Mary Kate (George) Fuentes litigates on behalf of plaintiffs and defendants in complex business disputes in federal courts, state courts, and arbitral tribunals.
Mary Kate has represented financial services firms, insurance companies, energy companies, hedge funds, trust companies, ratings agencies, corporate executives, landlords, and individuals. She has handled cases under the Class Action Fairness Act; state contract, unfair competition, and tort law; the RICO Act; Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code; and the Tax Code, among other laws and regulations. Mary Kate’s recent matters include partnership disputes, defending national and multi-national companies against class action claims, representing companies and high net worth individuals prosecuting and defending against defamation claims, and representing creditors and shareholders in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.
In the class action space, Mary Kate has successfully represented independent energy companies obtain dismissal of deceptive practice claims, and worked on a team that partially defeated class certification on behalf of a life insurance company. She has managed extensive e-discovery efforts for multiple companies facing class action claims.
In addition to general litigation, Mary Kate assists clients seeking to minimize litigation risk or avoid litigation altogether. She advised a national insurance company on legal risks involved with changing its cost of insurance rates, and worked with an international fintech company to avoid litigation following allegations of a data breach and IP theft.
Mary Kate’s pro bono matters include advising distressed small businesses on post-COVID financial restructuring plans, and participating in the Jim Crow Juries Project, which assists individuals convicted by non-unanimous juries prior to the Supreme Court holding such practices unconstitutional.
The matters discussed above include representations at previous employers.