Daniel Goldschmidt

HMS (HMS), an industry-leading technology, analytics and engagement solutions provider helping organizations reduce costs and improve health outcomes, and Veritas Capital-backed Gainwell Technologies (Gainwell), a leading provider of solutions that are vital to the administration and operations of health and human services programs, have announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement whereby Gainwell will acquire HMS. Under the terms of the agreement, HMS shareholders will receive US$37.00 in cash per share. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2021. Latham & Watkins LLP represents HMS in the transaction with a corporate deal team led by New York and Orange County partner Charles Ruck and New York partner Tom Malone, and New York associates Javier Stark and Allison Eitman, with corporate associates Dianna Lee, Julian Azran, Anika Amin, Sophia Choi, Daniel Goldschmidt, and JC Kim in New York. Advice was also provided on finance matters by partner Dennis Lamont in New York; on tax matters by partner Matthew Dewitz, with associate Sam Yang in New York; on benefits and compensation matters by partner Michelle Carpenter in Los Angeles and Orange County, with associates Rachel Narowski and Joe Benedetto in Los Angeles; on intellectual property matters by partner JD Marple in the Bay Area; on antitrust matters by partners Farrell Malone and Mandy Reeves in Washington, D.C., with associate Evan Omi in the Bay Area; on compliance matters by partner Michele Johnson and counsel Kristin Murphy in Orange County; on real estate matters by counsel Betsy Mukamal, with associate Karen Ritter in New York; on healthcare matters by counsel Betty Pang in the Bay Area; on data privacy matters by counsel Heather Deixler in the Bay Area; and on government contracts matters by counsel Kyle Jefcoat, with associate Gemma Donofrio in Washington, D.C.~~

Dec 21

1 min

Kirkland & Ells advised Ziff Davis, Inc. (Nasdaq: ZD) on a definitive agreement to sell its Connectivity division to Accenture (NYSE: ACN) for $1.2 billion in cash. Ziff Davis’ Connectivity brands are globally recognized in fixed broadband, mobile and Wi-Fi network design, intelligence, insights, testing and incident detection. These brands, including Ookla, Speedtest, Ekahau, Downdetector and RootMetrics, empower organizations to optimize networks, elevate digital experiences and ensure faster, more reliable connectivity. The transaction is currently expected to close in the coming months, subject to the satisfaction of certain closing conditions and receipt of required regulatory approvals. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team included corporate lawyers David Klein, Andrew Norwich and Daniel Wolf; tax lawyer Sara Zablotney; executive compensation lawyer Rob Fowler; capital markets lawyers Sophia Hudson and Zoey Hitzert; antitrust & competition lawyer Daniel Zach; and technology & IP transactions lawyer Daisy Darvall.

Mar 3

1 min

Westchester Surplus Lines Insurance Co. and multiple Florida homeowners associations have ended their dispute in Florida federal court over the associations' more than $230 million insurance claim for Pensacola Beach condominiums damaged by Hurricane Sally. According to their joint dismissal stipulation filed Monday, Westchester Surplus and the homeowners associations have agreed to permanently dismiss their claims against each other. The insurer and the homeowners associations initially told the court in February that they decided to settle their dispute and planned to file a joint dismissal stipulation. Westchester Surplus and 15 other insurers began their suit against the homeowners associations in January 2023. According to their amended suit, an appraiser picked by the defendants filed "an egregiously overinflated" hurricane damages claim for more than $230 million. The insurers alleged that the defendants asked for an appraisal after Hurricane Sally hit and filed a more than $6.4 million sworn proof of loss claim. But, according to the insurers, this claim eventually "ballooned to an amount wholly detached from any actual damage resulting from the hurricane." "In particular, the defendants' selected appraiser submitted estimates to the appraisal panel that include charges that are wholly improper, overstated, unrelated, duplicative, and attempt to turn the defendants' legitimate loss into a once-in-a-lifetime windfall at plaintiffs' expense," the insurers alleged. "Defendants' appraiser increased the value of the claim from the unsolicited sworn proof of loss by over $225 million when he submitted an outrageous $233,030,601.80 claim to the appraisal panel, which raises significant questions concerning the appraiser's interest and honesty, as well as the fraudulent nature of the claim and its supporting documentation," they further alleged. In September 2023, the defendants filed counterclaims against the insurers, alleging that the insurers breached their insurance policies by wrongfully refusing to pay for the appraised hurricane damage. However, in September 2025, the presiding court nixed the defendants' $187 million appraisal award, ruling that the defendants' appraiser failed to properly state how much the condominiums were damaged by Hurricane Sally. Counsel for Westchester Surplus and the defendants didn't respond to requests for comment Tuesday. Westchester Surplus Lines Insurance Co. and multiple other insurers are represented by Alexandra J. Schultz, Juan P. Garrido and John D. Dickenson of Cozen O'Connor. The Portofino defendants are represented by Edward P. Fleming, Matthew A. Bush and Aaron T. McCurdy of McDonald Fleming LLP, Kurtis J. Keefer of Goede DeBoest & Cross PLLC and Charles F. Beall Jr. of Moore Hill & Westmoreland PA. The case is Westchester Surplus Lines Insurance Co. et al. v. Portofino Masters Homeowners Association Inc. et al., case number 3:23-cv-00453, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida.

Mar 3

2 min

Ardian, a world leading private investment house, has announced that it has acquired a 50-percent ownership stake in ANGUS Chemical Company from Golden Gate Capital. Golden Gate Capital, which initially acquired ANGUS in February 2015 from The Dow Chemical Company, will retain a 50-percent stake in ANGUS. Additional terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Latham & Watkins LLP represents Ardian in the transaction with a corporate deal team led by New York partner David Kurzweil and Paris/London partner Gaëtan Gianasso, with New York associates Leah Sauter, Adam Rosenthal and Daniel Goldschmidt. Advice was also provide on tax matters by New York partner Lisa Watts; on employee benefits and compensation matters by Washington, D.C. partner Adam Kestenbaum; and on antitrust matters by Paris partner Adrien Giraud.~~

Oct 14

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis advised Quantum Health, the leading creator of healthcare navigation, on the acquisition of CirrusMD, a premier on-demand virtual care company. The acquisition brings together navigation and physician-led virtual care to drive more immediate care integration and stronger outcomes for members across their healthcare journey. This acquisition builds on Quantum Health’s momentum expanding clinically-validated provider steerage through Embold Health and launching its expanded solution suite built on a new agentic AI platform, further strengthening the company’s ability to act earlier, guide members more effectively and deliver measurable savings. Quantum Health is a portfolio company of Warburg Pincus and Great Hill Partners. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team included corporate lawyers Keri Schick Norton and Alice Billmire; technology & IP transactions lawyer Daisy Darvall; healthcare transactions lawyer Robert Kantrowitz; and tax lawyers David Grenker and Vivek Ratnam.

Mar 3

1 min