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Commercial Litigation

The complexities of commercial litigation require a law firm with the experience and the resources to protect the interests of its clients through the process of negotiation, and if necessary, successful litigation. For nearly two decades, our firm has litigated large commercial disputes on behalf of our clients.

Recently, the firm obtained a trial court judgment for Longview Energy Company. Longview had identified corporate opportunities in the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas, which were usurped by a member of its board of directors. Our firm obtained a jury finding of breach of fiduciary duty, a monetary verdict, and a constructive trust over more than 40,000 acres of highly valuable leases across south Texas. A divided en banc panel of the Fourth Court of Appeals in San Antonio reversed the verdict on a 4-3 vote, which was then appealed to the Texas Supreme Court.

A decade ago, the firm won for its client, Russell Grigsby, an arbitration award of more than $44 million. In that case, attorney’s fees were $9,546,011, litigation expenses withheld were $3,705,626, with net client recoveries of $29,224,646.Russell served as the CEO of a small day-trading company. His partners offered to buy him out for several million dollars. Later, Russell learned that his partners had sold the company for $150 million and that when they had approached him concerning their buy-out of him, a potential third-party purchaser had already approached his partners about buying their company. Russell brought an arbitration proceeding, and our firm and another proved that his former partners had breached their fiduciary duty to him by withholding this material information from him prior to the sale of his shares to them.

Almost two decades ago, the firm won a $20 million counterclaim judgment for BNP Petroleum. BNP had served as the operator on a drilling project in south Texas. Initial well data did not look promising, and BNP’s partners on the well, Edge Petroleum Corp. and Carrizo Oil & Gas Co., exercised their option to pull out of the well. On its own dime, BNP then chose to drill deeper and found a vast hydrocarbon deposit worth more than $100 million. Edge and Carrizo sued BNP in Duval County, with claimed damages of $99 million. Our firm defended BNP on a reverse contingency fee and filed a counterclaim on behalf of BNP. The trial court entered a take-nothing judgment as to the claims brought by Edge and Carrizo against BNP and entered a counterclaim judgment in BNP’s favor in the amount of $20 million.

The firm has handled numerous other large commercial disputes. We have represented franchise owners against national product manufacturers, insurance agencies against national insurers, thousands of medical providers against the health insurers, whistleblowers revealing fraud against the U.S. government, patent holders against those who have stolen their product ideas, and those who have relied upon their contracts with others only to see them breached. Whether it be Qui Tam/Whistleblower litigation, intellectual property litigation, fraud litigation, breach of contract litigation, oil and gas litigation, employment/FSLA litigation, breach of fiduciary litigation, or lender liability litigation, as referenced below, at Watts Guerra LLP, we have the experience, the expertise, and the resources to handle your commercial litigation case as well.

Our combined settlements of cases involving business disputes now exceed $235 million. Of these recoveries in commercial litigation cases, total attorney fees were $88,151,219, the litigation expenses withheld totaled $10,116,749, and net client recoveries were $137,485,816.

Case Type Injury Settlement Amount Attorney Fees Expenses Net to Client
Breach of Contract Financial Loss 42,476,283 9,546,011 3,705,626 29,224,646
Breach of Payment Contract Financial Loss 33,764,850 14,822,945 1,324,863 17,617,042
Breach of Fiduciary Duty Financial Loss 30,000,000 10,491,250 392,726 19,116,024
Sale of Credit Reports Financial Loss 27,836,348 12,526,357 2,132,003 13,177,989
D&O Negligence Financial Loss 25,310,633 8,659,153 525,179 16,126,301
Breach of Fiduciary Duty Financial Loss 11,175,414 4,470,166 242,500 6,462,748
Oil Well Damage Financial Loss 10,103,211 2,629,949 475,173 6,998,089
Patent Case Financial Loss 8,000,000 2,960,000 5,040,000
Patent Case Financial Loss 7,245,000 2,505,648 181,210 4,558,142
Patent Case Financial Loss 5,200,000 2,080,000 112,811 3,007,189
Business Dispute Financial Loss 4,420,000 1,768,000 577,561 2,074,439
Overtime Case Financial Loss 4,200,000 1,008,000 200,000 2,992,000
Business Dispute Financial Loss 4,000,000 1,540,000 177,552 2,282,448
Business Dispute Financial Loss 3,650,000 912,500 75,806 2,661,694
Business Dispute Financial Loss 3,500,000 1,400,000 161,581 1,938,419
Patent Case Financial Loss 3,000,000 1,200,000 180,663 1,619,337
Patent Case Financial Loss 2,900,000 1,073,000 1,827,000
Patent Case Financial Loss 2,650,000 1,060,000 55,135 1,534,865
Patent Case Financial Loss 2,600,000 738,140 1,861,860
Business Dispute Financial Loss 2,500,000 1,000,000 92,771 1,407,229
Patent Case Financial Loss 2,115,000 782,550 1,332,450
Business Dispute Financial Loss 2,100,000 840,000 122,000 1,138,000
Patent Case Financial Loss 2,000,000 740,000 1,260,000
Business Dispute Financial Loss 1,775,000 497,000 98,278 1,179,722
Business Dispute Financial Loss 1,375,000 461,744 138,274 774,982
Business Dispute Financial Loss 1,320,000 528,000 18,500 773,500
Business Dispute Financial Loss 1,290,639 254,924 3,203 1,032,511
Business Dispute Financial Loss 1,250,000 500,000 283,642 466,358
Business Dispute Financial Loss 1,000,000 400,000 43,537 556,463
Business Dispute Financial Loss 1,000,000 400,000 167,100 432,900
Business Dispute Financial Loss 1,000,000 400,000 41,313 558,687
Patent Case Financial Loss 1,250,000 200,000 375,000 675,000
Patent Case Financial Loss 1,450,000 429,200 1,020,800
Breach of Contract Financial Loss 975,000 292,500 336,128 346,372
Breach of Contract Financial Loss 925,000 231,250 18,630 675,120
Patent Case Financial Loss 950,000 285,000 665,000
Patent Case Financial Loss 950,000 285,000 665,000
Patent Case Financial Loss 950,000 285,000 665,000
Patent Case Financial Loss 950,000 237,975 712,025
Patent Case Financial Loss 950,000 285,000 665,000
Patent Case Financial Loss 950,000 285,000 665,000
Qui Tam – Fraud Financial Loss 897,000 358,800 667 537,533
Patent Theft Financial Loss 875,000 130,903 347 743,750
Patent Case Financial Loss 4,000,000 2,000,000 2,000,000
Patent Case Financial Loss 3,000,000 1,500,000 932,502 567,498
Patent Case Financial Loss 730,000 365,000 365,000
Breach of Contract Financial Loss 805,000 108,540 104,502 591,958
Patent Case Financial Loss 793,250 237,975 555,275
Patent Case Financial Loss 750,000 496,000 254,000
Patent Case Financial Loss 750,000 447,500 302,500
Patent Case Financial Loss 750,000 225,000 525,000
Patent Case Financial Loss 750,000 225,000 525,000
Patent Case Financial Loss 817,438 225,000 592,438
Patent Case Financial Loss 675,000 249,750 425,250
Patent Case Financial Loss 650,000 240,500 409,500
Breach of Contract Financial Loss 300,000 120,000 29,592 150,408
Qui-Tam Fraud Financial Loss 630,000 252,000 378,000
Settlement Amount Attorney Fees Expenses Net to Client
Total 235,753,783 88,151,219 10,116,749 137,485,816

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