Morrison Cohen Wins Summary Judgment for Meridian Capital Group in $23M Litigation; Court Awards Over $860K in Legal Fees

Morrison Cohen secured a decisive victory for client Meridian Capital Group in a high-stakes litigation brought by OTR Associates in the Superior Court of New Jersey. In June 2024, the Court granted summary judgment dismissing all claims against Meridian and, in June 2025, awarded $868,514.69 in attorneys’ fees and costs after finding Meridian to be the prevailing party.

The case arose from a failed effort to refinance a distressed shopping center in Edison, NJ, following a 2012 foreclosure judgment. OTR had hired Meridian as its mortgage broker to secure over $16 million in financing. When the deal did not close, OTR sued Meridian, the REIT through which it sought financing and several individuals, seeking approximately $23 million in damages.

In awarding attorneys’ fees, Judge Gary K. Wolinetz commended Morrison Cohen’s work, stating, “The individual Morrison Cohen lawyers who worked on this case were outstanding based on my review of the firm’s motion papers, deposition transcripts, and oral arguments… If results are to be measured in success, Morrison Cohen zealously defended Meridian and defeated a case where OTR sought approximately $23 million in damages.”

He concluded that Meridian was the “prevailing party” under the brokerage agreement and entitled to recover reasonable fees and costs.

The Morrison Cohen team representing Meridian was led by Y. David Scharf, Mark Jarashow, Jason Gottlieb, Jeremy Weinstein and Hallie McDonald, with support from Denisha Ballantyne-Smith and Susan Dangelmajer.