Steven J. Boyajian

(he/him/his)

Partner

  • Overview

    Biography

    Steven Boyajian, a member of the firm’s Bankruptcy + Reorganizations Group, focuses his practice on bankruptcy, creditors' rights, and litigation involving real estate and business disputes. He frequently represents financial institutions, private lenders, purchasers of distressed assets, landlords, title insurers, suppliers, and professional service providers.

    Creditors’ Rights

    Steve represents financial institutions and private lenders in the enforcement of their rights under credit documents, including through litigation, conduct of secured party sales, foreclosures, and workouts. He develops and executes offensive and defensive strategies for creditors who are confronted by insolvency related risks.

    Steve has successfully worked to make his clients financially whole. After a borrower fraudulently transferred funds into a real estate holding company, he obtained full recovery of the money, with fees and interest, for the lender. In another matter, Steve helped a lender obtain full payment, fees, and interest in under a year, by negotiating the restructuring of a multimillion dollar credit facility.

    Bankruptcy and Receivership

    Steve assists lenders, asset purchasers, landlords, trade creditors, insurers, creditors’ committees and trustees in all stages of bankruptcy and receivership proceedings, including relief from stay and cash collateral hearings, preference and fraudulent transfer litigation, asset sales, and confirmation proceedings. His experience in bankruptcy and receivership allows him to foresee the legal risks his clients may be exposed to as their borrowers approach insolvency, allowing him to protect clients’ interests and assets. He successfully helped a client, a secured creditor, get full recovery of its multimillion dollar claim, including interest and fees, from a debtor in Chapter 11 bankruptcy after a lengthy confirmation process involving competing plans of reorganization.

    Real Estate Litigation

    Steve represents owners, lenders and title insurers in all real estate litigation, including contested foreclosures, challenges to the validity of mortgages, evictions, prescriptive easements and adverse possession, tax appeals, tax sales, and title insurance coverage matters. He has defended multiple claims concerning the alleged invalidity of consumer mortgages and pending foreclosures, including cases in a master docket of more than 800 cases in the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island.

    Business Litigation

    Steve helps clients involved in all manner of business disputes, including litigation of professional liability matters, business torts, breach of contract claims, and shareholder disputes. He has a record of achieving success on clients’ behalf, such as working with a team to obtain summary judgment in favor of a national actuarial firm which had faced allegations of malpractice.

    He contributes to the firm's Data Privacy + Security Insider blog.

    Pro Bono and Community Involvement

    Steve is committed to pro bono work. He participates in the Rhode Island Bar Association’s Elderly Pro Bono Program by assisting elderly individuals faced with collection actions. He is on the Town Council in Barrington, Rhode Island. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Day One, an organization which advocates for victims of sexual abuse and violence.

    Prior to joining Robinson+Cole, Steve was with a boutique bankruptcy firm in Providence, Rhode Island, where he counseled clients on all aspects of receivership proceedings and related litigation and in all stages of bankruptcy. While in law school, he worked for the National Consumer Law Center in Boston, Massachusetts.
     

  • Experience
    • Experience

      Experience

      • Obtained relief from stay to repossess and disposed of tower cranes through secured party sales to overseas purchasers, and recovered associated crane rental proceeds through state court receivership.

      • Obtained full recovery, including fees and interest, for lender whose collateral proceeds had been fraudulently transferred by borrower into a real estate holding company. Obtained prejudgment attachment and injunctive relief against holding company to prevent further development until the client’s claim was satisfied.

      • On behalf of secured lender, negotiated restructuring of multimillion dollar credit facility to troubled lumber company under which the client received full payment, including interest and fees, in less than one year.

      • On behalf of a secured creditor, successfully negotiated proposed plan or reorganization in cooperation with Chapter 11 debtor which provided full recovery of the client’s multimillion dollar claim, including interest and fees, plus an equity stake in the post-confirmation student housing business. The proposed plan was confirmed over the objection of, and in lieu of a competing plan of reorganization, lodged by an unsecured creditor. The client’s equity stake was later sold at a substantial profit in addition to its original loan being repaid in full.

      • On behalf of a winning bidder for a multimillion dollar piece of commercial real estate, successfully argued for disqualification of competing bid for failure to comply with the Bankruptcy Court’s sale procedures order. 

      • Participated in the defense of one of the nation’s leading actuarial firms in suit alleging actuarial malpractice and violations of Rhode Island’s state False Claims Act. Helped to obtain dismissal of the False Claims Act claim and summary judgment on all other counts of the plaintiff’s complaint.

      • Successfully obtained reversal of administrative ruling of the Rhode Island Board of Accountancy, which denied an accountant’s request for license reinstatement following a seven year suspension. The accountant’s suspension followed his guilty plea to a federal criminal charge.

    • Professional Associations

      Professional Associations

      U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Rhode Island
      Former Attorney Advisory Committee (2007 - 2012)

      American Bankruptcy Institute

      Rhode Island Bar Foundation
      Treasurer (2022 - present)
      Board of Directors (2020 - present)
      Member of Thomas Black Jr. Memorial Scholarship Committee (2013 - present)
      Fellow

      Rhode Island Bar Association
      Member, Creditors’ and Debtors’ Rights Committee

      Turnaround Management Association

      Massachusetts Bar Association

      U.S. District Court, District of Rhode Island
      Board of Bar Admissions
    • Honors + Awards

      Honors + Awards

      Selected to the Rhode Island Super Lawyers list from 2018 to 2020.

      Selected as a Rising Star to the Rhode Island Super Lawyers list from 2015 to 2017.

      Recognized as a "40 Under Forty" winner by Providence Business News for 2017.

      Recognized in Rhode Island Monthly’s Professional Excellence in Law awards in the area of Bankruptcy And Workout from 2021 to 2023.

      Recognized as a 2023 Leader in the Law by Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly

    • Community Involvement

      Community Involvement

      Day One
      Board of Directors

      Barrington Town Council, Barrington, Rhode Island
      Former Town Council; Chairman, Ad Hoc Tax Exemption Committee

      Barrington Little League
      Director

      Barrington Land Conservation Trust
      Director
  • NEWS + PRESS
    • Publications

      Publications

      "Hope for Redemption – The Treatment of Pre-Petition Tax Sales in Bankruptcy," published in American Bankruptcy Institute Journal (June 2018)
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      "Just Say No to Drugs? Creditors Not Getting a Fair Shake When Marijuana-Related Cases Are Dismissed," published in American Bankruptcy Institute Journal (September 2017)
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      "Boyajian named legal Rising Star," published in Providence Business News, an interview that features Mr. Boyajian (11/25/2016)
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      "Series LLCs: Can a Series File for Bankruptcy, and What if It Does?" published in American Bankruptcy Institute Journal (March 2016)
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      "Continued Disagreement: Use of Federal Debt Collection Laws to Expand Fraudulent Transfer Look-Back Periods," published in American Bankruptcy Institute Journal (March 2015)
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      "Reconsidering the Uniformity of Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act," published in American Bankruptcy Institute Journal (April 2014)

      "The Transfer of Unemployment Insurance Experience Rates," published in American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review (9/2013)

      "Why Payday Loans Are Just Awful," published in Providence Journal, editorial (6/1/2011)

      "Unclaimed Utility Funds: Putting Lost Money to Good Use," published in National Consumer Law Center Energy and Utility Update, vol. XXI, no. 2, Spring 2004; legislation based upon this publication was proposed to the Rhode Island House Finance Committee, H6135, March 2, 2005. (2004)

    • Presentations

      Presentations

      "Receiverships & Bankruptcy Law," presented at the Rhode Island Bar Association's "Recent Developments in the Law 2019" seminar (11/8/19)
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      "Practice Pointers: When Bankruptcy and Consumer Protection Statutes Collide," presented as a panelist at the American Bankruptcy Institute's 2019 Northeast Bankruptcy Conference & Northeast Consumer Forum. (7/13/2019)
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      "Receiverships & Bankruptcy Law," at the Rhode Island Bar Association's (RIBA) annual Recent Developments in the Law conference in Warwick, Rhode Island (10/19/2018)
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      "Receiverships & Bankruptcy Law," at the Rhode Island Bar Association's (RIBA) annual Recent Developments in the Law conference in Warwick, Rhode Island (10/25/2017)
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      "Receiverships & Bankruptcy Law," at the Rhode Island Bar Association's (RIBA) annual Recent Developments in the Law conference in Warwick, Rhode Island (11/1/2016)
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      "Receiverships & Bankruptcy Law," at the Rhode Island Bar Association's annual Recent Developments in the Law conference (10/22/2015)
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      "Receiverships & Bankruptcy Law," presented at the Rhode Island Bar Association's annual Recent Developments in the Law conference in Warwick, Rhode Island (10/23/2014)
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      "Receiverships & Bankruptcy Law," presented at the Rhode Island Bar Association's annual Recent Developments in the Law conference (10/16/2013)

      "Updates in Bankruptcy Practice and Procedure," at Rhode Island Bar Association, Providence, Rhode Island, Panelist (4/2009)

      "The Bursting Bubble: Behind on Mortgages and Car Loans — Is Chapter 13 an Option?" at American Bankruptcy Institute's Northeast Bankruptcy Conference, Brewster, Massachusetts, Panelist (7/2008)

    • News

      R+C in the News

      • June 6, 2023

        Providence Lawyers Ascend to Leadership Roles/Receive Recognitions During 2023 RI Bar Foundation and Association Annual Meetings

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      • May 30, 2023

        Steve Boyajian and Dana Horton Receive 2023 Rhode Island Monthly Professional Excellence in Law Awards

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      • June 27, 2022

        Providence Lawyers Receive Distinctions During Rhode Island Bar Foundation and Association Annual Meetings

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      • May 27, 2022

        Steve Boyajian and Dana Horton Receive 2022 Rhode Island Monthly Professional Excellence in Law Awards

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      • July 8, 2021

        Steve Boyajian and Dana Horton Reappointed to Rhode Island Bar Association Leadership Positions

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      • June 3, 2021

        Steve Boyajian and Dana Horton Receive Rhode Island Monthly Professional Excellence in Law Awards

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      • January 25, 2021

        Steve Boyajian Quoted in Law360 Article on Marijuana-tied Bankruptcies

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      • August 18, 2020

        Steve Boyajian Quoted in Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly Article on Increase in Bankruptcy Filings Due to COVID-19 Pandemic

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      • October 28, 2019

        Steve Boyajian Quoted in Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly Article on Small Business Reorganization Act

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      • October 25, 2018

        Steve Boyajian Presents on Receiverships & Bankruptcy Law During Annual RIBA Conference

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      • October 18, 2018

        51 Robinson+Cole Lawyers Recognized by Super Lawyers®

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      • June 29, 2018

        Steve Boyajian Authors Article on Pre-Petition Tax Sales in Bankruptcy

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      • November 16, 2017

        Steve Boyajian Speaks at RIBA's Annual Recent Developments in the Law Conference

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      • October 4, 2017

        Steve Boyajian Writes Article on Marijuana-Related Cases for ABI Journal

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      • July 5, 2017

        Steve Boyajian Appointed to U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island's Board of Bar Admissions

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      • November 30, 2016

        Steve Boyajian Featured in PBN Article

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      • November 15, 2016

        Steve Boyajian Elected to Barrington Town Council

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      • November 4, 2016

        Steve Boyajian Speaks at RIBA's Annual Recent Developments in the Law Conference

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      • October 5, 2016

        Steve Boyajian Elected to Day One Board

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      • July 21, 2016

        Steve Boyajian Quoted in 'Buyer Beware' Article in Law360

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      • March 4, 2016

        Steve Boyajian Examines Series LLCs in ABI Journal Article

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      • October 29, 2015

        Providence Lawyer Speaks at RIBA's Annual Recent Developments in the Law Conference

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      • March 9, 2015

        Steven Boyajian Writes ABI Journal Article on Federal Debt Collection Laws

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      • November 18, 2014

        Providence Lawyer Speaks at Rhode Island Bar Association's Annual Recent Developments in the Law Conference

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      • April 25, 2014

        Steven Boyajian Authors Article for American Bankruptcy Institute Journal

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      • October 30, 2013

        Providence Lawyer Speaks at RIBA's Annual Recent Developments in the Law Conference

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      • September 26, 2013

        Providence Lawyer Writes Article for American Bankruptcy Institute Journal

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      • June 26, 2013

        Providence Lawyers Elected to Rhode Island Bar Association's House of Delegates

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      R+C News Releases

      • June 7, 2023

        Robinson+Cole Lawyers Recognized for “Excellence in the Law” by Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly

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      • November 18, 2020

        Robinson+Cole Elects New Partners and Counsel

      • October 15, 2020

        47 Robinson+Cole Lawyers Recognized in Super Lawyers®

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      • October 19, 2019

        52 Robinson+Cole Lawyers Recognized by Super Lawyers®

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      • October 17, 2017

        Robinson+Cole Lawyers Recognized by Super Lawyers®

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      • July 27, 2017

        Steven Boyajian Named to Providence Business News’ “40 Under Forty”

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      • October 18, 2016

        Robinson+Cole Lawyers Recognized by Super Lawyers®

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      • October 19, 2015

        Robinson+Cole Lawyers Recognized by Super Lawyers®

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      • December 4, 2014

        Robinson+Cole Elects New Partners and Counsel

    • Legal Updates/Newsletters

      Legal Updates/Newsletters

      "Bankruptcy Sale Order Won't Protect New GM from Ignition Switch Claims Due to Deficient Notice" co-authored with Michael R. Enright and Patrick M. Birney