Sabato (“Sam”) Fiano represents individuals, closely-held businesses and large corporations in a wide variety of complex commercial, securities, civil and white-collar crime matters. In particular, Attorney Fiano represents both plaintiffs and defendants in cases involving business and corporate disputes, contract issues, shareholder and partnership disputes, business break-ups and dissolutionS, business valuations, fraud and embezzlement claims, corporate usurpation claims, lost profit claims, lawsuits seeking to pierce the corporate veil or establish successor liability, employment issues including non-competition and non-solicitation agreements, lender liability, foreclosure defense, construction litigation, probate litigation, professional malpractice claims, insurance coverage issues, zoning disputes, residential and commercial landlord-tenant disputes, real estate litigation including boundary and easement disputes and adverse possession cases, and disputes arising out of the buying and selling of properties and businesses.
Attorney Fiano also represents a diverse base of clients with respect to securities and investment related disputes. He has successfully prosecuted lawsuits as well as arbitrations before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) against global financial investment firms on behalf of individuals who have had their investment accounts mismanaged through unsuitable trades, poor asset allocation, mis-analysis of risk, overcharging of fees, failures to supervise, breaches of fiduciary duty and churning. At the same time, Attorney Fiano has successfully defended the interests of hedge funds, broker-dealers, fund managers and investment advisors who have been wrongfully accused of such claims, or are subject to compliance or regulatory inquiries by the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) or the Connecticut Department of Banking.
Attorney Fiano is a staunch believer in utilizing special procedures such as applications for prejudgment remedy, applications for temporary injunction, motions for disclosure of assets and petitions for bill of discovery in order to place his clients in the best position to assert their legal rights. He is both creative and aggressive in his post-judgment collection work, so that his clients derive some meaningful recovery from the judgments that he is successful in obtaining for them. However, Attorney Fiano only recommends and pursues aggressive litigation when it is necessary to protect the ultimate best interests of his client, or is strategically advisable to push a lingering dispute to a favorable and expedited resolution. He is careful and instinctive in negotiating and structuring the settlement of his cases to avoid commencing or further pursuing litigation.
In his white-collar crime practice, Attorney Fiano is effective in analyzing complex financial evidence related to charges of RICO, tax fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, Medicaid and Medicare fraud, mortgage and real estate fraud, securities violations, false billing practices, money laundering, structuring, conspiracy, embezzlement, theft, and other serious felonies. He has had extensive dealings with prosecutors and agents of the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in resolving difficult situations for his clients.
Attorney Fiano is an accomplished trial lawyer with an established track record of successfully trying both straight-forward and complex, high-value cases on behalf of plaintiffs and defendants before the Connecticut and New York State, Federal and Bankruptcy Courts, and successfully arguing appeals before the Connecticut and New York Appellate Courts. He is recognized as a Connecticut Super Lawyer in the area of Business Litigation, a highly respected distinction received by only 5% of the attorneys in Connecticut based on peer recognition and professional achievement. Additionally, Attorney Fiano is a James W. Cooper Fellow of the Connecticut Bar Foundation. The Fellows is a collection of the State’s most outstanding lawyers, judges and teachers who devote their time and talent to sponsoring programs that address matters concerning the legal profession, the administration of justice, and the rule of law in society.
Attorney Fiano spent his first decade practicing law at the Southport-based firm of Kleban & Samor, PC and managed his own law practice prior to joining Zeldes, Needle & Cooper. The proud son of Italian immigrants, Attorney Fiano is fluent in Italian. He is a lifetime resident of Fairfield County, where he attended and played football at Fairfield Prep high school. He is an avid sports fan, and, in particular, a rabid, unapologetic fan of the Dallas Cowboys.
Practice Areas
- Litigation
- Employment and Employee Benefits
- Corporate Law and Business Transactions
- Criminal Defense
- State Condominium and Community Association
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
Education
- Fairfield University (1994)
- University of Connecticut School of Law (1997)
Bar Admissions
- Connecticut (1997)
- US District Court, District of Connecticut (1998)
- New York (2001)
- Second Circuit Federal Court of Appeals
- United States Bankruptcy Court, District of Connecticut
- United States Federal District Court, Southern District of New York
- United States Federal District Court, Eastern District of New York
Memberships
- Greater Bridgeport Bar Association
- Connecticut Bar Association
- Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association
News
- Attorney Fiano Successful In Obtaining $210,000 Arbitration Award Against Morgan Stanley
- Attorney Fiano Successful In Obtaining $540,000 Judgment At Trial
- Attorney Fiano Successful In Proving Oral Contract At Trial
- Attorney Fiano Successful At Trial Defending Claims of Illegal “Balance Billing”
- Attorney Fiano Successful At Trial In Proving Fraud, Recovering Punitive Damages