Pia E. Riverso is a commercial litigator with more than 30 years of experience litigating complex civil matters including construction disputes of every nature, business dissolutions, shareholder disputes, restrictive covenant litigation, insurance and surety issues, intellectual property litigation and FINRA arbitrations.

Pia counsels owners, developers, architects, construction managers and contractors on various aspects of construction law, including contract negotiation, license agreements for access to adjoining properties, payment disputes, delay claims, and performance disputes. She drafts and negotiates design and construction agreements, as well as license agreements. She has extensive experience in the resolution of construction disputes, both prior to and during litigation and as a result of arbitration or mediation.

Additionally, Pia represents insurers in the investigation and prosecution of affirmative litigation to recover assets lost as a product of complex fraud and kickback schemes. She has also litigated declaratory judgment actions throughout the United States, successfully briefed and argued dispositive motions, and facilitated complex insurance settlements arising out of additional insured claims, class action bodily injury suits and product liability claims.

The following are Pia’s representative matters:

• Represented large developer in negotiation of license agreements for access to adjoining properties involving multi street and block developments of retail and residential space on the east side of Manhattan.
• Represented owners of condominium in negotiation and litigation over access sought by developer during construction of large non-union project in Manhattan.
• Represented significant developer in negotiation of access agreements for development of Lower East Side retail and commercial space.
• Represented various owners, construction managers and contractors in negotiation and drafting of design and construction agreements for large commercial and residential projects throughout Manhattan.
• Represented non-profit organization in resolution of construction dispute after expansion of main facilities in Manhattan.
• Represented non-profit organization in drafting of construction-related agreements for expansion of its facilities.
• Drafted master agreement to be used by construction manager in its agreements with hospitals for projects at various campus locations.
• Represented construction manager in resolution of dispute with non-profit over delay and change order claims for new campus location in Suffolk County, New York.
• Represented contractor in resolution of construction dispute involving large public-school project in Suffolk County.

Pia has obtained a number of significant decisions including:

• In re MB-REEC Houston Property Owner, LLC v. The Board of Managers of 179 Ludlow Street Condominium , Index # 158050/2015 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. County April 14, 2016) (Court granted developer’s petition for access to adjacent property to install and maintain protection work required by the New York City Building Code, and/or the New York City Department of Buildings);
• In re 504 East 14th Street, LLC v. NAR Apartments, LLC, 2016 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 202 (January 16, 2016) (obtained access for developer to adjacent property to complete protection work and monitoring);
• Worldcare Intl., Inc. v. Kay , 119 A.D.3d 554 (N.Y. App.Div. 2d Dep’t 2014) (secured dismissal of federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, common law tort, and fraud claims in action alleging breach of alleged employment contract);
• D’Aquila v. D’Aquila , 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 28617 (E.D.N.Y. Mar. 21, 2011) (secured stay of claims for mishandling bank accounts, conversion, negligence, and breach of fiduciary duty and statutory claims under various banking regulations);
• Medmarc Cas. Ins. Co. v. Avent Am., Inc. , 612 F.3d 607 (7th Cir. 2010) (obtained ruling that insurer had no duty to defend thousands of BPA liability cases);
• East Coast Res., LLC v. Town of Hempstead , 707 F. Supp.2d 401 (E.D.N.Y. 2010) (precluded plaintiff from recovering lost profits);
• Central Mut. Ins. Co. v. Useong Int’l, Ltd., 394 F. Supp.2d 1043 (N.D. Ill. 2005) (obtained summary judgment based on “known loss doctrine”).

A frequent speaker, Pia has presented seminars on subjects including “Practitioner’s Guide to Delay Damages” and “Surety Bonds and Construction Contracts” before the Nassau County Bar Association Construction Law Committee. She has spoken on insurance fraud at the Economic Crime Summit sponsored by the National White Collar Crime Bureau in Washington, D.C., the New York Anti-Car Theft and Fraud Association and the Northeast Financial Services Anti-Fraud Group.

Pia is a member of the Construction Law Committee of the New York City Bar Association. She served as both Chair and Vice Chair of the Nassau County Bar Association Construction Law Committee for a successive number of terms ending in 2017.  She was appointed and served as a member of the Advisory Board of the Community Y — a branch of the YMCA of Central and Northern Westchester for a number of successive terms.

In 2020, Pia was invited to serve as a member of the Advisory Board for the Manhattan College O’Malley School of Business. The Advisory Board provides advice and counsel on issues related to programs offered by the O’Malley School of Business with the goal of preparing students to be career ready and opening additional avenues to career opportunities.

In 2018, Pia was selected to be a Fellow of the Construction Lawyer Society of America, an invitation-only honorary society with New York membership limited to 85 attorneys.

Pia was named a Super Lawyer in the Metro New York Area in Business Litigation for 2009 and 2010 and a Super Lawyer in Construction Litigation in 2011 and 2013-2023. Long Island Business News identified her among the 50 Most Influential Women in Business for 2011 and included her in its list of Who’s Who in Women in Professional Services in 2010 and 2013. The New York Real Estate Journal named her to their list of 2018 Women in Real Estate for Professional Services. In 2019 Pia was named to Crain’s New York Business 2020 Notable Women in Law List. Pia was recognized in Best Lawyers in America^® for Construction Law in 2024.