Pratt Attorneys, San Jose CACurrent News »

August 2010

Pratt & Associates — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 20:40:42 +0000

Sharon Glenn Pratt of Pratt & Associates was recently quoted by HOALeader.com regarding her opinion on when it’s wise and not-so-wise to go after delinquent homeowners in small claims court. Read the full article at:

http://www.hoaleader.com/members/455.cfm

July 2010

Pratt & Associates — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 20:19:30 +0000

Attorney Elena Rivkin Franz was recently quoted on a popular website for landlords regarding important clauses to include within a rental agreement. In the article, Ms. Franz reminds landlords how important an attorney’s fee provision can be, as it can mean the difference between letting go or collecting a debt.

Review the article here:

http://www.tvslandlordblog.com/tips/rental-forms/will-your-lease-protect-you-when-it-counts/

Attorney Elena Rivkin Franz was quoted for the Credit Union Times publication on the new Fannie Mae regulations lending to homeowners who have strategic defaults. Read the article here: http://www.cutimes.com/Issues/2010/July-7-2010/Pages/Fannie-Mae-to-Target-WalkAways.aspx

May 2010

Pratt & Associates — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 21:14:48 +0000

Attorney Elena Rivkin Franz of Pratt & Associates achieved a confidential settlement in a case against Countrywide, Bank of America and BAC Servicing for her real estate developer client who had his construction loan funding inexplicably cancelled mid-stream during construction of a luxury residence in the Tahoe Truckee area.

April 2010

Pratt & Associates — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 21:13:19 +0000

Elena Rivkin Franz of Pratt & Associates recently won a trial victory for her real estate developer clients in Alameda County Superior Court, related to their investment in Fremont, California, clearing the way for her clients to sell the property. Attorney Franz was able to secure past damages and also won an order from the court forcing the opposing party to comply with her clients’ request.

March 2010

Pratt & Associates — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 22:26:49 +0000

Susan Bishop was recently quoted in an article for CNNMoney.com regarding independent contractors versus employees and the audits and penalties that come with the misclassification of workers. Read the full article at http://bit.ly/ajqqr1.

Rosalia Tapia recently settled a hotly contested wage and hour case on terms very favorable to her employer client, a large food manufacturing company in California. Attorney Tapia’s aggressive defense of the matter was key in arriving at a nominal settlement amount, substantially below plaintiff’s original demand at the mediation.

A nuisance lawsuit filed by Sharon Glenn Pratt recently forced the removal of a giant tree from land adjoining her client’s property in Santa Cruz County. The tree had been threatening her client’s Ben Lomond home after being damaged in severe weather. A fallen limb from the tree had caused extensive property damage, yet the owners of the tree had ignored all requests to remove it. The client’s homeowners insurance policy was threatening non-renewal if the tree was not removed, and the clients were fearful for their own safety as well.

Sharon Glenn Pratt achieved two substantial settlements in March for her condominium association client, for past due assessments which had previously remained unpaid for years. Pratt & Associates collected by filing lawsuits against the non-paying owners personally, and pursuing default judgments, rather than placing liens on the devalued properties. The condominium association received payment in full for all of the past due amounts, plus the collection costs and attorney fees.

February 2010

Pratt & Associates — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:46:35 +0000

One of Susan E. Bishop’s cases was recently included on Lexis Nexis. In Chong’s Produce v. Naddir Meshaal dba Farm Fresh Produce and Farm Fresh, Ms. Bishop sought a temporary restraining order in accordance with the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. The Honorable Judge Fogel of the United States District Court for the Northern District issued a temporary restraining order against the company who received produce but did not pay for it. As a result of the temporary restraining order, the company’s bank accounts were frozen. The case was quickly resolved.

Congratulations to attorney Susan Bishop and her husband, who welcomed a new baby girl last October. Ms. Bishop returned to work as of February 2010.

January 2010

Pratt & Associates — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:07:10 +0000

Congratulations to attorney Elena Franz and her husband, who welcomed a new baby girl last September. Ms. Franz returned to work as of January 2010.

December 2009

Pratt & Associates — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:04:04 +0000

Attorney Sharon Glenn Pratt of Pratt & Associates has won a motion for attorney’s fees and defeated the opposing party’s motion for fees and motion to tax costs. Sharon Glenn Pratt’s client was found to be the prevailing party in defending a homeowners association lawsuit with an anti-SLAPP motion in Santa Clara Superior Court. On December 18, 2009, Ms. Pratt’s client was awarded attorney’s fees of over $24,000 and costs of over $3000 against the plaintiff. The Court found that the opposing party did not prevail on any cause of action, and its motion for fees and costs was denied.

September 2009

Pratt & Associates — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:13:40 +0000

Attorney Susan Bishop of Pratt & Associates achieved an arbitration victory for her business owner client recently, after a day long arbitration. The California business owner was being accused of sexual harassment by the plaintiffs, who are former employees of the company.

August 2009

Pratt & Associates — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:57:47 +0000

Attorney Rosalia Burgueño Tapia of Pratt & Associates recently won a breach of contract lawsuit in which she recovered both monetary damages and attorney’s fees for her client, the owner of a trade show booth, against a defendant which had custody of the trade show booth and refused to return it. At arbitration, Ms. Tapia successfully argued that the defendant company and its owner had breached the contract and were liable for the value of the trade show booth, as measured by a unique method. The arbitrator agreed with Ms. Tapia on both liability and the calculation of damages. The arbitrator also affirmed Ms. Tapia’s argument that the plaintiff should fully recover its attorney’s fees.

Sharon Glenn Pratt is the founder of the law firm of Pratt & Associates. She specializes in civil litigation, emphasizing real estate litigation, neighbor law, community association law, and construction-related litigation. Ms. Pratt represents various Community Associations, Contractors, Small Businesses, Large Businesses and Institutions, Employers, and individual Plaintiffs and Defendants.

To lean more about my specialties of law, please view my profile under attorneys. If you would like to speak with me, please call me at 408-369-0800. I look forward to hearing from you.