Sailboat hit by powerful storm
A partner in Clifford Chance‘s New York office is among those still missing after a luxury yacht sank off the coast of Sicily.
Christopher J. Morvillo, a specialist in white-collar litigation, was reportedly among the 22 people aboard the large yacht that sank during a powerful storm early Monday morning, about 700 metres off the shore of the Mediterranean island.
Among the 15 passengers successfully rescued was Ayla Ronald, a London-based senior associate at Clifford Chance.
One passenger, the ship’s chef, was found dead, while the remaining six are still unaccounted for.
The lawyers were reportedly invited onto the yacht by British tech billionaire Dr Mike Lynch, who had been acquitted earlier this summer by a US jury in a high-profile fraud case involving the sale of his software company, Autonomy, to Hewlett-Packard. Lynch remains missing.
Both Morvillo’s and Ronald’s firm profiles reference their work on the case.
A Clifford Chance spokesperson said:
“We are in shock and deeply saddened by this tragic incident. Our thoughts are with our partner, Christopher Morvillo, and his wife Neda who are among the missing. Our utmost priority is providing support to the family as well as our colleague Ayla Ronald, who together with her partner, thankfully survived the incident. Our thoughts extend to the other passengers and crew and all those affected. We have no further comment at this time. We, and the families, ask that their request for privacy is honored during this period.”
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