No matter how many times I write about disputes between business partners, and how many times clients tell me their horror stories, I remain amazed by the ease with which some major business divorces could have been avoided.  Most of the time, when a shareholder dispute could have been averted, it is because one of the parties just needed to listen to the other.  » Read More

Not surprisingly, business divorce litigation can be quite costly.  Whether this cost is “worth it” is not always so easy to figure out.  If a minority shareholder or LLC member in New Jersey has an interest valued at $600,000, spending $50,000 – $100,000 in legal fees may be warranted to achieve a buy-out.  » Read More

David C. Roberts, a Member of law firm Norris McLaughlin & Marcus, P.A., will co-present “Anatomy of a Corporate/Business Divorce” with Hubert Klein of EisnerAmper, LLP, on Thursday, June 21, at the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts (NACVA) and the Consultants’ Training Institute’s (CTI) 2018 Annual Consultants’ Conference to be held June 20-22 at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.  » Read More

In my last blog post, I explored the issue of equal pay among co-equal business partners, and how equal pay disputes can be remedied.  In this article, I look at the same issue from a slightly different perspective – whether shareholder power in a 50/50 company must always be equal. » Read More

When you and your business partner started your company, being 50/50 partners sounded like the only fair way to go.   After all, you were both putting in the same amount of money. You were both supposed to work equal hours, make the same sacrifices, and provide the same value.  » Read More

One of the most common reasons for a minority shareholder to file “business divorce litigation” is because that minority owner feels left out, pushed out, squeezed out – simply not part of the process in any significant way.  Quite often, the minority owner is pushed out for a reason that is not entirely unjustified.  » Read More

David C. Roberts, a Member with Norris McLaughlin & Marcus, P.A., is pleased to present a seminar for all business owners that will answer many of the questions, both known and unknown, a shareholder would have, such as:

• What, exactly, is “shareholder oppression?”
• How do I remedy oppression?

You likely came across this article if you Googled the term “shareholder dispute.”  However, it is just as likely that you Googled the term “business divorce.”  One business owner suing the other(s) to be bought out, or some other escape, is often rightly referred to as business divorce because it is analogous to a divorce among spouses in obvious ways.  » Read More

Many shareholders contemplating getting a “business divorce” have put up with an intolerable situation for years, because they fear that filing a shareholder oppression lawsuit will somehow make matters even worse.  They might be partly correct in the short term.  But the long-term gains often outweigh temporary negatives. » Read More