Neil Glazer - Professional Headshot

Neil L. Glazer

“Many of the cases I litigate at Kohn Swift are not common fare for other law firms of any kind. I look for challenging, complex cases, aiming to obtain justice for my clients, helping them achieve some level of closure, and to do so in a trauma-informed way.”

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MATTERS

U.S. V. KEITH RANIERE, ET AL.

Kohn Swift represents witnesses in the federal human trafficking criminal investigation and trial of the leader of the NXIVM cult.

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EDMONDSON, ET AL. V. KEITH RANIERE, ET AL.

The complaint alleges that the defendants peddled an inherently risky “pseudo-scientific hodgepodge of psychotherapeutic methods” as expensive self-improvement courses, taken by thousands of unsuspecting people, many of whom lost their life savings and were severely traumatized by the process.

“NXIVM preyed on earnest, intelligent people who wanted to better themselves and the world through what they thought to be a humanitarian undertaking of unprecedented scope,” said Neil Glazer.

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VALESKA PARIS, ET AL. V CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY, ET AL.

In April of 2022, the firm filed a complaint on behalf of three individuals alleging violations of the federal forced labor and human trafficking statutes against Church of Scientology International, its leader, David Miscavige, and several affiliated entities. The complaint alleges that the Plaintiffs, who grew up in Scientology, were coerced into working on the Freewinds, a cruise ship owned and operated by the Defendants, where they were subjected to harsh conditions and punishments, and prevented from leaving for more than a decade.

The case, Gawain Baxter, Laura Baxter, and Valeska Paris vs. David Miscavige, Church of Scientology International, et al., was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, in Tampa, Florida.

Groundbreaking Human Trafficking Lawsuit against Scientology

JULIN, ET AL. V CHIQUITA BRANDS INTERNATIONAL, INC.

In March 2008, Chiquita Brands International, Inc. was sued on behalf of American terror victims in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The lawsuit was brought on behalf of the families of five missionaries who were kidnapped and subsequently murdered in two separate incidents by the Colombian terrorist organization Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC).

The suit alleged that Chiquita violated the civil provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act by knowingly providing funds to FARC during the time the missionaries were abducted, held hostage and ultimately murdered. The Anti-Terrorism Act permits American citizens or their heirs and estates to recover damages from those who provide material support to terrorist groups for injuries that they suffered by reason of acts of international terrorism.

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LINDE, ET AL. V. ARAB BANK OF JORDAN

In July 2004, Arab Bank, Plc was sued on behalf of American terror victims in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. The lawsuit was the first civil lawsuit brought against Arab Bank under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). The Plaintiffs sought to hold Arab Bank liable for deaths and severe injuries resulting from acts of international terrorism that Palestinian terrorist groups perpetrated between 2000 and 2004, during the Second Intifada. A team of attorneys from Kohn Swift and several other firms developed and prosecuted the case.

After 10 years of litigation that included multiple appeals, American victims of terrorism were finally able to present their case to a Brooklyn jury in August and September 2014. On September 22, 2014, the jury unanimously found Arab Bank liable for knowingly providing financial services to Hamas. This was the first, and still only time a jury found a financial institution civilly liable for aiding terrorism. Following the liability trial, on the eve of the damages trial, the parties reached a settlement of all the Plaintiffs’ claims under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

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STRING CHEESE INCIDENT TICKETING V. TICKETMASTER, INC.

Kohn Swift represented a small ticketing company in antitrust action against the largest ticketing company in U.S., resulting in favorable settlement for the client that also benefitted all small fan-oriented ticketing companies due to changes in Ticketmaster’s policies as a result of the settlement.

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Neil L. Glazer represents plaintiffs in human rights, antitrust, toxic tort, consumer fraud, securities, international terrorist finance, and other complex class and non-class litigation. Neil also represents clients in criminal proceedings and investigations.

A growing and substantial area of Mr. Glazer’s practice involves representing survivors of abuse and exploitation, including survivors of highly abusive ‘coercive control’ or ‘high demand’ groups and communities. These clients are victims of forced labor, human trafficking, sex trafficking and other forms of coerced servitude. He also represents survivors of these situations and others who are witnesses in federal criminal investigations. Another substantial area of Mr. Glazer’s practice is representing survivors and families of people injured or killed as a result of acts of international terrorism in litigation against the global financial firms and corporations that have provided material support to those terrorist organizations.

Mr. Glazer has also represented several prominent musical acts, he served as general counsel to a group of companies in the music industry, and he continues to advise entertainment clients in contractual and transactional matters.

Before joining Kohn Swift in 2000, Mr. Glazer worked at two prominent New York law firms before relocating back to the Philadelphia area, where he grew up.

He served as program director and director of legal policy for a small think tank and legislative director for a small environmental advocacy organization.

From 1993 to 1995, Mr. Glazer served as a clerk for the Hon. Dennis G. Jacobs, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Prior to college, Mr. Glazer owned and operated a satellite communications company, designed and built small cable TV systems, and provided audio and video projection services for live entertainment events.

Mr. Glazer received his B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania in 1990, and his J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School (1993).

Mr. Glazer has hiked in most of the mountain ranges in North America, including doing the 1000-mile northern half of the Appalachian trail one summer. He will travel a great distance to see live improvisational music, and he lives with his rescued dog and cats in Northwest Philadelphia, across the street from one of the city’s treasures, the Wissahickon Valley Park.

ADMISSIONS

  • Pennsylvania
  • New York
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
  • United States District Court for the District of Colorado

HONORS

  • Presenter, Future of Music Coalition’s annual summit
  • Presenter, Billboard’s annual conference
  • Presenter, U.S. Ecological Economics Association’s annual meeting

REPRESENTATIVE CASES INCLUDE

  • Julin, et al., v. Chiquita Brands International, Inc., No. 0820641-CIV-KAM, No. 08-01916-MD-Marra/Johnson
  • Goldberg, et al. v. UBS AG, No. 08 Civ. 375
  • Coulter, et al v. Arab Bank, plc, No. 05 Civ. 365 (NG) (VVP)
  • Weiss, et al. v. National Westminster Bank, Plc., No. 05 CV 4622
  • Strauss, et al. v. Crédit Lyonnais, S.A., No. 06 CV 702
  • In re KLA-Tencor Corp. Securities Litigation, Master File No. 06-cv-04065-MJJ (N.D. California)
  • In re Marvell Technology Group, Ltd., Securities Litigation Master File No.: C-06-06286 RMW (N.D. California)
  • String Cheese Incident Ticketing, LLC v. Ticketmaster Corp., No. 03-K-1508 (D. Colo.)
  • In re: Compact Disc Minimum Advertised Price Antitrust Litigation, MDL No. 1361 (D. Maine)
  • In re: Linerboard Antitrust Litigation, MDL No. 1261 (E.D. Pa.)
  • In re Stock Exchanges Options Trading Antitrust Litigation, MDL No. 1283 (S.D.N.Y.)
  • Church, et al. v. General Electric Company, C.A. No. 95-CV-30139-MAP (D. Mass.)
  • Betti, et al. v. General Electric Company, C.A. No. 97-30230-MAP (D. Mass.)
  • Pilkington, et al v. U.S. Search.Com, Case No. BC 234858 (Cal. Sup. Ct.)
  • In re: Austrian and German Bank Holocaust Litigation, Master File No. 98 Civ. 3938 (SWK) (S.D.N.Y.)
  • In re: Literary Works in Electronic Databases Copyright Litig., MDL No. 1379 (S.D.N.Y.)
  • Random House v. Rosetta Books, No. 01 Civ. 1728 (SHS) (S.D.N.Y.).

Prior to joining the firm, Neil represented plaintiffs and defendants in numerous complex cases, including:

  • United States Fidelity & Guar. Co. v. Petroleo Brosiliero, et al., No. 98-CIV- 3099 (S.D.N.Y.)
  • Marubeni America Corp. v. United States Fidelity & Guar Co., et al., No. 3162 (N.Y. Sup. Ct.)
  • Hoechst Celanese Corp. v. Household Int’l Inc., (N.J. Super.)
  • Ehrenreich, et al. v. Sensormatics Electronics Corp., et al., No. 95-6637-CIV-ZLOCH (S.D. Fla.)
  • Gilford Partners, L.P. v. Sensormatic Electronics Corp. No. 96-C-4072 (N.D. Ill.)
  • Cox v. Shell Oil, et al., No. 18,844 (Tenn. Ch. Ct. Obion Cty. 1995)

Neil also represented numerous banks and non-bank financial institutions in confidential matters, conducting internal investigations, advising boards of directors, and interacting with regulatory and law enforcement authorities.