Business Litigation

Whether you are an individual, own a local business, or are counsel for a multi-national corporation needing help to resolve a business dispute in North Carolina – either as a plaintiff or a defendant – we have likely handled a dispute similar to yours.

A few examples of the types of business litigation cases we typically guide clients through:

• Shareholder Disputes
  • While unfortunate, disputes among owners of closely held businesses are common. We understand the personal rancor involved with shareholder disputes due to the close working or family relationships involved with closely held businesses.
  • We have experience representing every party within these disputes, whether they are minority shareholders, majority shareholders, or the businesses as a whole.
  • We have helped structure buyouts of minority interests, sales of entire businesses, and have recovered millions of dollars for minority shareholders through litigation when other avenues failed.
• Officer and Director Liability
  • We have represented officers and directors in litigation accusing them of breaches of their fiduciary obligations to the corporation.
• Accounting and Business Valuation Disputes
  • We regularly represent accounting firms in claims arising from auditing and business valuation services.
  • Often these cases have involved allegations that the accounting firm failed to detect fraud, or aided in the commission of a fraud, when valuing the business, auditing the financial records, or assisting a client with its books.
  • We also represent purchasers and sellers of businesses in post-purchase disputes that involve accounting issues.
• Business Fraud/Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices
  • Claims under the Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act allow for the recovery of treble damages and attorneys’ fees and are frequently asserted in business disputes along with claims of common law fraud. We have litigated these types of claims countless times on behalf of clients.
• Property Rights
  • We have litigated many kinds of cases involving real and personal property rights, including condemnation actions, rights of parties in real estate buy-sell agreements and development contracts, and landlord/tenant disputes involving commercial leases.
  • We represent a number of developers of commercial space and shopping centers, as well as property managers for such space. Additionally, we have represented landlords in disputes with tenants, condemning authorities, and contractors.
• Insurance Coverage Disputes
  • We represent both insurers and insureds in disputes over coverage and the duty to defend.

For more about this practice, please contact one of the related professionals on this page.