Sugar Land Business Litigation Lawyer

When disputes cannot be resolved through negotiation or arbitration, business litigation can be used as a way to remedy the situation. The Sugar Land business lawyers at Romano & Sumner have experience in handling a variety of business, commercial, and contract litigation matters, such as:

• Partnership Disputes
• Minority Shareholder Oppression
• Shareholder Disputes
• Breach of Contract
• Contract Litigation
• Non-Compete Agreements

Breach of Fiduciary Duty

Partners owe each other a strict duty of good faith and candor and are prohibited from using this trusted relationship to benefit their own personal interests without full disclosure. A violation of either of these commitments is called a breach of fiduciary duty and may involve business fraud. Questions to ask when considering if a partner has breached their duty:

• Do you and your business partner disagree on the division of profits?
• Has your partner stolen a business opportunity for himself that should have belonged to the business?
• Is your partner misappropriating assets from the business?

If you are experiencing any of these issues, experienced Sugar Land business litigation lawyers can help you to get your equitable share of profits, hold your business partner accountable for his or her fraudulent actions, or force a fair and equitable termination of the business relationship, if necessary. Having the right business litigation attorneys on your side can give you the peace of mind that comes with knowing and enforcing your rights in a business relationship.

Minority Shareholder Oppression

Minority shareholder oppression occurs when the majority shareholders (those holding greater than a 50% interest in the business) take actions that unfairly prejudice the minority (those holding less than a 50% interest in the business). Questions to consider:

• Are you a minority shareholder who has had his or her employment terminated without cause, been removed from the board of directors, or been removed from a management position?
• Have the majority shareholders denied you as a minority shareholder access to company information?
• Is the majority engaging in recapitalizations or mergers designed to dilute or eliminate your minority shareholder interest?

If you are a minority shareholder and any of these scenarios sounds familiar, you have the right to have your opinion heard by the majority, enforce your right to have access to information about the business, and help you to prevent the majority from diluting or eliminating your minority interest in the business.

Breach of Contract

A breach of contract occurs when one party in a binding agreement or bargained-for-exchange dishonors the contract by non-performance or interference with the other party’s performance. Questions to consider:

• Has the other party to a contract you entered into failed to perform as promised?
• Was the other party’s performance of the contract unacceptable in terms of quality of service provided or product produced?
• Did you perform your side of the bargain but the other party failed to compensate you for your services rendered or for the product you delivered?

When one party to a contract fails to fulfill their agreed obligations, the other party to the contract must often engage a business litigation attorney to initiate a contract breach lawsuit to enforce the terms of the agreement.

Non-Compete Agreement

A non-compete clause, or covenant not to compete, is a contract law phrase describing a situation in which one party (typically an employee) agrees not to enter into or start a similar business in competition with another party (typically the employer). Questions to consider:

• Do you, the employer, wish to enforce a non-compete agreement signed by a past employee?
• Are you an employee who has been accused of violating a non-compete agreement you signed with a prior employer?

Sometimes an employer is trying to prevent a former employee from competing against the business and other times the employee is defending themselves from a former employer who is accusing them of competing.

Let a Sugar Land Business Litigation Attorney Help Your Company Succeed

The Sugar Land business litigation attorneys at Romano & Sumner can assist employers and former employees to navigate the pitfalls of non-compete agreements. Contact our offices today.