Co-sponsored with myLawCLE, Jeff Grell of Ted Lyon Law and Kevin P. Roddy of Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, P.A. will be featured speakers in a webinar on Civil RICO: Fifty-Five Years on Substantive and Conspiracy Claims Under 18 U.S.C. §§ 1962 and 1964(C). The webinar will take place on July 30th, 2026, from 12:00-2:10 PM CST (1:00-3:10 PM EST, 11:00 AM-1:10 PM MST, 10:00 AM – 12:10 PM PST). Learn more about the webinar and co-host Jeff Grell, then register to join us on Thursday, the 30th.
About RICO and the Webinar
Congress wrote RICO to break organized crime, but fifty-five years of litigation have turned 18 U.S.C. §§ 1962 and 1964(c) into a fraud and business-tort weapon that most civil litigators encounter without mastering its mechanics. The doctrinal traps multiply faster than the statute’s plain text suggests—the person/enterprise distinction from Cedric Kushner and Boyle, the operation-or-management test of Reves, the pattern continuity rules from H.J. Inc., and the proximate-cause limits of Holmes and Bridge each defeat well-meaning complaints at the pleading stage.
With Medical Marijuana, Inc. v. Horn (2025) reopening what counts as injury to “business or property,” any attorney drafting or defending a § 1962(c) or § 1962(d) claim now operates against shifting standing rules. This class maps the predicate acts under § 1961(1), the conspiracy elements under Salinas and Beck, and the treble-damages and fee remedies of § 1964(c). Attendees leave able to plead enterprises, allege patterns, and survive dismissal—or dismantle claims that cannot.
What You Will Learn and Gain
Attorneys will learn to conceptualize civil RICO claims under §§ 1962, 1964, and 1965, plead the essential elements, and pursue remedies including damages, treble damages, and attorneys’ fees. Key topics to be discussed include:
- Statutory framework: Sections 1961, 1962, 1964, and 1965 define RICO’s prohibitions, remedies, venue, and process.
- Prohibited activities: Section 1962 prohibits money laundering, loan sharking, operating an enterprise, and conspiracy.
- Enterprise distinction: A defendant person cannot be the enterprise; the two remain legally distinct.
- Operation management: Under Reves, RICO liability requires some part in directing the enterprise’s affairs.
- Pattern requirement: Pattern requires continuity plus relationship, which may be closed- or open-ended.
- Civil standing: Section 1964(c) confers standing on persons injured in business or property.
Attorneys will gain command of the elements of § 1962(c)—person, enterprise, operation, and management, pattern of racketeering—plus conspiracy claims under § 1962(d) and civil standing under § 1964(c).
About Speaker Jeff Grell
Jeffrey E. Grell is a nationally recognized commercial litigator, educator, and authority on civil RICO litigation. Currently serving as Special Counsel with Ted B. Lyon & Associates, Jeff has spent more than three decades representing clients in complex commercial disputes involving fraud, racketeering, deceptive trade practices, business torts, consumer fraud, class actions, and other sophisticated litigation matters.
Widely known for his extensive work under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, he has prosecuted and defended civil RICO claims since 1990 and is the author of Grell on RICO, a leading resource developed from his years of teaching and practice. Throughout his career, Jeff has combined litigation, government service, legal education, and thought leadership, earning recognition from attorneys, academics, journalists, and business leaders seeking insight into complex racketeering and commercial litigation issues.
Contact Jeff Grell at Ted Lyon Law For Your Litigation Needs
Do not miss your opportunity to see featured speaker Jeff Grell on July 30th during the Civil RICO: Fifty-Five Years on Substantive and Conspiracy Claims webinar. Register now! You can also learn more about Civil RICO on Jeff’s website. For assistance with other legal cases, from personal injuries to wrongful death, contact Ted Lyon Law to protect your rights and start a claim today.
