Michael Anthony owned and operated a very successful insurance brokerage company in Orange County, California [Link]. When it came time to hire a Chief Financial Officer for his business, he turned to someone he thought he could trust – his sister’s husband. When Anthony was going through a bitter divorce and needed to safeguard $4 million worth of assets, he turned to his brother-in-law again. Anthony later agreed to sell certain valuable business assets to his brother-in-law and to serve as a consultant to a business the man was starting. All of these deals were made as verbal agreements (oral contracts) and sealed with a handshake
Of course, when Anthony asked his brother-in-law to return his $4 million, the man denied ever agreeing to do so and denied owing Anthony any money at all for any reason.
When Callahan & Blaine represented Anthony before an Orange County jury, they found by “clear and convincing evidence” (the highest standard known to civil law) that the brother-in-law had committed fraud, and assessed an additional $10 million against the brother-in-law in punitive damages.
This case proves that when you have California’s premier litigators on your side, oral contracts are enforceable, AND that it’s really not a good idea to trust your brother-in-law – they aren’t called “brother-in-law cases” for no reason!
At the law firm of Callahan & Blaine, all of our lawyers are world-class litigators. We have earned a well-deserved national reputation for aggressively litigating and consistently winning complex multi-million dollar business cases. Whether you are the plaintiff or the defendant, we have the experience and expertise you need to prevail.
Callahan & Blaine’s business litigation practice is headed up by our founder, Daniel J. Callahan, nationally recognized as one of America’s preeminent litigators. Mr. Callahan and his team of over twenty senior attorneys have successfully litigated a wide array of complex business litigation cases, including: breach of contract, fraud, breach of warranty, product defect cases, partnership or shareholder disputes, unfair business practices, intellectual property litigation, director’s and officer’s disputes, defamation, and more.
When you need a proven business attorney, call Callahan & Blaine first.
