Mason Roberts’ practice has a significant focus on litigating cases through arbitration and court verdict for a wide range of business disputes involving claims for breach of contract, tortious interference, federal and state regulatory violations, fraud, antitrust violations, and other business torts. He also maintains an active pro bono practice, representing both indigent and incarcerated clients.
During law school, Mason was a summer associate in Foley’s Chicago office and litigated cases in the Duke University Wrongful Convictions Clinic, where he helped secure reduction of a client’s life without parole sentence.
Representative Experience
Mason’s litigation experience includes:
- Litigating a five-day bench trial defending breach-of-contract claims stemming from the sale of a crude oil processing facility, including cross-examination of two opposing expert witnesses
- Defending a medical device company in a multiweek arbitration involving several breach-of-contract claims and over US$100 million in alleged damages
- Representing a life insurance ceding company in a seven-day arbitration, disputing a nine-figure rate increase by a reinsurer for yearly a renewable term (YRT) block of business
- Defending an original equipment manufacturer in a nationwide class action lawsuit alleging fraudulent misrepresentation, RICO, and state consumer protection law claims
- Conducting an internal investigation for a Fortune 500 company regarding the potential need for self-reporting of EPA regulatory violations
- Winning dismissal of both original and amended complaints, and confirmation of dismissal on appeal, in an action against an insurance broker for professional negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, tortious interference, and claims under the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act
- Obtaining a favorable settlement for a Fortune 100 health care provider in a qui tam False Claims Act lawsuit related to Medicare Advantage (MA) services
- Winning dismissal, on behalf of a wholesaler, of a distributor’s counterclaims in an action for the distributor’s failure to pay millions of dollars in outstanding invoices — won a subsequent stay of the distributor’s amended counterclaims, pending the outcome of other litigation
- Representing a wholesaler in federal antitrust litigation alleging price discrimination under the Robinson-Patman Act
- Negotiating favorable settlement agreements on behalf of an incarcerated pro bono client with a prison health care provider for the client’s Section 1983 civil rights claim, and with the state department of corrections after defeating a motion for summary judgment
- Negotiating a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for a pro bono client charged under federal drug laws, and successfully obtaining a sentence of one-tenth the typical statutory minimum at oral argument
Affiliations
- Associate Board Member, Chicago Sinfonietta, 2019–present
Languages
- Spanish
Presentations and Publications
- Presenter, “A Survey of Key 2023 and 2024 Reinsurance Decisions,” BRMA Education Summit (April 23, 2024)
Restore Illinois: Governor Pritzker’s Five-Phase, Four-Region Plan and What It May Mean for Your Business Operations
On May 5, 2020, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker issued a phased, regional plan for reopening the State’s economy, entitled Restore Illinois: A Public Health Approach to Safely Reopen Our State.
Key Changes and New Provisions in April 30, 2020 Illinois Stay-at-Home Order Extension
On April 30, 2020, Governor Pritzker signed Executive Order 2020-32 (COVID-19 Executive Order No. 30) (the “Revised Order”), extending Illinois’ stay-at-home mandate through May 29, 2020. While the Revised Order extends many of the provisions in previous Executive Orders, six key changes and new provisions affect the operations of businesses and their employees going forward.