FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 18, 2008
Dallas, Texas – February 18, 2008 – The
Law Offices of Heygood, Orr, Reyes, Pearson & Bartolomei announced today
the February 15th jury verdict in the amount of $3.0 million for their client,
Tony Alardin, in a partnership dispute regarding the development, manufacture
and sale of wireless video surveillance trailer systems.
In 2001, Mr. Alardin,
along with his company Remote Monitoring Technologies, entered into a partnership
with Dallas businessman Gregg Hoss and his company,
Hoss
Equipment Company,
to perfect the technology and further develop and market wireless video surveillance
trailer systems. In March of 2005, as the technology was being perfected
and as the market became poised for growth, Mr. Hoss barred Mr. Alardin from
the premises of the partnership. Hoss Equipment Company continued developing
and marketing the wireless video surveillance trailer systems and subsequently
generated approximately $2.0 million dollars in revenue. Mr. Hoss denied
the existence of any legal partnership with Mr. Alardin and took the position
that his relationship with Mr. Alardin was, at best, a marketing partnership
and, as a result, he was fully within his rights to do what he did.
In January 2006, Mr. Hoss and Hoss Equipment Co.,
by and through their attorney Jack Balderson of
Thompson & Knight, brought
this lawsuit against Mr. Alardin seeking, among other things, repayment of
the money put into the wireless video surveillance systems prior to the lock-out.
Mr. Hoss claimed such money had not been capital contributions to a legal
partnership but instead loans to Mr. Alardin and his company that had never
been repaid.
Mr. Alardin approached Heygood, Orr, Reyes, Pearson & Bartolomei
to defend him against the allegations brought against him and pursue counterclaims
against Gregg Hoss, including breach of fiduciary duty. The case was tried
in Dallas County before Judge Jim Jordan and, after a week and half trial
and two days of deliberation, the jury returned its verdict and found that
Mr. Hoss had, in fact, breached his fiduciary duty to Mr. Alardin. The jury
awarded Mr. Alardin $3.0 million dollars in compensation.
Michael Heygood,
Partner of HORP&B, was the lead trial attorney for
Tony Alardin, and was assisted at trial by
Ryan
Browne. Mr. Heygood commented, “At
the end of the day, as is often the case, the jury was able to understand
what was really going on.” According to Mr. Heygood, “Even though
there was no written partnership agreement, the jury recognized the partnership
between Mr. Hoss and Mr. Alardin and agreed that Mr. Hoss failed to treat
Mr. Alardin fairly or justly.”
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