Jeffrey D. Farrow

Breach of Contract Claims: Filed a lawsuit on behalf of a buyer misled into purchasing commercial real property located on a closed landfill, information that was purposefully omitted from detailed disclosures by the seller and a report by a geotechnical company. Subsequently obtained evidence that the seller knowingly made false statements about the location of the landfill, and that the geotechnical company misread the testing data which, if interpreted correctly, would have disclosed the existence of the landfill. After successfully opposing two summary judgment motions, the defendants paid the buyer a multi-million dollar settlement.

Computer Trade Secrets: Filed a lawsuit on behalf of a young entrepreneur whose “life’s work” was stolen by a large corporation, which claimed the work was owned by the company. After a four-year legal battle involving some of the largest national law firms, obtained a multi-million dollar verdict in favor of the entrepreneur, representing one of the largest awards in the United States for the misappropriation of computer trade secrets.

False Advertising: After discovering that a client’s competitor was knowingly publishing false testing data about the client’s product, sent a demand to cease letter, which was quickly accepted. The competitor then paid damages to the client caused by the unfair business practice.

Fraud Allegations: After pleading guilty to a long list of federal crimes for bribery and money laundering activities, client faced a civil lawsuit seeking to recover nearly $48 million earned through the criminal activity. Crafted a strategy to obtain dismissal of the civil lawsuit by arguing that, as a matter of law, the acts that gave rise to the federal crimes did not result in any civil liability to the client. As expected, the trial court refused to dismiss the lawsuit by virtue of the client’s admissions of guilt and terms of a lengthy plea agreement in the underlying criminal matter, and an appeal was quickly taken. The court of appeal ordered that the lawsuit be dismissed, and that the client’s fees and costs on appeal be reimbursed.

Injunctive Relief: Defeated an ex parte application and subsequent motion for preliminary injunction filed against the largest supplier of forklift batteries and chargers on the West Coast. The moving party unsuccessfully sought to enjoin the supplier from helping its customers apply for credits under California’s Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) Program (providing incentives to fuel supply engine owners to reduce greenhouse emissions).

Intellectual Property: Represented a small company threatened with legal action by a larger company that wanted to acquire it. It was believed that the threatened litigation was designed to “re-engage” merger discussions. In the wake of the threat, successfully designed and implemented a strategy to increase the purchase price of the acquisition target which, in the end, was acquired at a 20 percent premium. No legal action was ultimately filed.

Unfair Competition Claim: Filed a lawsuit and obtained an injunction and judgment forever barring a defendant’s use of a client’s trademarked name after it was discovered that the defendant had set up a company with the trademarked name and was trying to “take over” the client’s identity and clients.

Unfair Competition: A mid-sized insurance agency learned that a former employee had stolen its customer list and taken it to a large competitor. After a significant number of clients moved to the larger company based on faulty information that it had acquired the smaller agency, issued a cease and desist demand on the mid-sized agency’s behalf and gave notice of a hearing for an injunction. The larger company quickly accepted all terms necessary to settle the claim, including disgorgement of all profits earned from the wrongfully solicited business, and agreed to cease all efforts to obtain business from a select group of clients.

Whistleblower Claims: Negotiated a highly favorable settlement on behalf of a whistleblower in an accounting fraud case perpetrated by executives of a publicly-traded company, who were eventually convicted in federal court.

PUBLISHED DECISIONS: Appellate – Klistoff v. Superior Court (City of South Gate) (2007) 157 Cal.App.4th 469: Acted as lead counsel, obtaining positive result for our client in case alleging he could be held civilly liable for crimes that he had pled guilty to in federal court. The case was dismissed on demurrer.

• Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers Magazine (2016-2024)
• Recommended by The Legal 500 along with M&R’s Commercial Litigation Practice Group (2018)