Civil Litigation
Business and real estate disputes, pretrial proceedings, trials and appeals. Recent lawsuits include interpretation of complex legislation (D.C. Condominium Act, D.C. Consumer Protection Procedures Act, D.C. Freedom of Information Act, Gramm Leach Bliley Act, U.S. Bankruptcy Code).
Criminal Defense
DUI/OWI, drug possession, disorderly conduct. Investigation-driven defense, interpretation of complex statutes and case law. Representation at every stage of the proceedings (e.g., pre-indictment, preliminary hearing, investigation and discovery, pretrial motions, trial, sentencing, appeal).
Small Businesses and Organizations
Asset acquisitions, commercial leases, real estate purchase negotiations. First Amendment issues. Drafting amendments to condominium bylaws and condominium rules and regulations.
Representative Sample of Cases
A consumer’s claims against a Condominium Association, which refused to convey the deed to a condominium unit lawfully purchased by the consumer at the Association’s auction of the unit for unpaid assessments.
A fraud claim against a major financial institution for inducing false deposition testimony and concealing documents that established the purchaser’s rightful claim of a discounted purchase price.
Defense against an illegal attempt to collect post-bankruptcy-discharge condominium assessments despite the limitations prescribed by 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(16) of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.
An action in U.S. Bankruptcy Court to dispossess a serial bankruptcy filer of the assets of the bankruptcy estate.
Actions against real estate developers for shoddy construction of new condominiums.
A web publisher’s freedom of speech and freedom of the press claims against a federal government body, for denial of access to its proceedings.
Criminal trials and preliminary hearings on a variety of felony and misdemeanor offenses.
Counseling citizens on constitutional protections surrounding interactions with detectives.
Counseling on civil forfeiture proceedings instituted by the government.
Defense of a high-level managerial employee, falsely accused of breaching an employment agreement.
Defense of a personal representative of an estate, falsely accused of breach of fiduciary duty.
Counseling Condominium Associations on rental housing laws, foreclosure of the associations’ liens on units for unpaid assessments, permissible actions against unit owners under the bylaws, disputes with neighboring lot owners for hazardous conditions and loss of use.
Representation of a condominium owner against illegal actions of the Condominium Association and Managing Agent, who falsified evidence to avoid making repairs.
Representation of a condominium owner in a constitutional claim against the Condominium Association, which imposed an exorbitant penalty for an alleged violation of the Condominium’s rules, when everyone else who violated the same rule was assessed a mere ten percent of the penalty.
Representation of a condominium owner, falsely accused of flooding a downstairs neighbor’s property.
Representation of a Condominium Association to legitimize a newly-elected Board of Directors against an internal challenge by a member of the Condominium Association.