Harry Wilson

Harry’s clients are unequivocal about his talents. Litigation counsel for a publicly-traded software company says: “Harry is a brilliant legal strategist and a great communicator.” A former Attorney General of Oregon notes that Harry has “an outstanding reputation” and describes him as “creative, thoughtful, and diligent, valued in both the courtroom and the boardroom. Clients seek him out for his integrity, intellect, and vast experience.” According to the former general counsel of another client, Harry is “smart, articulate, ethical, and more importantly, a breeze to work with.”

Harry specializes in complex, high-stakes litigation, including false claims, racketeering, antitrust, and election law. He often manages cases involving governments and companies operating in heavily regulated industries, such as health care, energy, and elections. Recent cases include:

• REX - Real Estate Exchange, Inc. v. Brown, et al. Harry defended the Governor of Oregon, the Oregon Real Estate Commission, and others from an antitrust claim alleging state-sanctioned price fixing. The federal district court granted defendants’ motion to dismiss with prejudice on state-action immunity grounds, halting the case at the pleading stage and before discovery.
  

• FamilyCare, Inc. v. Oregon Health Authority, et al. Harry defended the Oregon Health Authority from claims brought by a managed care organization seeking more than $300 million in damages. The case involved esoteric Medicaid regulations, actuarial analyses of insurance rates, and assessment of risk score methodologies, requiring more than half-a-dozen experts. The case settled one month before trial.

• State of Oregon v. Sackler, et al. and related cases. Harry represents the Oregon Attorney General in multiple actions against Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family related to the opioid epidemic. The Oregon Attorney General’s lawsuit was the first in the nation to identify nearly $11 billion in fraudulent transfers out of Purdue and was cited in the New York Times and NBC News.

• Iannarone, et al. v. Friends of Ted Wheeler. Defended the Mayor of Portland’s reelection campaign from campaign finance claims brought by election opponent just days before the election. Defeated a motion for a temporary restraining order and obtained a dismissal with prejudice shortly thereafter.

• Rosenblum et al. v. Oracle, Inc. et al. Represented the State of Oregon and Cover Oregon in litigation against Oracle, the second-largest software company in the world. The litigation involved seven cases in state and federal courts and claims for breach of contract, fraud, false claims, copyright, and racketeering. The litigation settled successfully in September 2016.

Harry chairs Markowitz Herbold’s Government Practice Group. He has represented a wide array of state and local governments, public officials, election campaigns, and advocacy organizations. His clients include the Governor and Attorney General of Oregon, legislators, labor unions, industry associations, and ballot measure and political campaign organizations. Harry also represents public and private companies in high-stakes commercial disputes, with a focus on complex statutory claims. Although Harry concentrates on trial work, he has a sophisticated appellate practice and has worked on more than 60 appeals to state and federal appellate courts, including the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. He has argued more than a dozen times before appellate courts.

Harry is an active member of the alcoholism and addiction recovery community. He is the former chair of the board of directors of Fora Health Recovery & Treatment, one of the largest non-profit substance use disorder treatment programs in the Pacific Northwest. He led Fora’s recent capital campaign, which raised $30 million to build a state-of-the-art medical facility for individuals suffering from substance use disorder. In 2019, Fora presented him with the 20th annual Freedom Award in recognition of his efforts to fight the stigma of addiction. Recently, Harry joined the board of Phoenix House of New York, a national nonprofit drug and alcohol rehabilitation organization. Harry is in long-term recovery from alcoholism and addiction.

Before joining Markowitz Herbold, Harry clerked for United States District Court Judge Michael H. Simon and was an Assistant Attorney General at the Oregon Department of Justice. He is a graduate of Harvard University and Lewis & Clark Law School.