Todd Rowden

Todd is an experienced trial lawyer and complex commercial case litigator whose practice focuses on serving some of America’s largest financial services corporations, small and middle market companies, and private sector businesses. Known in the legal field for his keen business and trial strategy and skilled negotiations, Todd counsels clients on business disputes, dispute resolution, and internal investigations. He guides clients through the complexities of legal matters through early mediation, arbitration, trial, and appeals. His trial successes include Cook County business tort jury verdicts, including an $8.3 million jury verdict, with a $6 million punitive damages award, in a conversion and tortious interference with business expectancy case in 2019; and a fraud and breach of fiduciary duty jury verdict against a co-investor/corporate officer and director — with a treble punitive damages award — in 2024.

With experience representing publicly traded companies, financial services organizations and farmers’ councils as well as those in the education, restaurant and real estate industries, Todd has found success for clients in cases relating to:

• Contract disputes and negotiations.
• Financial services fraud.
• Business torts and deceptive practices.
• Closely held corporation fraud, fraud in the inducement and breach of corporate director and officer fiduciary duties.
• Agriculture and seed technology disputes.
• Preliminary injunctions.
• Commercial loan enforcement.

Todd has been recognized for his legal skills through awards such as Illinois Super Lawyers and Leading Lawyers. He earned his J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School and attended the Harvard Law School Executive Education “Leadership in Law Firms” certificate program. Before joining Taft, Todd was the Chicago office managing partner and co-chair of the firm-wide Business Litigation practice group at a national law firm with more than 380 attorneys.

• Eggum v. Kowalis, et al. 
  • Won a Cook County Jury fraud and breach of fiduciary duty verdict, including $113,837 in compensatory damages and almost $300,000 in punitive damages, for client Michael Eggum, who sued his former restaurant business co-owner for fraud, fraud in the inducement and breach of fiduciary duty.
• RyKrisp, LLC v. Distinctive Foods, LLC
  • Won $8.3 million Cook County Jury verdict, including $6 million in punitive damages, for client, RyKrisp™, in a case involving a food manufacturer’s tortious efforts against RyKrisp.
• In re Energy Conversion Devices, Inc., No. 12-43166, 2020 WL 5883406, at *5 (Bankr. E.D. Mich. Oct. 1, 2020).
  • Obtained complete dismissal of all claims in adversary complaint filed against former founder and CEO of computer memory technology company. The Court entered a 146 page opinion adopting Defendant Lowrey’s arguments and dismissing multi-million dollar claims for breach of royalty agreement and right of first refusal to purchase company shares brought by bankruptcy trustee represented by Quinn, Emanuel, Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP.
• MSMC v. AgBorn Genetics, et al. 
  • Todd was lead trial counsel representing the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council in a case involving unreported sales of soybean seed technologies by AgBorn Genetics. Todd won a unanimous jury verdict for MSMC for all damages sought, $603,945. Summary judgment was also granted by the trial court declaring the contract purporting to transfer MSMC’s valuable seed technology to AgBorn (a company formed and owned by former members of MSMC’s then-staff) null and void. Todd argued the case on appeal to the Missouri Court of Appeals where all victories for MSMC were affirmed.
• Great River Property Development, LLC v. Omega Financial Group, Ltd., et al., Circuit Court of Cook County Case No. 16 L 8269.
  • Successfully represented hotel developer in fraud lawsuit against financing broker. Obtained $1,380,572 fraud judgment against individual brokers and their company, jointly and severally, after a bench trial in the Circuit Court of Cook County (Law Division).
• Dalton v. Prominence Advisors, Inc., et al., American Arbitration Association proceeding.
  • Successfully defended claim by former member of software and consulting company seeking a buyout of more than $3 million for his equity interest in the company. Served as lead arbitration counsel and prevailed after a week-long arbitration hearing involving nearly a dozen fact and expert witnesses.