Munck Carter Announces Defense Victory in Dallas Trial Over Finder Fees for Introduction

DALLAS, July 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The Texas-based litigation firm Munck Carter, LLP, is announcing a significant defense victory on behalf of a Wisconsin-based mortgage company following a federal trial over disputed fees for an introduction that led to a joint venture.

Jurors deliberated four hours before agreeing that plaintiff LeAnn Kemper is entitled to just $10,000 despite her attempt to collect $500,000 based on her role in helping arrange a joint venture between defendant Shelter Mortgage Company, LLC, and relocation company Primacy Relocation. The verdict represents just 2 percent of what Ms. Kemper sought in damages.

According to court records, Ms. Kemper arranged an introductory phone call and meeting between the two companies with the hope that she would secure full-time employment if the introduction led to a joint venture. She later filed the lawsuit after Shelter Mortgage declined to offer her a job. Ms. Kemper's breach of contract claim was dismissed before trial, but jurors were allowed to consider her claim that the reasonable value of her services amounted to as much as $500,000.

The Munck Carter trial team, led by trial attorney J. Robert Arnett II, aggressively disputed the claims, arguing that Ms. Kemper never expected to be paid for the introduction. Jurors also heard testimony that Ms. Kemper took a job with a competing lender and tried to lure Primacy Relocation away from Shelter Mortgage after Shelter declined to hire her. Ms. Kemper's lawsuit was filed only after her new employer went out of business. The trial team also presented expert testimony that an industry standard fee for making such an introduction was $10,000 to $15,000.

"Our client is extremely pleased with the jury's verdict," says Mr. Arnett, a partner in Munck Carter, who represented Shelter Mortgage along with Munck Carter associate S. Wallace Dunwoody IV. "We have said from day one that Ms. Kemper's demands were excessive, and this decision confirms it. We could not be happier for our client, or prouder of our trial team."

The case, Kemper v. Shelter Mortgage Co., LLC, was heard before Judge David Godbey in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division.

Mr. Arnett and Mr. Dunwoody also were part of the Munck Carter trial team that won a defense verdict on behalf of client, Applied Optical Systems, Inc., in a November 2009 patent infringement case in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

Munck Carter is a technology and complex litigation firm with offices in Dallas and Marshall, Texas, with an emphasis on patent, trade secret and other intellectual property disputes.  The firm offers full-service counsel in the areas of intellectual property litigation, complex commercial litigation, intellectual property portfolio development, corporate transactions and securities, and employment law.  Munck Carter represents clients from start-ups to Fortune 50™ companies. More information is available at http://www.munckcarter.com.

For information, contact Mark Annick at 214.559.4630 or [email protected].

SOURCE Munck Carter, LLP

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