Bird Marella Wins Jury Trial and Punitive Damages in Family Real Estate Dispute  

Bird Marella partners Ariel Neuman and Julia Cherlow, and co-counsel John Ly, won a five-week jury trial involving a long-running family dispute related to a hotel property in the San Pedro area. The Orange County Superior Court jury awarded Bird Marella’s client full damages and returned a $1.9 million punitive award against two of the defendants. The trial brings to a close six years of litigation, which, among other things, allowed Bird Marella’s client to secure majority ownership rights in the company.