Valensi Rose PLC Prevails in Commercial Property Lease Case Against Ken Crane’s Magnavox City, Inc.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) June 25, 2009 -- Valensi Rose PLC announced that it won a commercial property lease case against Ken Crane’s Magnavox City, Inc. in the amount of $543,939 plus attorneys’ fees and costs to be awarded on behalf of the law firm’s clients Westminster Plaza Property Management Co. and the Louis Miller Family. The case involved non-payment on 6,000 sq. ft. of leased commercial space in a shopping center in Westminster, California. Laurie Murphy, a partner and the head of the litigation department at Valensi Rose, tried the case to a jury.

“The case was complicated by the death of the founder Ken Crane who had agreed orally with the landlord to a ten year extension of the lease which was confirmed in a letter sent to the landlord by Ken Crane,” said Murphy. “After five years into the ten year agreed upon extension and two years after Ken’s death, Ken’s son, Casey Crane, claimed that the letter his father sent was a forgery, that the reference in it to ten years was a mistake and that it should have said five years. We argued that either my client and Ken Crane’s had an agreement to extend the lease for ten years or that during the five year period Ken Crane’s remained in possession it was a holdover tenant and under the lease was required to pay 150% of the monthly scheduled rent.”

The action was filed on August 23, 2007, and the trial started on April 20, 2008. Ken Crane’s, demanded a jury after refusing mediation. The trial concluded on May 12, 2009 with the jury finding that Ken Crane’s Magnavox City, Inc was a holdover tenant and returned a verdict for $543,939 in favor of Valensi Rose’s clients who are also entitled to recover legal fees from Ken Crane’s. The attorneys’ fees award is expected at the hearing which is scheduled for June 22, 2009.

Judgment on the jury’s verdict was entered on May 12, 2009 by Judge Cary E. Nishimoto of the Superior Court of the State of California in Torrance, Case No. YC 056203.

Ms. Murphy, who also has degrees in civil engineering, has practiced law for more than twenty years in real estate, construction and business litigation matters. Her clients include high-end residential landlords and tenants; commercial landlords and tenants; corporate, partnership and individual property owners; contractors and developers; and other real estate professionals as well as business owners.

About Valensi Rose, PLC:

Established in 1952, Valensi Rose PLC is a full-service business law firm providing its clients with the broad range of legal services needed in a complex business environment. The firm is AV® rated by Martindale Hubbell (its highest rating). The firm’s practice areas include: federal, state and international tax planning and litigation; estate planning and probate; civil litigation, family law, real estate; business and corporate law; non-profit law; labor and employment law; and music, entertainment and intellectual property law. For more information please visit www.vrmlaw.com.
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