Scali Rasmussen news of note

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We kicked off the summer with some wonderful events, including the SAGE 2024 Gala and the XLNC Summer Conference. Read on for more details on how we are getting involved in our community and remaining ahead of the curve in our industry.

In the community

XLNC conferences & the legal focus group

Professionals from all over the world came together for the XLNC Summer Conference in Dusseldorf, which includes members within the legal, financial and management sectors. Managing Shareholder Christian Scali led the Legal Focus Group session as Global Chair, along with Shareholder Jeffrey Erdman.

The session led discussions on several compelling topics, including the Corporate Transparency Act, as well as a case study on how a European Vehicle Manufacturer utilizing a direct sales model successfully entered the U.S. market. Scali Rasmussen Shareholder Bert Rasmussen presented the latter topic, as he is highly experienced with cross-border transactions.

Christian is working with XLNC to launch the first issue of a legal newsletter, which will focus on international M&A transactions and features articles by fellow legal professionals.

It was also just announced that Mr. Jo Vanbelle will join Christian as Global Co-Chair of the XLNC Legal Focus Group. Jo is the managing partner at the award-winning Vanbelle Law Boutique, which he founded in 2015.

The Legal Focus Group will meet again at the XLNC Fall Conference, taking place in Oslo this October, which the Scali Rasmussen team will also be attending.

SAGE 2024 Gala

Scali Rasmussen has always fostered a welcoming and inclusive workplace environment and actively supports the LGBTQ+ community. During Pride Month in June, we were honored to sponsor the SAGE 2024 Gala, which supports LGBTQ+ elders and the LGBTQ+ community nationwide.

ADOMA

Our team recently returned from a great weekend at the ADOMA Educational Conference in Carlsbad, CA. We always find value in keeping up with important issues within the automotive industry so that we can better assist our clientele.

As a conference sponsor, we also attended the Vendor Faire, where we saw many familiar and new faces. We spoke to attendees about recent PAGA updates and raffled off a 3-night stay at Villa Ardore in Tuscany! Villa Ardore is owned and run by Christian Scali and his husband Stephen Lewis, and they, and the firm’s other shareholders, love to entertain firm clients there.

CNCDA

On May 23, Shareholder Bert Rasmussen provided a webinar via CNCDA alongside attorneys Jordan Jankowski and Anthony Bento. The webinar was specifically designed for California franchised new car dealers and highlighted important changes made to California's franchise laws through CNCDA's 2023 Franchise Bill (AB 473).

Recent victory

Scali Rasmussen secures a defense verdict regarding title issues on a high-end luxury car

Scali Rasmussen is proud to announce a significant legal victory, having secured a defense verdict in a complex and high-stakes bench trial involving allegations of breach of contract and fraud. After 4 days of testimony, the trial concluded with the judge ruling in favor of our client on all claims.

This case arose from a dispute between two well-known dealerships in Southern California. Scali Rasmussen’s consumer litigators, John Swenson and Janae Hill, represented and defended a reputable dealership who fell victim to a multimillion-dollar scheme resulting in multiple lawsuits. In this case, our client sold a high-end luxury vehicle to a local dealership. After the purchase was complete, it became apparent to both dealers that someone made a complaint contesting the validity of the title. Thus, the purchasing dealership sued our client alleging breach of contract and fraud.

Our client was a bona fide purchaser who acquired the subject vehicle from a third-party exotic sports car dealership who was known for selling rare high-end vehicles. However, after years of good business, the third-party dealership stopped paying for the cars it sold, which included the subject vehicle. As a result, the subject vehicle was reported stolen by the original owner after it was sold to different dealers-- including our client and the plaintiff in this case.

Industry recognition