Trista W. McConnell serves as an Associate at Rich, Intelisano & Katz, LLP, where she has broad-based experience in diverse and complex commercial litigation and construction law in state and federal courts, as well as various New York City agencies.
Mrs. McConnell has extensive experience in managing all aspects of civil litigation, including comprehensive motion practice, developing successful trial strategy, and appellate practice. She also facilitates dispute resolution through mediation, arbitration, and settlement. Mrs. McConnell represents the interests of architects, owners, contractors, construction managers, developers, and other design and construction professionals in a wide variety of construction-related disputes, including, among other things, design defects, contract disputes, defect and delay claims, commercial disputes, and prosecuting and defending mechanic’s lien claims.
Representative matters include:
- Challenging an administrative decision and seeking reconsideration of the public policy behind imposing extensive and discretionary penalties against property owners for their tenants’ transient use of dwelling units, which resulted in a partial award in our client’s favor.
- Successfully dismissing various causes of action asserted against property developer in an action wherein the plaintiff-neighboring landowner sought to recover, among other things, damages for trespass. The Second Department affirmed the lower court’s decision in favor of our client, finding that the cooperation agreement between the parties granted our client permission to erect and maintain certain safeguards to protect both properties from damage.
- Representing a leading construction services firm against a lien foreclosure action that was ultimately dismissed against our client following plaintiff-subcontractor’s failure to comply with court orders. As a result, the subcontractor’s lien, in the amount of approximately $2.5 million, was cancelled and vacated. The subcontractor’s attempt to vacate its default and reinstate its lien was also denied.
- Successfully vacating a subcontractor’s second mechanic’s lien which, on appeal, the First Department agreed was not a permissible successive lien to cure an irregularity in its earlier lien.
- Serving as second chair for trial defending real estate developer in a brokerage commission action. Prior to trial, we obtained summary judgment on the issue of liability in favor of our client.
Trista McConnell earned her Juris Doctor cum laude from Brooklyn Law School, where she was a Richardson Scholar and awarded the CALI Award for Alternative Dispute Resolution. During law school, she served as a judicial intern for the Honorable John M. Leventhal (Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department). Prior to law school, Trista McConnell received her Bachelor of Arts degree summa cum laude in Political Science from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Trista McConnell is a member of the Bar of the State of New York, and is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. Mrs. McConnell is a member of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and is on the Board of Lydia Johnson Dance.
Mrs. McConnell's representative cases include: Leavitt Enterprise, Inc. v. Two Fulton Square, LLC, 181 A.D.3d 662, 120 N.Y.S.3d 363 (2nd Dept. 2020); Ferrara Bros. Building Materials Corp. v. FMC Construction, LLC, 138 A.D.3d 685, 30 N.Y.S.3d 157 (2nd Dept. 2016); Ayyad-Ramallo v. Marine Terrace Associates LLC, 2014 WL 2993448 E.D.N.Y. July 2, 2014); Highrise Hoisting & Scaffolding, Inc. v. Ibex Development & Construction Co., LLC, 2012 WL 6162225 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 2012).