BIOGRAPHY

Mr. Messier was recruited by Dudley Newman Feuerzeig LLP in 1993 from Vanderbilt Law School where he served as Managing Editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review.   After working as an Associate, Mr. Messier became a partner in 2000 and Managing Partner in 2003.  Mr. Messier works within the firm’s litigation department, managing complex cases for the firm’s largest clients.  Through the course of his employment at the firm, Mr. Messier has specialized in general commercial litigation, insurance defense litigation, products liability defense, and aviation law.  Representative published cases include:

• Torchin v. Blue Shore Grill, LLC., 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 123491 (D.V.I. Aug. 30, 2012).  Successfully defended dining and hotel property from liquor liability claim of first impression in the Virgin Islands.
• Olive v. DeJongh, 2012 V.I. LEXIS 39 (Super. Ct. Aug. 3, 2012).  Successfully obtained dismissal of taxpayer and Section 1983 lawsuit against Governor of the Virgin Islands alleging misuse of public funds.
• Virgin Islands v. AT&T of the Virgin Islands, Inc., 274 F. Supp. 2d 731 (D.V.I. App. Div. 2003).  Successfully litigated and defended on appeal challenge by large commercial taxpayers to government construction of Virgin Islands franchise tax statute.
• Berne Corp. v. Virgin Islands, 262 F. Supp. 2d 540 (D.V.I. 2003).  Successfully litigated on behalf of timeshare/hotel developer challenge to legality of Virgin Islands property tax system.  The case was successfully defended on appeal.
• Goodwin v. Abramson, 43 V.I. 89 (Terr. Ct. 2000).  Successfully defended Virgin Islands senator in election challenge.
• Havensight Hills Property Owners Ass’n v. Brown, 40 V.I. 96 (Terr. Ct. 1999).  Successfully defended at trial property owner who was victim of racially selective application of HOA covenants and restrictions.

Mr. Messier is admitted to the District Court of the Virgin Islands (1994), the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands (1994), the Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands (2007), the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (1994) and the United States Supreme Court (2003).

Finally, Mr. Messier is active in professional organizations.  He is an elected member to the American Law Institute and also is a member of the Defense Research Institute and the Aviation Insurance Association.   Mr. Messier serves on the Virgin Islands Bar Association Ethics and Grievance Committee and the Lawyers Advisory Committee of the District Court of the Virgin Islands, and previously served on the Lawyers Advisory Committee of the Judicial Council of the Third Judicial Circuit by appointment from the Chief Judge of the Third Circuit from 2007 through 2010,  and as Chairman of the Merit Selection Panel for the a U.S. Magistrate Judge position in the District Court of the Virgin Islands in 2010.  Lastly, Mr. Messier has an AV Preeminent ® peer review rating from Martindale-Hubbell ®.