Dino L. LaVerghetta

Dino’s experience includes:

• Litigation: Dino has represented life sciences, financial, and energy companies in state and federal litigation across the country. His matters have included individual civil suits and class actions implicating, among other things: claims under the federal False Claims Act (“FCA”) and its state law equivalents, common law fraud claims, securities fraud claims, and common law and statutory tort claims.
• Internal Investigations: Dino has conducted internal investigations on behalf of life sciences, finance, and technology companies. His internal investigation work has included, among other things, investigations related to: potential Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) violations, potential Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) violations, UDAAP allegations, corruption allegations, employment and fraud issues, and Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG”) issues.
• Government Investigations: Dino has represented clients in government investigations and inquiries, including: FCPA, FCA, and FIRREA investigations conducted by the DOJ; enforcement actions brought by federal agencies, including the FDA and the CFPB; a corruption investigation by the New York Attorney General; and an inquiry by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. In these matters, Dino has represented companies and individuals in various industries, including the life sciences, finance, and legal industries.
• Counseling: Dino regularly advises clients in heavily-regulated industries regarding corporate compliance programs, adherence to laws and regulations, and enforcement risk.

Dino maintains an active pro bono practice. He has handled numerous matters related to First Amendment and religious liberties. For example:

• Dino successfully argued the appeal before the Third Circuit in Nunez v. Wolf (3rd Cir). In a unanimous published opinion, the Court held that the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections failed to carry its burden under RLUIPA in denying a Muslim inmate’s requests for religious accommodations.
• Dino played a leading role in litigating Samuel A. Fryer Yavneh Academy et al v. Gavin Newsom (D.C. Cal.), a lawsuit brought by several religious schools challenging the constitutionality of California’s school closure order. Dino argued the preliminary injunction motion for the schools. The matter was soon thereafter resolved through a settlement that allowed the resumption of in-person education with appropriate safeguards.

Dino has also submitted amicus briefs related to the free exercise of religion in the United States Supreme Court and in the federal appellate courts. These briefs have been submitted in support of and/or on behalf of adherents of a diverse array of faiths, including Amish, Native American, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Wiccan, Catholic, and Christian faiths. Dino often submits these briefs as part of Sidley’s partnership with Yale Law School’s Free Exercise clinic. 

Dino has also drafted amicus briefs related to wrongful convictions, including briefs on behalf of the Innocence Project and the Innocence Network. Much of Dino’s work in this area has focused on the reliability of forensic tools. For example, Dino represented two world-renowned computer scientists in a groundbreaking case before a New Jersey appellate court relating probabilistic genotyping technology. In addition to taking the lead on the amicus briefing, Dino gave oral argument before the court. In a case of “first impression” in New Jersey, the Appellate Division in State v. Pickett held that an expert witness presenting evidence produced by TrueAllele, a black-box probabilistic genotyping program, had to disclose the source code and other proprietary materials to the defendant for scrutiny.

In 2015, Dino was the recipient of Sanctuary for Families’ Above & Beyond Award for Pro Bono Advocacy as a result of his representation of domestic violence victims.