People

Morgan M. Menchaca

Morgan Menchaca is a partner in the Austin office of Reid Collins & Tsai.  Her practice focuses on complex commercial litigation.  She has represented plaintiffs in a range of matters in state and federal courts, including fraud and negligence actions, breaches of fiduciary duty, professional malpractice, federal qui tam whistleblower actions, and litigation stemming from corporate insolvency proceedings. For her professional achievements, Morgan is recognized as one of the nation’s top young lawyers by Best Lawyers in America® – “Ones to Watch.”

Prior to joining Reid Collins, Morgan worked as an associate in the Austin office of Baker Botts LLP and served as judicial law clerk to the Honorable Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht of the Texas Supreme Court.

Morgan received her J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School, where she was a Production Editor for the Harvard Journal of Law and Technology. She received her B.A. in history, cum laude, from Harvard College.

 

Notable Representations:

  • Representation of the Chapter 7 Trustee of Insys Therapeutics, Inc., a former public company and key contributor to the national opioid crisis, in obtaining a $175 million judgment against its former outside directors. The underlying misconduct has been the subject of extensive media coverage, including an HBO documentary (“The Crime of the Century”) and a Netflix movie (“Pain Hustlers”).
  • Representation of the Litigation Trustee of GWG Holdings, a former public company, in the investigation and pursuit of claims against former directors and officers, fraudulent transfer claims, and professional negligence claims. The facts surrounding GWG’s bankruptcy have been the subject of extensive investigative reporting in the Wall Street Journal.
  • Representation of the court-appointed SEC Receiver for the Heartland Group Ventures, LLC, an oil-and-gas investment company that defrauded over 700 investors, in the investigation and pursuit of legal malpractice claims against Locke Lord, LLP. The claims settled pre-suit for $12.5 million, generating a sizable recovery for Heartland’s investors.
  • Representation of Otto Bock Healthcare North America, a leading prosthetics manufacturer, in a $90 million legal malpractice lawsuit against Am Law 100 law firm Duane Morris arising from the law firm’s antitrust advice in connection with the acquisition of Freedom Innovations. The lawsuit settled on confidential terms before trial.
  • Representation of former Fox News employee in claims against Bill Shine and Fox News, alleging sexual abuse by Roger Ailes and the aiding and abetting of that abuse, all under New York’s Adult Survivors Act. The case, which settled on confidential terms, was covered by NBC, NPR, The Hollywood Reporter, and Vanity Fair, among other outlets.
  • Representation of the Chapter 7 Trustee of Dura Automotive Systems, LLC et al. in bringing claims against Dura’s former CEO, Lynn Tilton, and its former CFO, which resulted in a $12 million settlement.
  • Representation of the Chapter 7 Trustee of Live Well Financial, Inc., a former leading reverse mortgage originator and servicer, in investigation and pursuit claims against the debtor’s former directors and officers, fraudulent transfer claims, and professional negligence claims. Some of these claims resulted in settlements and sizeable recoveries for the bankruptcy estate’s creditors.
  • Representation of the Litigation Trustee of Alta Mesa Holdings, an oil and gas company, in investigation and pursuit of claims against its former officers.
  • Representation of the Chapter 7 Trustee of MoviePass and its parent company in the investigation and pursuit of claims against former directors and officers, which resulted in settlement and a sizeable recovery for the bankruptcy estate’s creditors.
  • Representation of the Administrative Agent for lenders to Nobilis Healthcare Corp. in bringing fraud and negligent misrepresentation claims against Nobilis’s former officers. The case settled on confidential terms prior to trial.
  • Representation of a founder of private equity firm Kainos Capital in asserting claims against her co-founders for theft of her ownership interest in the firm. The case settled on confidential terms prior to trial.