Marie DeForest Garcia

PARTNER



T 412.227.3126
mdeforest@deforestlawfirm.com

Marie focuses her practice primarily on commercial litigation and white-collar defense matters. Her experience includes matters involving contractual disputes, trade secret and confidential information disputes, asbestos defense, professional liability actions, fiduciary disputes, employment matters, and white-collar defense.

Marie was co-counsel on a case in which the firm successfully represented a subsea electrical and fiber optic interconnect manufacturer in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in a technical dispute involving breach of non-compete contractual issues and use of confidential information issues. She managed a complex discovery process, prepared the defense of company and expert witness depositions, handled preparation for adversarial depositions, deposed certain witnesses, and managed the exhibits, demonstratives, and pre-trial pleadings.

Marie was also co-counsel on a case in which the firm represented an underwater acoustic Doppler manufacturer as plaintiff and counter-defendant in a highly technical, post acquisition dispute, involving trade secret and breach of non-compete contractual issues. She managed the discovery process involving more than 2 million documents and handling preparation for the 20 technical depositions in the case. Marie drafted the trade secret statement describing trade secret claims at issue, as well as numerous motions in the case.

Marie also won a motion to dismiss for a prominent American-owned company in a multi-million dollar contract dispute in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Additionally, she obtained summary judgment for a lender in a million-dollar construction loan dispute before the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division, Burlington County. Marie has defended corporate and individual clients in civil and grand jury investigations initiated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Justice, and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

Marie has also represented numerous clients in employment disputes involving claims of improper use of confidential information, breach of a covenant, sexual harassment, discrimination, and wrongful termination.

Marie's representative matters include an active asbestos defense practice where she has successfully received summary judgment numerous times for several companies. She has defended asbestos actions in Delaware, California, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Wyoming. She is the supervising attorney for the firm's asbestos defense practice.

Marie is an accomplished horsewoman. In high school and college, she traveled extensively throughout the United States to compete in three-day eventing competitions. Marie has earned a number of prestigious awards including First Place, Mid-South CCI three-day eventing competition in Lexington, Kentucky; United States Pony Club Cavalry Award for winning an international eventing competition; and United States Pony Club Harry T. Peters Award, which is awarded to the highest ranking eventing rider for excellence in riding and horsemanship at the United States Pony Club Nationals.