issues prevented his ability to contribute. The husband then filed a bankruptcy case, but the Bankruptcy Trustee asserted that the wife should have to repay half the amount used to buy the new home because that was the husband’s portion, which his creditors had an interest in. The husband negotiated a settlement whereby the wife would essentially pay the entire claimed amount back. The wife contacted us to advise on the settlement agreement. Despite the fact an agreement had already been reached in principle, Ryan negotiated a new settlement whereby the wife had to pay a very modest amount back and had many months to do so.
SAM ANDRE
MELISSA HODGE
Sam Andre and Melissa Hodge assisted a client who originally came to Fredrikson seeking help in obtaining payment of a dividend from his prior firm, which he alleged had been unlawfully withheld from him. Not only did the firm refuse to pay the dividend, but it thereafter claimed that the client was in violation of an alleged non-compete agreement. They tried to reduce the repurchase price of his shares in the firm by half. After unsuccessful out-of-court negotiations, Sam and Melissa helped the client prepare and file a lawsuit against the firm and its officers, asserting claims for breach of contract and illegal distribution, among others, and that he was owed the full repurchase price of his shares plus the unpaid dividend. The defendants, the firm and its officers, asserted a counterclaim seeking enforcement of the alleged non-compete agreement, asserting damages totaling $1,200,000. The defendants’ claim quickly unraveled, however, when they could not find and produce a copy of any such agreement. After a day of mediation, defendants agreed to pay our client $145,000 in exchange for dismissal of all parties’ claims. This amount represented a large percentage of the amount demanded by the client and came 13
