Michael Hiller
Michael Steven Hiller[1] (born July 25, 1966 in Hempstead, New York)[2] is a New York Attorney,[3] Democratic activist, and community defender,[4] often representing New York City neighborhoods and environmental groups on difficult cases.[5] For his work, Hiller has come to be known as the “Protector of the Little Guy,[4] and in 2019, he was described by Billie Jean King as a “community defender” and “a champion of the people.”[6][7]
Career[edit]
Hiller is the founder of Hiller, PC,[8][9] a New York law firm. He decided to become a lawyer after being inspired by the work of former Special Prosecutor Charles J. Hynes, who investigated and prosecuted those involved in the racially-charged Murder of Michael Griffith, an African American man from Howard Beach, Queens.[10]
Hiller is lead counsel in Washington v. Barr (formerly Washington v. Sessions and Washington v. Whitaker)[11] a lawsuit seeking the Removal of cannabis from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act on constitutional grounds. After being dismissed by Judge Alvin Hellerstein on February 26, 2018,[12] the lawsuit was reinstated by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on May 30, 2019.[13] In reinstating the Complaint, the Court remarked that, with respect to the classification of cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act, "it is possible that the current law, though rational once, is now heading towards irrationality; it may even conceivably be that it has gotten there already."[14] The lawsuit represents the first time in the history of the Controlled Substances Act that a challenge to its constitutionality survived dismissal, and resulted in a directive to the Drug Enforcement Administration to reconsider the classification of cannabis.[13] The decision was hailed by commentators as a “turning point” and “milestone” in the fight to end cannabis prohibition.[15]
Hiller has also been at the center of legal battles to preserve some of New York City's historic landmarks, including the Hopper-Gibbons House,[16] First Church of Christ Scientist,[17] New York’s Big Ben (New York Life Building and Tower Clock),[18] Central Park, Theodore Roosevelt Park,[19] the New York Public Library Main Branch,[20] the Frick Museum and the Merchant's House Museum.[21] In 2017, he was dubbed “The Preservation Lawyer” by Our Town in an article in which he was described as “hands-down the best land-use attorney and the best voice about developers and development that this city has.”[22] His success in “tak[ing] on big real estate in high profile cases,"[23] led to his notoriety as a lawyer “who make[s] life a living hell for developers.”[24] Hiller was also the chief architect of the successful lawsuit to require the Metropolitan Museum of Art to change its admissions fee policy by allowing the poor to pay less than the full admissions price.[25]
In addition to his work on behalf of communities and the cannabis legalization movement, Hiller represents the disabled against insurance companies. In 2003, Hiller obtained, what was at the time, the largest verdict ever against a disability insurance company in New York.[26] The verdict in Wurm v. Commercial Ins.[27] remains the first and only in New York in which a jury awarded a disabled person attorney’s fees and a lump sum payment of all future insurance benefits owed for insurer bad faith.[28] Several years later, in another landmark case, Weisel v. UnumProvident,[29] Hiller pioneered the use of the RICO statute in New York to investigate and prosecute claims of fraud against the insurance industry.[30]
Personal life[edit]
Hiller earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in History, and graduated with Honors from Union College (Schenectady, New York.) He earned a Juris Doctor and graduated cum laude from The Washington College of Law at The American University (Washington, D.C.) He has been named a SuperLawyer by SuperLawyer Magazine (2010-2019);[31] designated a Life Member of the Million and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forums (2010);[32] listed as one of the 30 most influential cannabis lawyers in America by Mg (magazine) (2019);[33] named 420 Advocate of the Year by Canna-Gather (2018);[34] received the Hope Award from the Cannabis Business Association (2018);[35] and received the Grassroots Preservation Award from the Historic Districts Council (2017).[36]
Hiller was a member of the faculty at John Jay College of Criminal Justice as a Professor of Constitutional Law from 2005-2013.[37]
In addition to his law career, Hiller has written two screenplays. His first screenplay, The Key, was a Quarterfinalist in the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, a national screenwriting competition sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Hiller was elected to the first Community Education Council in District 15 in Brooklyn in 2002 and served his full term through 2004.
Hiller lives in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn with his wife and two children.
References[edit]
- ↑ "Michael Steven Hiller Lawyer Profile on Martindale.com". www.martindale.com.
- ↑ Hubbell, Martindale (April 2004). Martindale Hubbell Law Directory: New York State: New York City, Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island (2004). Martindale-Hubbell. ISBN 9781561606269. Search this book on
- ↑ Sherman, Scott (2015-06-23). Patience and Fortitude: Power, Real Estate, and the Fight to Save a Public Library. Melville House. ISBN 9781612194301. Search this book on
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 November 21, rew Denney |; PM, 2018 at 02:25. "'Protector of the Little Guy' Expanding Focus From Land Use to Cannabis". New York Law Journal. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
- ↑ "INTERVIEW: Zoning and land-use attorney Michael Hiller fights to uphold the Landmarks Law". 6sqft. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
- ↑ Raw footage of Michael Hiller and Billie jean King and others at the rally to SAVE OUR PARK!, retrieved 2019-08-14
- ↑ "Rally to protect roosevelt park". www.nypress.com. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
- ↑ Margolin, Madison; Margolin, Madison (2017-10-10). "How a 12-Year-Old Girl Could Help End Weed Prohibition in America". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
- ↑ EST, Kate Sheridan On 1/18/18 at 7:59 AM (2018-01-18). "Jeff Sessions will face a 12-year-old with epilepsy in court over medical marijuana". Newsweek. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
- ↑ "Murder of Michael Griffith", Wikipedia, 2019-08-30, retrieved 2019-09-06
- ↑ Staff (2018-11-05). "30 Powerful Cannabis Attorneys You Should Know". mg Magazine – Cannabis News & Informaion. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
- ↑ Foundation, Thomson Reuters. "U.S. federal judge rejects challenge to marijuana prohibition". news.trust.org. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Hasse, Javier. "Federal Appeals Court Rules DEA, Federal Govt. Must 'Promptly' Reassess Marijuana's Illegality". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
- ↑ "Washington v. Barr, No. 18-859 (2d Cir. 2019)". Justia Law. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
- ↑ "2nd Circ.'s Ruling On Pot Hailed As A Turning Point - Law360". www.law360.com. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
- ↑ "Preservationists Win: Hopper-Gibbons House Owner Ordered to Subtract Addition". The Villager. 2017-05-24. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
- ↑ Dunlap, David W. (2016-06-08). "In a Rarity, New York Tells 2 Developers No". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
- ↑ "Hotchkiss Clock Tower, Sharon", Architecture Walks, Rutgers University Press, 2010-01-25, p. 47, doi:10.2307/j.ctt1bmzn49.18, ISBN 9780813549163
- ↑ "Work On Natural History Museum Halted Again As Court Hears Appeal". Upper West Side, NY Patch. 2018-12-19. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
- ↑ Chayka, Kyle (2016-04-13). "Turning Churches Into Condos". Curbed. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
- ↑ Korte, Lara. "Museum Says It Faces Threat From Looming Hotel Project". WSJ. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
- ↑ "West Side Spirit - September 7, 2017". Issuu. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
- ↑ Politics, Queens County (2018-10-16). "Op-Ed: Rally For Our Neighborhoods Draws Over 300 To City Hall". Queens County Politics. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
- ↑ "Goodlawyas: Three Lawyers Who Challenge New York's Real Estate Empire". Commercial Observer. 2018-07-31. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
- ↑ "Visitors to Met museum in NYC sue over "deceptive" admission fee". Reuters. 2013-03-06. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
- ↑ January 04, Allison Bell |; Lifehealthpro, 2002 at 07:00 PM | Originally published on. "New York Disability Plaintiff Wins $2.8 Million Verdict". ThinkAdvisor. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
- ↑ "WURM v. COMMERCIAL INS. CO. OF NEWARK, 3 N.Y.3d 602 | Casetext". casetext.com. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
- ↑ "Peggy Wurm, D.D.S. v. Commercial Insurance of Newark, 308 A.D.2d 324 | Casetext". casetext.com. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
- ↑ "Weisel v. Provident Life Casualty Ins. Co, 600759/05 | Casetext". casetext.com. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
- ↑ "Weisel v Provident Life & Cas. Ins. Co". Justia Law. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
- ↑ "Top Rated New York, NY Land Use & Zoning Attorney | Michael Hiller". Super Lawyers. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
- ↑ "Million Dollar Advocates Forum - Member Directory". milliondollaradvocates.com. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
- ↑ "30 Powerful Cannabis Attorneys You Should Know | Hoban Law Group". hoban.law. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
- ↑ "The Inaugural CannaGather (4)20 Awards". cannagather.com. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
- ↑ Mitchell, Thomas (2018-12-07). "Colorado Continues Reign at 2018 Cannabis Business Awards". Westword. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
- ↑ "INTERVIEW: Zoning and land-use attorney Michael Hiller fights to uphold the Landmarks Law". 6sqft. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
- ↑ Margolin, Madison; Margolin, Madison (2017-10-10). "How a 12-Year-Old Girl Could Help End Weed Prohibition in America". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
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