Jeffrey L. Willian, P.C.

• Awarded the largest judgment in the history of Illinois and the largest breach of fiduciary duty judgment in the United States relating to improper corporate governance and usurped opportunities. Center Partners Ltd., et al. v. Urban Shopping Centers, LP., et al., No. 04 L 12194, 2013 WL 8846708 (Ill. Cir. Ct.).
• Obtained the largest jury verdict in the history of Wisconsin relating to a 10-year scheme to defraud through logistics systems. S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. v. Morris, 2010 WI App 6, 322 Wis. 2d 766, 779 N.W.2d 19.
• Investigated, reported to the board and ultimately prosecuted more than $1 billion in engineering and construction cost defects and overruns at multiple plants on behalf of a publicly-traded major chemical company; successfully settled all claims.
• On the eve of trial, negotiated the largest public RICO settlement (more than $300 million) in the history of California and Georgia relating to fraud and breaches of fiduciary duty in connection with privatized military housing developments. Fort Benning Family Communities, LLC, et al. v. American Management Services East, LLC, et al., Case No. SU10CV2025‑F (Superior Court of Muscogee County, Georgia).
• Investigated, analyzed and reported to the board of an international mining company, the cause of a tailings dam collapse, resulting in the largest environmental disaster in the history of South America.
• Received widely-recognized and touted defense ruling, precluding plaintiff’s standard use of the proportional decay damage model for damages in securities class actions, saving companies billions of dollars in damages and settlements. (See Proportional Trading Model Precluded.)
• Obtained complete defense verdict for the Chicago Board of Trade with respect to the claim that it had engaged in price fixing regarding the pricing of soybean futures. Zimmerman, et al. v. Chicago Board of Trade, et al., 360 F.3d 612.
• Successfully prosecuted and defended many partnership and joint venture disputes for numerous publicly-traded and national REITs and institutional investment funds; succeeded in favorable court resolution or settlement in all matters.

Representative Pending Matters

• Ongoing long-term multiple matters for numerous REITs, investment funds and privately-held development companies.
• In the District of Hawaii, representing a publicly-traded company in multiple lawsuits (greater than $75 million) regarding the Ward Development in Honolulu, including claims for massive cost overruns and design errors. Ward Management Development Company, LLC, et al. v. Nordic PCL Construction, Inc., Civil No. 17-00568 JMS-RLP.
• In the Northern District of California, representing 18 privatized Air Force and Army housing projects as plaintiffs in a federal RICO action alleging systematic fraud and breaches of fiduciary duty (nearly $1 billion in damages) against financial advisors, lenders, and bond insurer. Monterey Bay Military Housing, LLC, et al. v. Ambac Assurance Corporation, et al., Case No. 5:17-cv-04992-BLF.
• In Texas, Maryland, Kansas, California and Virginia state courts, representing privatized housing projects against bond insurer claims that projects must pay $220 million for breach of loan agreements. 
• In Los Angeles, representing institutional land owner in connection with dispute regarding ability to develop Century City property that contains multiple oil and gas wells that were improperly remediated.
• In the Middle District of Florida, representing trustee and property insurance company in nationwide class action alleging fraud in connection with a nationwide vacation timeshare points program. Anthony Lennen and Beth Lennen v. Marriott Ownership Resorts, Inc., et al., Case No. 6:16-cv-855-ORL-CEM-TBS.
• In Southern District of Florida, representing an international engineering company in connection with the collapse of a pedestrian bridge, including the resulting National Transportation Safety Board and other governmental investigations and multiple wrongful death and civil lawsuits.

Client References

Available upon request, including many written accolades.