Business and Commercial Litigation

Our client worked for years for a start-up weapons manufacturing company on the promise he would one day receive a percentage of the profits should the company ever become profitable.  The company did become profitable but our client’s profit share was not forthcoming.  He was told that since there was no “signed” agreement, there was no agreement despite his years of hard work.  We took the case and when the defendants refused to settle for what the case was worth, we took them to trial, winning a seven-figure jury verdict for our client.

When the founders of a successful regional healthcare delivery system were faced with a hostile take-over from their well-financed private equity investor, they came to us. The private equity fund stretched the company thin with promises of significant investments and then, when the money was needed the most, demanded they give up control of the company they founded and grew into one of the Portland Business Journal’s “Most Admired Companies.” When the founders came to us, their backs were against the wall; the private equity investor filed a mountain of paperwork seeking appointment of a receiver, and sought a temporary restraining order with a hearing scheduled on one day’s notice. Represented by a large international firm, the private equity fund …

We represent 125 investors who collectively lost over $50 million in a local Ponzi scheme. To get their money back, we sued one of the largest international law firms, the largest accounting firm in the U.S., one of the largest stock brokerage firms, a bank, and a national valuation firm that participated and materially aided the sales of the securities. The defendants deployed teams of attorneys from some of the largest and most reputable law firms in Portland and across the country. That did not deter us. We have defeated multiple motions to dismiss, rebuffed attempts to delay justice for our clients by, among other things, defeating mandamus petitions filed with the Oregon Supreme Court, taken and defended more than …

When a franchised waste hauler sued our client for its doorstep trash and recycling services at apartment complexes, our defense resulted in dismissal of all claims without significant cost. The franchised hauler alleged that our client’s moving trash and recycling from apartment residents’ doorsteps to the apartment complexes’ trash compactors amounted to providing solid waste services without a franchise. Our client faced over $1 million in claimed damages as a result of the steep liquidated damages provisions in the municipal ordinances. Given the high stakes, we designed a robust, but efficient defense that sought victory through motions practice without conducting expensive discovery. In summary judgment briefing, we created a clear record distinguishing the services our client provided from those of …

In a classic “bet the company” case we represented a 50% shareholder in litigation against the other 50% shareholder and President of an Ohio company that operates health care facilities on the west coast. We fought tooth and nail to get the discovery we needed to show how thoroughly the President was abusing the company. After a two week derivative shareholder jury trial, our client prevailed on behalf of the company on claims including breach of fiduciary duty and conversion. We showed that the President was using the company coffers as his own piggy bank, spending company funds on everything from Nordstrom shopping sprees to trips to Europe. After the multi-million dollar verdict, the court awarded our client her full …