Obtained $950,000 Award on Defamation Claim

Successfully obtained a $950,000 award on a defamation claim for an Atlanta-based commercial real estate developer against its Israeli-based investment company (Claimant). Claimant initially brought the arbitration claim for fees it alleged were owed to it following the sale of a real estate project for which it had secured investment funds. Claimant was also making numerous disparaging statements regarding our client to our client’s investors and to third parties. Our client filed a counterclaim for defamation. After approximately six months of discovery, which included the production of thousands of pages of documents and more than 30 depositions, and a one-week trial, the Arbitrator awarded Claimant its claimed fees based on the sale of the real estate project, but also awarded our client compensatory and punitive damages and attorneys’ fees on its defamation claim. The net result was Claimant owing our client about $450,000. Claimant has subsequently filed a petition in federal court in Atlanta to have the Arbitrator’s defamation award to our client vacated or modified.