Los Angeles

Ventura

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Menke v. Lamb

Our client filed a cross-complaint for fraud and breach of fiduciary duty against the plaintiffs.  The client claimed the plaintiffs defrauded him in a land exchange transaction between their partnership and the U.S. Navy.

Our client had also brought a legal malpractice claim against the lawyer and the law firm that represented our client in the land exchange transaction and in the preparation of an agreement between our client and the plaintiffs for the allocation of land that was to be received by them from the Navy. The lawyer and his law firm settled with our client for $225,000 on the day of trial.  

Our client prevailed during the jury trial of his claims against the plaintiffs. The jury rendered special verdicts awarding our client $294,000 on his fraud claim.  On the reference portion of the case ordered to be heard by a referee, I obtained an additional $175,000 against the plaintiffs.

The trial judge did not like the jury verdict and issued a directed verdict for the plaintiffs on our verdict. We filed an appeal and the California Court of Appeal reinstated our jury verdict.