PETER K. HWANG
Peter K. Hwang is one of the founding partners of Sung Hwang & Kim LLP. He represents companies and
individuals in a wide array of litigation matters. Mr. Hwang's cases have involved a broad range of
substantive areas, including intellectual property, fraud, banking, securities, construction, employment,
defamation, personal injury, and insurance, in various state and federal courts. Prior to co-founding Sung
Hwang & Kim LLP, Mr. Hwang was an associate at the Washington, D.C. offices of Baker Botts LLP. At Baker
Botts, Mr. Hwang worked primarily on white-collar and securities litigation matters. He also represented
clients in investigations conducted by the Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission,
shareholder derivative and class action suits, and a broad range of civil litigation matters in state and
federal courts throughout the country.
Representative Engagements
- Successfully represented a conglomerate headquartered in South Korea in a Texas federal court as lead
counsel in a lawsuit seeking damages in excess of $70,000,000.00 in a dispute over policies reinsuring
payments made for the construction of large sea vessels.
- Obtained a favorable settlement as lead counsel representing 68 property and business owners in Maryland
federal court in a lawsuit against the Mayor & City Council of Baltimore for damages arising from the social
unrest following the death of Freddie Gray. Obtained settlement after deposing City and Police officials and
defeating a request to impose damage caps under the Local Government Tort Claims Act, which, according to
the Mayor & City Council of Baltimore, was the first time any such request was denied by any state or
federal Maryland court.
- Won a motion to dismiss on personal jurisdiction grounds in Maryland federal court as lead counsel
defending a for-profit college against breach of contract claims asserted by its former president.
- Won a motion to dismiss in Maryland state court as lead counsel defending a Florida-based national
manufacturer of HVAC equipment against fraud claims.
- Obtained a favorable settlement as lead counsel representing a Korean actress in Illinois state court in
defamation claims asserted against an anonymous poster. Obtained settlement, which included a
publicly-posted videotaped apology, after subpoenaing social media platforms, uncovering the poster’s
identity, and obtaining a confession by the poster during the poster’s deposition.
- Obtained a favorable settlement as lead counsel representing a for-profit college in Virginia state court
in defamation claims asserted against a newspaper. Obtained settlement, which included a requirement to
publish a retraction on the front page of the newspaper, on the third day of trial after the author of the
defamatory article was called as an adverse witness.
- Obtained temporary restraining order and subsequent settlement as lead counsel representing a medical
device manufacturer asserting trade secret claims and seeking to enforce restrictive covenants in a
Pennsylvania federal court.
- Obtained temporary restraining order and subsequent settlement as lead counsel representing a food
distribution company seeking to enforce restrictive covenants in a Maryland state court.
- Won a motion to dismiss in Maryland federal court as lead counsel representing business against claims
alleging violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
- Successful representation as lead counsel of a medical provider asserting an ERISA claim against an
insurer in a California federal court.
- Won a take-nothing defense verdict after trial on claims of fraud against a textile restoration company as
lead counsel.
- Obtained a favorable settlement as lead counsel defending a medical device manufacturer against breach of
contract claims in a Florida federal court.
- Won a motion to dismiss as lead counsel representing a company defending against shareholder derivative
claims in a Maryland state court.
- Successfully represented various companies based in South Korea in trademark opposition proceedings before
the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.
- Won summary judgment against claims for personal injuries against a Korean-owned Baltimore City store as
lead counsel.
- Obtained a take-nothing dismissal from the Korea Resolution and Collection Corporation, a division of the
Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation, of claims against the firm’s clients totaling $5,796,653.91 after
defeating plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment as lead counsel.
- Won a motion to dismiss as lead counsel resulting in the dismissal of a wrongful termination claim and
obtained a take-nothing dismissal of remaining defamation claim.
- Defended company based in South Korea in Utah federal court (D. Utah) as lead counsel against claims
including breach of contract regarding a dispute over intellectual property.
- Defended two members of the U.S. Marine Corps, two members of the U.S. Air Force and another individual as
lead counsel in a $12,000,000.00 civil suit alleging sexual assault, among other things. Case settled after
extensive discovery but before trial with each individual paying only $3,000.
- Represented church members as lead counsel in a derivative suit seeking equal access to a church, among
other things, from a pastor purporting to be the sole trustee of the church and purporting to have support
from a religious hierarchy and other members of the church congregation. Won contested motion for temporary
restraining order and obtained court’s confirmation of subsequently-granted arbitration award providing for
equal access to and ownership of church property, among other things, despite objections on First Amendment
grounds.
Areas of Practice
Bar Admissions
Education
- American University, Washington College of Law, Washington, District of Columbia
- The Johns Hopkins University
Past Employment Positions
- Baker Botts LLP, Associate
