had conspired with public utility to exclude it from access to utility's small business conservation program. See
North American Energy Systems, LLC v. New England Energy Management, Inc.
, 269 F. Supp. 2d 12 (D.
Co-counsel for aircraft leasing company in litigation and arbitration proceedings alleging breach by major international aerospace manufacturers of contract to implement program to re-engine popular business jet. See
Retrofit Partners I, L.P. v. Lucas Industries, Inc.
, 47 F. Supp. 2d 256 (D. Conn. 1999), aff'd, 201 F.3d 155 (2d Cir. 2000); Lucas Aerospace Ltd. v. Advanced Executive Aircraft Ltd., 292 A.D. 2d 201, 738 N.Y.S. 2d 211 (App. Div. 2002).
Lead counsel for public corporation in action by former president of corporation alleging breach of alleged termination agreement.
Lead counsel for defendant general partners of real estate limited partnership in action alleging mismanagement of $12 million apartment complex.
Lead counsel for software development company and its directors in individual and derivative action by former president alleging wrongful termination and breach of employment agreement.
Lead counsel for defendant stock brokerage firm in action by estate to recover funds allegedly stolen from brokerage account by stockbroker by means of forged checks.
Lead counsel for major
Co-counsel for plaintiff in claim against health benefit plan administrator and its corporate customer for breach of contract, bad faith, unjust enrichment, interference with contract and unfair trade practices which deprived plaintiff of the fees he earned. See
Feen v. Benefit Plan Administrators, Inc.
, 28
Lead counsel for large incorporated medical practice in successful negotiation of departure of a number of shareholders without litigation.
Lead counsel for former president of iron works that constructed works by artist Alexander Calder in action claiming conspiracy to defraud purchaser concerning Calder work constructed by the company. See
Andre Emmerich Gallery, Inc. v. Segre
, 1997 WL 672009 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 29, 1997).
Lead counsel for defendant law firm and its members in action by resigning member of professional corporation seeking to require firm to compensate him for the value of his shares and alleging violation of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act.
Lead counsel for major national insurance brokerage firm in successful action to enjoin former employee from violating noncompete agreement. See
Alexander & Alexander of Connecticut, Inc. v. Cronin
, 1996 WL 409227 (
Lead counsel for fifty percent owner of corporation engaged in the processing and resale of recyclables in action for dissolution of corporation.
Lead counsel for defendant fund manager in action involving a claim for a multimillion-dollar fee in connection with the placement of investment interests. See
Conning Corporation v. Davenport Group
, 1992 WL 329298 (
Lead counsel for defendant law firm in federal action alleging violation of securities laws, misrepresentations and breach of fiduciary duty in connection with sale of condominium project.
Lead counsel for plaintiffs in securities class action alleging misrepresentations in connection with the sale of limited partnership interest; case settled for $3.4 million, representing 86 percent of the plaintiffs' original investments.
Lead counsel for principal of insurance brokerage firm in federal action alleging sexual harassment.
Co-counsel for defendant employer in wrongful discharge action where employee had been terminated for secretly recording conversations with supervisors. See
Heller v. Champion International, Inc.
, 891 F.2d 432 (2d Cir. 1989).
Lead counsel for co-defendant in antitrust, civil RICO and fraud action alleging a horizontal conspiracy among scrap paper suppliers to bribe purchasing agent of paper board manufacturer. See
Federal Paper Board Company v. Amata
, 693 F. Supp. 1376 (D.
Lead counsel for co-defendant audio equipment designer Mark Levinson in successful defense of action in which plaintiff claimed he could not use his own name in a competing business after assigning trademark rights in his name to plaintiff. See
Madrigal Audio Laboratories, Inc. v. Cello, Ltd.
, 799 F.2d 814 (2d Cir. 1986).
Trial counsel for real estate developer in multi-million dollar claim for monopolization of local shopping center market by use of sham zoning appeals to block development of a regional shopping center. See
Landmarks Holding Corp. v. Bermant
, 664 F.2d 891 (2d Cir. 1981) (appeal by prior counsel).
Co-counsel in defense of criminal antitrust case charging conspiracy to rig bids for road tar contracts with municipalities. See
Co-counsel for plaintiff in major antitrust litigation involving claim that defendant had monopolized the plain paper office copier market; jury verdict for plaintiff of $37.3 million after a 14 month trial before case was dismissed by the court on legal grounds. See
SCM Corp. v. Xerox Corp.
, 70 F.R.D. 508 (D. Conn. 1976);
SCM Corp. v. Xerox Corp.
, 77 F.R.D. 10 (D. Conn. 1977);
SCM Corp. v. Xerox Corp.
, 463 F. Supp. 983 (D. Conn. 1978), aff'd, 645 F.2d 1195 (2d Cir. 1981), cert. denied, 455
Appellate counsel for consultant in action restraining consultant from using or revealing trade secret claiming that trade secret had been disclosed in existing patent and in court pleadings. See
Plastic & Metal Fabricators, Inc. v. Roy
, 163
- Areas of Practice:
- Business Litigation
- Antitrust
- Unfair Trade Practices
- Business Torts Litigation
- Employment Litigation
- Appellate Practice
- Litigation Percentage:
- 95% of Practice Devoted to Litigation
- Bar Admissions:
- Connecticut, 1970
- U.S. District Court District of Connecticut, 1971
- U.S. District Court Southern District of New York, 1975
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York, 1975
- U.S. District Court District of Rhode Island, 1981
- U.S. Court of Appeals 2nd Circuit, 1971
- U.S. Supreme Court, 1975
- Education:
- Yale Law School, New Haven, Connecticut,
1970
LL.B. - Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut,
1965
B.A.
Honors: Magna Cum Laude
Honors: Phi Beta Kappa
Honors: Omicron Delta Epsilon
Major: Economics
- Published Works:
- Consumer Protection Law Developments, (Co-Author), American Bar Association Section of Antitrust Law, 2009
- Promising Use of an "Extraordinary Tool": Some State Statues Seen to Pave Path for Temporary Injunctions, (Co-Author), Connecticut Law Trib., Vol 35, No. 13, 2009
- Unresolved Issues Under the Unfair Trade Practices Act, Connecticut Bar Journal, December, Vol. 82, No. 4, 2008
- Unfair Trade Practices, Connecticut Lawyers' Deskbook, Connecticut Bar Association, 3rd ed., 2008
- The Standard for Determining "Unfair Acts or Practices" Under State Unfair Trade Practice Acts, Connecticut Bar Journal, September, Vol. 80, No. 3, 2006
- Unfair Trade Practices, (Co-Author), Conn. Practice Series (Thomson Reuters/West), Vol. 12, 2003 and annual supp.
- The Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act, (Co-Author), 1994 Supp., 1996
- Private Actions Under the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act, Connecticut Bar Journal, May, Vol. 64, 1990
- The Connecticut Anti-Trust Act: A Guide to Interpretation, Connecticut Bar Journal, October, Vol. 54, No. 5, 1980
- Should the FTC's Current Criteria for Determining Unfair Acts or Practices Be Applied to State Little FTC Acts?, The Antitrust Source, Feb, - 2010, available at http://www.aba
- Representative Cases:
- SCM Corp. v. Xerox Corp., 463 F. Supp. 983 (D. Conn. 1978)
- SCM Corp. v. Xerox Corp., 599 F.2d 32 (2d Cir. 1979)
- SCM Corp. v. Xerox Corp. on Remand, 474 F.Supp. 589 (D. Conn. 1979)
- SCM Corp. v. Xerox Corp. Aff'd, 645 F.2d 1195 (2d Cir. 1981)
- SCM Corp. v. Xerox Corp. Cert. Denied, 455 U.S. 1016 ( 1982)
- Madrigal Audio Laboratories, Inc. v. Cello, Ltd., 799 F.2d 814 (2d Cir. 1986)
- Heller v. Champion Int'l Corp., 891 F.2d 432 (2d Cir. 1989)
- Automated Salvage Transport, Inc. v. Wheelabrator Environmental Systems, Inc., 155 F.3d 59 (2d Cir. 1989)
- North American Energy Systems, LLC v. New England Energy Management, Inc., 269 F. Supp. 2d 12 (D. Conn. 2002)
- Wilson v. Midway Games, Inc., 198 F. Supp. 2d 167, 106 ALR 5th 759 (D. Conn. 2002)
- Connecticut Pipe Trades Health Fund v. Philip Morris, Inc., 153 F. Supp. 2d 101 (D. Conn. 2001)
- Venterina v. Cummings & Lockwood, 117 F. Supp. 2d 114 (D. Conn. 1999)
- Federal Paper Board Company v. Amata, 693 F. Supp. 1376 (D. Conn. 1988)
- Plessey Precision Metals, Inc. v. Metal Center, Inc., 31 B.R. 458 (Bankr. D. Conn. 1983)
- Plastic and Metal Fabricators, Inc. v. Roy, 163 Conn. 257, 303 A. 2d 725 ( 1972)
- Feen v. Benefit Plan Administrators, Inc., 1999 WL 33972 (Conn. Super. Ct. 1999)
- Feen v. Benefit Plan Administrators, Inc., 2000 WL 1398898 (Conn. Super. Ct. 2000)
- Sabanosh v. Durant, 1997 WL 804871 (Conn. Super. Ct. 1997)
- Alexander & Alexander of Connecticut, Inc. v. Cronin, 1996 WL 409227 (Conn. Super. Ct. 1996)
- Conning Corp. v. Davenport Group, 1992 WL 98135 (Conn. Super. Ct. 1992)
- Conning Corp. v. Davenport Group, 1992 WL 329298 (Conn. Super. Ct. 1992)
- Whitfield v. Cooper, 30 Conn. Supp. 47, 298 A.2d 50 (Super. Ct. 1972)
- Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Konover, 2009 WL 585429 (D. Conn. 2009)
- Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Konover, 2009 WL 585430 (D. Conn. 2009)
- Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Konover, 2009 WL 585433 (D. Conn. 2009)
- Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Konover, 2009 WL 585434 (D. Conn. 2009)
- Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Konover, 2009 WL 982635 (D. Conn. 2009)
- Packer v. SN Servicing Corp., 243 F.R.D. 39 (D. Conn. 2007)
- Representative Clients:
- RSI Home Products, Inc.
- Taymil Partners, LLC
- Big Y Foods, Inc.
- United Aluminum Corp.
- Memry Corp.
- Classes/Seminars Taught:
- Adjunct Professor of Law: Antitrust, Quinnipiac University School of Law, 2004 - Present
- Adjunct Faculty: Antitrust and Trade Regulation, University of Connecticut School of Law, 2002
- Lecturer, "How to Try the CUTPA Case", CBA, 2000
- Lecturer, "Elements of a CUTPA Violation and Private Remedies Under CUTPA", CBA, 2000
- Lecturer, "Private Actions, Remedies and Jury Instructions Under CUTPA", CBA, 1998
- Lecturer, "Common Law Fraud and Misrepresentation in Connecticut", CBA, 1997
- Lecturer, "Private Actions and Remedies Under CUTPA", CBA, 1995
- Lecturer, "Procedural Attacks on CUTPA Complaint", and "Discovery in a CUTPA Action", CBA, 1994
- Lecturer, "Limiting Remedies in a CUTPA Action", CBA, 1994
- Lecturer, "Jury Trial of CUTPA Claims", CBA, 1994
- Lecturer, "The Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act: Developments - 1993", CBA, 1993
- Lecturer, "Current Issues Concerning the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act", CBA, 1992
- Lecturer, "Initial Considerations in Case Evaluation", CBA, 1990
- Lecturer, "Private Actions Under the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act", CBA, 1990
- Lecturer, "Federal Appellate Overview", CBA, 1989
- Lecturer, "Creative Uses of CUTPA by Business Plaintiffs", CBA, 1988
- Lecturer, "Defending CUTPA Actions", CBA, 1988
- Lecturer, "Recognizing and Analyzing the Antitrust Problem in Distribution", CBA, 1985
- Lecturer, "Recognizing and Analyzing the Antitrust Problem", CBA, 1982
- Lecturer, "The Connecticut Anti-Trust Act: A Guide to Interpretation", CBA, 1980
- Honors and Awards:
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Commercial Litigation, 2003 - Present
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Antitrust, 2006 - Present
- Listed in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business in Band 1 of the Leading Lawyers in General Commercial Litigation in Connecticut, 2007 - Present
- Listed in Benchmark: Litigation as a "Local Litigation Star", 2008 - Present
- Life Fellow, Connecticut Bar Foundation, 1996 - Present
- Professional Associations and Memberships:
- New Haven County Bar Association
- Member
- Connecticut Bar Association, 1970 - Present
- Member
- Connecticut Bar Association, Antitrust Section, 1976 - Present
- Member, Executive Committee
- Connecticut Bar Association, 1980 - 1982
- Chair
- Connecticut Bar Association, Federal Practice Section, 1985 - Present
- Member
- Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association
- Member
- American Bar Association, Litigation and Antitrust Law Sections
- Member
- Federal Bar Council
- Member
- American Association for Justice
- Member
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Member
- Past Employment Positions:
- United States Army Reserve, Captain, Military Intelligence, 1965 - 1974
- Birth Information:
- January 13, 1944, Wheeling, West Virginia















