Local Counsel Services

As local counsel, we represented two investors who filed a derivative lawsuit on behalf of Lithia Motors, Inc. to challenge an overly generous transition agreement granted to a retiring executive. After defeating motions to dismiss the complaint, the case settled on terms that provided substantial benefits to Lithia in the form of an independent auditor’s review of the transition agreement in question, as well as more significant and long-term protections, such as the appointment of five independent directors and governance provisions to avoid self-dealing.

As local counsel we defended a national bank, acting in its capacity as mortgage loan securitization trustee, against allegations that our client and other defendants had wrongfully created and carried out a plan to deprive Oregon’s largest county of recording fees which, plaintiff alleged, should have been paid to the county every time a mortgage loan was assigned to a different lender or beneficiary. The case was settled on confidential terms very favorable to our client.