Biography

As an of counsel attorney in Baron & Budd’s General Litigation Section, Mazin A. Sbaiti counsels small businesses owners, private investors, public shareholders and government entities in cases involving:

• Fraud and misrepresentation;
• Breaches of fiduciary duties;
• Breaches of contract;
• Price fixing;
• Monopolization;
• Misappropriation of assets or moneys;
• Unfair or deceptive business practices; and
• Whistleblower actions.

Of particular interest to Sbaiti are small business owners who, like his father, embody the work ethic Sbaiti admires and form the backbone of America’s economic engine and ingenuity. As a result of his personal experiences, Sbaiti is passionate about protecting not only small business owners but also small investors who place their hard-earned money and trust into the hands of management and boards of directors – sometimes (as in recent high profile scenarios) – finding themselves at risk for recklessness or even fraud.

Sbaiti cites that many business mismanagement and fraud cost investors hundreds of millions of dollars in lost value, shifting that value into management’s own pockets. “Why should management get to keep those hundreds of millions as opposed to America’s investors?” asks Sbaiti. “The answer is simple: They shouldn’t.”

Having witnessed how under siege entrepreneurs, investors and small businesses are by large corporations and their powerful government alliances, Sbaiti is devoted to helping David beat Goliath with his know-how of not only what to throw, but also how to aim.

Sbaiti is a member of several Plaintiffs’ Steering Committees in consolidated actions including those involving various antitrust and monopolization, consumer banking, securities fraud and shareholder derivative actions.  He has also served as lead counsel on several “bet the business” matters involving tens to hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of small businesses and private investors, including shareholder oppression claims, fraud claims, breach of contract, and theft of trade secret matters.  Most importantly, Sbaiti has helped clients recover well over $100 million in damages in the past several years.

Sbaiti enjoys his association with Baron & Budd for the sense of caring and dedication to clients among attorneys and staff and the firm’s success record. “Baron & Budd has a history of winning that cements the fact that this is the place to be if you’re a lawyer who wants to help people who truly need it, and this is the place to come if you’re a client who needs help,” says Sbaiti.

Media Interviews

See here: Mazin talking about the impacts of “gripe sites” on small businesses.

Prior Experience

Before coming to Baron & Budd, P.C., Sbaiti was a partner in Hutcherson Sbaiti LLP, where he and his partner tried numerous cases on behalf of business and investor clients involving protecting their critical business and intellectual property assets.  Sbaiti began his career as a trial attorney at Susman Godfrey LLP, a litigation boutique in Dallas, Texas.

Before going to law school, Sbaiti was a high school teacher and debate coach in Carrollton, Texas.

Education

Sbaiti received his Juris Doctorate, with honors, from Columbia University School of Law. There he was recognized as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar for Academic Excellence; Teaching Fellow for the Financial Statement Analysis courses; chaired the Moot Court Executive Board; sat on the Editorial Board of the, Columbia Human Rights Law Review; and served as a Writing Instructor for the First-Year Moot Court program.

Sbaiti received his B.A., cum laude, in Philosophy from Emory University where he was on the Dean’s List, and was awarded the Michael F. Stanton Fellowship; he was also a Hall of Fame Member of the Barkley Forum and Emory’s debating society.

Bar & Court Admissions

Admitted to practice in New York, Texas and California.
Admitted to the following federal courts:
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
U.S. District Court for the
Northern District of Texas
Eastern District of Texas
Southern District of New York
Eastern District of New York
Northern District of California
Central District of California
Southern District of California

Professional Associations

American Bar Association
Texas Bar Association
New York Bar Association

Languages

Arabic
German (spoken)

Publications

Administrative Oversight? Towards A Meaningful ‘Materiality’ Determination Procedure For Dual-Diagnosis Claimants Seeking Benefits Under Titles II and XVI of The Social Security Act, 35 Colum. Hum. Rts. L. Rev. 415 (2004).

Reported Cases

Bombardier Transportation GmbH v. DaimlerChrysler AG, Arbitration, Zurich, Switzerland (2004).

Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. v. Allegheny Energy, Inc. (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 2004).

Reported Opinions

AE Marketing LLC et a., v. Jenkins-Baldwin Corp., et al., __ F.Supp. 3d. __ (N.D. Tex. 2010).
Certain Approval et al. v. Xentric Ventures et al., __ F. Supp.3d __ (D. Ariz. 2009).
Freeman Industries Inc. v. Eastman Chemical Co. et al., 172 S.W.3d 512 (Tenn. 2005).
Eli Lilly & Co. v. Emisphere Techs., Inc., No. 03-cv-1504-DFH (S.D. Ind.).
Palisades Collections LLC v. Charlene Shorts v. AT&T Mobility Corp., 552 F.3d 327 (4th Cir. 2008).
Stockman v. Oakcrest Dental Ctr., 480 F.3d 791 (6th Cir. 2006).