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Recent Successes
In Court
| San Francisco Insurance Team Wins Summary Judgment on a Multi-million Dollar Coverage Dispute |
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San Francisco Insurance Group attorneys Arthur Schwartz, Douglas Scullion and Olivia Bradbury won summary judgment on a multi-million dollar coverage dispute on behalf of two insurance carrier clients. The plaintiff, a former police officer, suffered a dual leg amputation in an accident. He sued the insurers in San Francisco Superior Court for declaratory relief alleging the insurers owed $9 million in coverage for his claim under successive primary and umbrella policies.
The insurers had previously paid the plaintiff $2 million for a release of their insureds, which the insureds believed to be the maximum coverage, but allowed the plaintiff to sue the insurers to resolve his dispute about the amount of coverage available. The trial was set for May 2009. After thorough briefing on the summary judgment motion, the court found no triable issue of fact and, as a matter of law, the insurers owed no further duty to the plaintiff beyond the settlement paid in the underlying action.
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| San Francisco Office Wins Contract Arbitration to Add More than $1 Million in Payments to Client |
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San Francisco Construction Practice lawyers William Peters (Partner), Erin Friday (Senior Counsel) and Michael Wilson (Associate) won an arbitration victory for an architectural services client that had been hired to provide services for a new performing arts center at a community college. A dispute arose over the interpretation of the original contract and the amendments thereto. The community college argued for a lump sum fixed fee payment and Gordon & Rees argued for a fee based upon a percentage of the construction contracts. The essence of the case was contract interpretation, involving issues of admissibility of parol evidence, unilateral and mutual mistake and the effect of integration clauses. During the arbitration, Gordon & Rees successfully defeated the community college's statute of limitations arguments, as well as its contractual claims, to obtain a judgment of more than $1 million in favor of our client.
more court successes...
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In Business
| Business Transactions Group Serves as Borrower's Counsel in Pair of Syndicated Loans |
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Mark Davis (SF) and Brian Maschler (SF) served as borrower's counsel to a sizeable Central Valley agricultural business group in connection with a pair of syndicated term and revolving credit line facilities with principal amount in excess of $200,000,000, to fund further growth of the enterprise.
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| Business Transaction Group Closes Secured Lending Transaction |
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Mark Davis (SF) teamed with MULTILAW partner, Martineau Johnson (headquartered in Birmingham, England), in representing a UK bank in its loan to a UK borrower with assets in England and in the United States. Davis prepared the US security documentation and coordinated the US aspects of the loan closing.
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| Real Estate Group Completes Acquisition for Engineering Company |
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Phil Wang (SF) and Gil Garcia (SF) represented an engineering firm in the acquisition of a commercial office and retail building in downtown San Francisco. The transaction included (i) negotiating the purchase agreement and related contracts with the seller; (ii) negotiating the term loan agreement, deed of trust, and related loan documents with the Chicago office of Merrill Lynch; and (iii) negotiating the title policy and other closing documents with the title company, LandAmerica Commercial Services.
Gordon & Rees also advised the purchaser on its due diligence review of existing leases and contracts, title and survey issues, and physical and environmental due diligence as well as supervising the brokers, property managers and all closing matters. Mark Davis (SF) assisted in the formation of the purchasing entity. Carol Schaner (OC) assisted on related tax and estate planning issues.
more business successes...
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