CALG’s Rex Heinke and Jessica Weisel have won a complete victory affirming several related judgments totaling more than $13.5 million in a contract and tort dispute between business founders. 

CALG’s client co-founded a profitable venture that resells life insurance policies in fractional shares to investors. After stepping away from the day-to-day operations due to a medical condition, another founder conspired with a third party to force CALG’s client out of the company, wrongly taking his share of profits for themselves.

In the two-phase trial, CALG’s client prevailed on multiple contract, tort, and declaratory relief claims, and the jury awarded him punitive damages. The trial court also found that several LLCs and trusts were alter egos.

The multiple judgments that resulted spawned five separate appeals that were consolidated into two phases of briefing. In their appeals, the appellants raised more than a dozen separate grounds for reversal that CALG ultimately addressed across five separate briefs.

In its 68-page published opinion, the Court of Appeal unanimously sided with CALG’s client on every issue and affirmed each of the related judgments in full.

The opinion in Reliant Life Shares, LLC v. Cooper can be found here.