Matt T. Covell
Attorney
Overview
Matthew "Matt" Covell is an Atlanta litigation attorney who focuses on complex commercial litigation, business torts, class action defense and False Claims Act (FCA) defense. Mr. Covell also represents financial institutions such as national and state banks, credit card issuers, and mortgage lenders and servicers in all aspects of consumer financial services litigation. He has experience defending claims in federal and state court involving the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA), Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).
Mr. Covell advises clients on e-discovery issues, including document retention policies, proper litigation holds, as well as the collection, processing and production of electronic documents in response to discovery requests, government subpoenas and civil investigative demands (CIDs). In 2010, Mr. Covell completed the eDiscovery Training Academy at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C.
Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Covell spent 16 years as a business litigator for two prominent law firms in Atlanta.
During law school, Mr. Covell served as a law clerk intern for the Honorable John C. Martin of the North Carolina Court of Appeals.
Representative Experience
- Assisted several large healthcare providers in responding to government subpoenas and civil investigative demands, and subsequently defended those entities from the U.S. Department of Justice's False Claims Act qui tam lawsuits
- Represented a pharmaceutical sales support organization, and negotiated a favorable outcome on breach of contract and fraudulent inducement allegations against a pharmaceutical manufacturer
- Collaborated and strategized with a defense team comprised of outside counsel to major cellular telephone manufacturers and service providers to defend against claims regarding the potential health implications of radio frequency radiation
- Represented a Fortune 20 telephone service provider, with a major corporate initiative to secure municipal franchise agreements, resulting in the successful launch of its cable television service in the northeastern United States
- Negotiated and implemented a methodology for the utilization of technology-assisted review (i.e., predictive coding) to quickly and efficiently review millions of electronic documents and emails in response to government subpoenas
- Obtained multiple seven-figure judgments on behalf of several banking clients in connection with disputes and appeals regarding various promissory notes and guarantee agreements secured by commercial real estate
- Obtained numerous judgments on behalf of various commercial landlords against tenants in default of their lease agreements
- Managed hundreds of asbestos lawsuits against multiple defendants on behalf of a manufacturer
- Defended clients in national consumer class actions involving the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)
- Roberts v. Freedom Mortgage Corp., 2022 WL 18141874 (N.D. Ga., Nov. 22, 2022); aff'd 2023 WL 8085566 (11th Cir., Nov. 21, 2023)
- Blue Mountain Holdings Ltd. v. Bliss Nutraceticals LLC, 2022 WL 2316386 (N.D. Ga., June 27, 2022); aff'd 2023 WL 5164472 (11th Cir., Aug. 11, 2023)
- Person et al. v. Lyft Inc. et al., 1:19-CV-02914 (N.D. Ga., 2019)
- Motorola Inc., et al. v. Michael Patrick Murray, et al., 2016 WL 6134870 (D.C. Cir., Oct. 20, 2016)
- Shropshire v. AloStar Bank of Commerce, 314 Ga. App. 310, 724 S.E.2d 53 (2012)
- DuPree v. SunTrust Bank, 305 Ga. App. 507, 699 S.E.2d 846 (2010)
- The River Farm, LLC v. SunTrust Bank, 305 Ga. App. 337, 699 S.E.2d 771 (2010)
- Simpson v. Pendergast, 290 Ga. App. 293, 659 S.E.2d 716 (2008)
- In re: Wireless Telephone Radio Frequency Emissions Product Liability Litigation, 327 F. Supp. 2d 554 (D. Md., 2004)
- American Guarantee & Liability Co. v. Timothy S. Keiter, P.A., 360 F.3d 13 (1st Cir., 2004)
Credentials
- The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law, J.D., with honors
- The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, B.A., Philosophy
- Georgia
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia
- U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
- Court of Appeals of Georgia
- Supreme Court of Georgia
- All State Courts in Georgia
- State Bar of Georgia
- Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation, Domestic Violence Program, Volunteer
- North Carolina Law Review
- North Carolina Banking Institute Journal, Articles Editor
- Phi Beta Kappa
- Holland & Knight Pro Bono All-Star, 2020, 2021
- Outstanding Services Award, American Bar Association Military Pro Bono Project, 2018
- Rising Stars, Georgia Super Lawyers magazine, 2005