Steinmans Trial Lawyers regularly represents clients in major business disputes. Those disputes can be as simple as a debt claim for a customer’s failure to pay an invoice or as complicated as a dispute between feuding shareholders of a private company. You need a civil litigation attorney for this type of dispute.
We understand that these cases are messy, much like a divorce.
We have acted in commercial litigation business disputes involving family real estate companies, restaurants, hotels, professional firms and manufacturing. We represented a young entrepreneur who was bilked out of his share of a pizza restaurant. He got a new start opening a successful business elsewhere.
We help shareholders in cases involving alleged oppressive conduct. “Oppression” involves conduct that violates a shareholder’s reasonable expectations and is oppressive or unfairly prejudicial. Courts can intervene and order remedies such as a repurchase of the wronged shareholder’s shares or appointment of a receiver-manager.
We are civil litigation lawyers in cases where one shareholder has been excluded from the management of a business. This sometimes happens in family or private companies. In a family company, it is possible to get an order for a liquidation of the company – or a less drastic order – such as a buyout of the aggrieved family member’s shares. Courts are more likely to order a remedy, like a buyout, where there is evidence of a loss of mutual confidence among shareholders, even when one or more of those persons/shareholders were not directors of the company.
We get involved as civil litigators on cases involving a dispute over the “fair value” of the shares being repurchased. The Court looks at the assets, liabilities, and operations of the company. Sometimes this involves the hire of expert valuators for advice on the “valuation“ of a business.
If there are buildings or land involved, we hire an appraiser to give an opinion on the appraised value of the real estate. On another case, we obtained an order for a payout for a shareholder whose siblings were managing affairs in a family holding company with real estate so as to deprive him of monies that he needed to rebuild his life.
Steinmans Trial Lawyers offers business clients a formidable combination. We work with experienced business law and transactions lawyers to assist on company disputes when we need specialized advice in areas like real estate or finance. We have three experienced corporate lawyers to consult with, who all share space at our office.
