We have some disturbing news to report from Europe, where a distinguished Biglaw partner was recently reported missing in the wake of the sinking of his client’s luxury superyacht off the coast of Sicily, Italy.
Prominent Clifford Chance partner Christopher J. Morvillo — of the revered Morvillo family of lawyers behind the Morvillo Abramowitz firm — is said to be among the six people missing from the ship. Morvillo, whose white-collar practice is based in New York, was aboard the yacht celebrating a hard-won federal fraud victory with tech billionaire and Autonomy founder Mike Lynch, who was acquitted of all charges. Lynch is now missing at sea, and here’s where things start getting a little eerie: His co-defendant, Steven Chamberlain, died in a car crash on the same day the yacht capsized. The Mirror has additional details on the shipwreck:
The lawyer is among six people believed to be still trapped in the yacht’s hull, 50 meters (164 feet) underwater. Divers loaded a rescue dinghy at the port of Porticello, near Palermo, after a first search on Monday ended unsuccessfully. Fire rescue crews reported that divers were unable to access the below-deck cabins because they were blocked by debris that had shifted during the violent storm that toppled the luxury sailboat early Monday.
Fifteen people survived, including a mother who reported holding her one-year-old baby over the waves to save her. One body has been recovered, officials said.
In a now-haunting LinkedIn post, Morvillo praised his trial team, thanking them for all of their hard work on Lynch’s case, which had finally ended after 13 long years. The Biglaw partner, now feared dead, concluded his piece with the following words: “And they all lived happily ever after….”
Clifford Chance gave the following statement concerning the accident to the American Lawyer:
“We are in shock and deeply saddened by this tragic incident. Our thoughts are with our partner, Christopher Morvillo, and his wife Neda who are among the missing.
Our utmost priority is providing support to the family as well as our colleague Ayla Ronald, who together with her partner, thankfully survived the incident. Our thoughts extend to the other passengers and crew and all those affected. We have no further comment at this time. We, and the families, ask that their request for privacy is honored during this period.”
We here at Above the Law extend our thoughts to Christopher Morvillo’s family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time.
Christopher Morvillo’s haunting final seven words after going missing in Bayesian yacht disaster [The Mirror]
New York-Based Clifford Chance Partner Missing in Mike Lynch Yacht Disaster [American Lawyer]
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on X/Twitter and Threads or connect with her on LinkedIn.
#Renowned #Biglaw #Partner #Among #Missing #Sinking #Tech #Billionaires #Superyacht
