Michael Denbow
Michael Denbow is a member (partner) in the Louisville office. Michael focuses his practice on White Collar Criminal Defense and other government and regulatory matters. He handles matters in federal and state courts throughout the southeast and represents clients when dealing with such government entities as the Department of Justice, the FBI, the SEC, and the CFPB, among others. Michael also routinely represents professional athletes and entertainers in contract negotiations, business advice, and litigation matters.
Level Playing Field: Attorneys, like former University of Louisville football player Jake Eldemire Smith, are tackling name, image and likeness rights in search of a fair deal
by Laurel Deppen, Louisville Business First, March 25, 2022
Entering the NIL Game
by Mark Green, The Lane Report, September 2021
Feds Oppose Prison For Fired NCAA Coach's Blackmail Threat
By Rachel Scharf, Law360.com, August 11, 2021
Responding to and Defending Government Investigations: What to do When the Government “Knocks” On Your Door
Kentucky Bar Association Corporate House Counsel, Webinar, February 10, 2021
Responding to and Defending Governmental Investigations: What to Do When the Government 'Knocks' On Your Door
Practical Implications and Concerns of the Criminal Referral Process
Title Agencies Did Not Violate RESPA Affiliated Business Rule
United States v. Dino Gaudio. In a nationally publicized case, former University of Louisville basketball coach and former ESPN analyst Dino Gaudio was charged with extortion in connection with a surreptitiously taped conversation Coach Gaudio had with University of Louisville Men’s Basketball Coach Chris Mack. Upon reviewing our case submissions, particularly relating to Coach Gaudio’s outstanding character, the presiding United States District Judge not only gave Coach Gaudio the minimum sentence permitted by law but went so far as to question the United States’ decision to prosecute the case despite the United States Sentencing Guidelines recommending two (2) years of incarceration.
Defended NBA player in arbitration before the National Basketball Players Association ("NBPA") over agent fee dispute
Obtained a non-prosecution agreement on behalf of a client involved in the Project Varsity Blues college admission scandal
Defended client in insider trading investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") that resulted in no charges or claims being made against the client
Successfully challenged an initial determination of ineligibility by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association ("KHSAA") for a high school baseball player and ensured eligibility for his junior year of high school
Defended client in homicide investigation involving a dispute with an Uber driver that resulted in no charges being brought against the client
Negotiated consulting deal on behalf of client with NFL team
Assisted client with negotiation and activation of augmented reality application at the 2019 College Football National Championship Game
Negotiated several contracts on behalf of singer/songwriter from Nashville
Successfully obtained a Temporary Restraining Order ("TRO") against a Kentucky business for accessing the confidential commission data of our client
Obtained a non-prosecution agreement for individual client in an oil and gas fraud matter out of the Southern District of Georgia
Represented a large corporate client in a federal antitrust investigation from the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice
Negotiated an athletic shoe and apparel contract on behalf of NBA player
Represented a large corporate client in response to multiple federal grand jury subpoenas in a large money laundering investigation in the Eastern District of Kentucky
Obtained a directed verdict in a DUI trial in Kentucky state court
Successfully obtained a temporary restraining order against the Kentucky High School Athletic Association ("KHSAA"), allowing a previously declared ineligible student athlete to compete during his senior basketball season
Represented minority contracting company in federal false claims criminal investigation
Represented casino consulting firm in federal grand jury investigation and before NIGC
Represented Kentucky Commonwealth Attorney sued for malicious prosecution
Represented a national client in an SEC insider trading investigation.
Represented state's largest hospital system in false claims act litigation
Represented numerous doctors in criminal investigations and in front of professional license boards
Represented Durable Medical Equipment (DME) in false claims act litigation
Represented large road contractor in Department of Justice antitrust litigation
Defended litigation against a nationwide insurance company in a class action lawsuit
Represented out-of-state law firm sued for malpractice over the creation of a trust
Louisville Office Business Litigation Service Group, Leader
Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, Member (2021)
St. Agnes Catholic Church, Member
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Board Member
University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law
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Brandeis Law Journal, Member
cum laude
Washington and Lee University
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First Team ODAC Academic All Conference (2001, 2003) - Basketball
Prior to joining Stites & Harbison, Michael worked at GE for three years as a program manager in the Warranty Management Division. Michael also participated in the firm's summer associate program in the summer of 2007. Outside of the practice of law, Michael and his wife, Ali, have four kids: Gracie, Jack, Henry, and George. While the kids account for most of his spare time, he still finds time to live and die with University of Kentucky football and basketball as well as the Pittsburgh Pirates and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Kentucky Super Lawyers®, Rising Star (2013-21)
Louisville Magazine Top Lawyers (2016)
Revenue Cycle and Compliance Summit
Time: 12:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Online Event
The Revenue Cycle and Compliance Summit is an online half-day workshop to provide convenient education with CEUs and CLE for professionals. Stites attorneys Sarah Spurlock and Michael Denbow will be presenters at this Summit on June. 23, 2022.
NIL Compensation for High School Athletes: The Future is Now
Next month, the Ohio High School Athletic Association (“OHSAA”) member schools will vote on whether to allow high school athletes to be paid for the name, image, and likeness (“NIL”). If approved, Ohio will join Alaska, California, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, and Utah, which already allow high school athletes to profit from their NIL. Other states, like Tennessee and Mississippi, recently amended their NIL statutes in a manner that will likely allow for NIL in high school sports.
NIL Update – Should Student Athletes Seek Professional Advice?
On July 1, 2021, several state laws allowing student athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness (“NIL”) went into effect. The NCAA also adopted an interim NIL policy allowing student athletes in any State to receive monetary compensation for their NIL.
Kentucky Joins Growing Number of States Allowing Student-Athletes to Receive Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) Compensation
With Governor Andy Beshear’s June 24, 2021 Executive Order, Kentucky joins a growing minority of states allowing student-athletes to receive compensation for the use of their name, image, and likeness (NIL). Effective July 1, the Order applies to student-athletes at all postsecondary institutions in Kentucky.
Kentucky's Prisons, COVID, and No Compassionate Release
The Kentucky Department of Corrections is not immune from the same pandemic issues faced by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. As of December 4, 2020, the Department of Corrections ("DOC") operated 14 correctional institutions with 10,000 inmates. At the time of this writing, 2,895 inmates and 456 employees have tested positive for the virus; 24 inmates and three employees have died. The numbers could have been worse.
The Perfect Storm? A Look at the Federal Compassionate Release Program Following the First Step Act and a Worldwide Pandemic
Juan Alberto Fernandez pled guilty in federal court to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in November 2014. Statutorily, Mr. Fernandez faced a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Kentucky Super Lawyers Honors 41 Stites & Harbison Attorneys for 2021
LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The 2021 edition of Kentucky Super Lawyers recently honored 42 Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorneys in the Covington, Frankfort, Lexington and Louisville, Ky., offices.
No Good Deed: Protecting Yourself and Your Business from a Governmental Investigation Concerning Your PPP Loan
In a time when more than $650 billion in stimulus funds are being pumped through the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the potential for bad actors to create havoc for business owners reliant upon these mostly forgivable loans is almost guaranteed.