Cases
Representative Cases: Christopher Montville represents clients in professional liability
complex commercial matters. Chris has served on several successful trial teams defending lawyers
law firms against malpractice
negligence claims,
he has also won at trial for business owners in commercial disputes.
Obtained Rule 12 dismissal for a Midwest-based, AmLaw 200 firm facing claims exceeding $500 million in state court in Kentucky.
Won a complete defense jury verdict in a $12 million legal malpractice case. The jury found in favor of WTO's client on all claims
also awarded unpaid legal fees owed by plaintiffs.
Won a complete defense jury verdict in federal court for a large international law firm accused of malpractice. The plaintiff hired WTO's client to h
le a complex patent infringement matter, then sued the firm for negligence
breach of fiduciary duty.
Won a complete jury verdict for a contractor who claimed a Canadian software company failed to pay him amounts due under a contract. The jury, in Douglas County, Colorado, returned a verdict in favor of WTO's client after 22 minutes of deliberation, awarding all the damages the client requested.
Successfully briefed
argued in opposition to an appeal by two Las Vegas automobile dealerships arising from WTO's successful defense of the establishment of a new dealership approved by WTO's client, Chrysler Group.
Secured a favorable outcome for our client in a real estate dispute involving damages claims of almost $9 million. The defendant alleged that our client had defaulted on a personal guaranty related to a Texas real estate development project. Following a five-day trial in federal court in Colorado, the jury awarded only a tenth of the original dem
.
Chapman Las Vegas Dodge v. Chrysler - Successfully defended Chrysler against a protest filed by two local dealers to stop Chrysler's establishment of a new Las Vegas dealership. This successful establishment was viewed as a test of New Chrysler's ability to exp
its dealership network following the economic downturn
termination of almost 800 dealers in Old Chrysler's 2009 bankruptcy.
Successfully defended Chrysler against an automobile dealership's allegations of oppressive
unreasonable terms in a letter of intent to enter into a franchise agreement after Chrysler's bankruptcy in a franchise case of national significance.
Briefed an appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, resulting in full affirmance of a verdict in favor of WTO's client, Chrysler Group, on a federal statutory issue of first impression stemming from Congress's enactment of Section 747 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2010.
Mercedes-Benz v. Star Automobile (M.D. Ga. 2011) - Won a preliminary injunction in Georgia for Mercedes-Benz USA in a dealership breach of contract dispute involving the sale of a dealership to a proposed buyer that MBUSA did not want as a Mercedes-Benz dealer.
Co-managed with one other law firm the response to requests from 418 dealers for arbitration relating to the bankruptcy of Chrysler Group LLC
following Chrysler's termination of those dealerships. WTO litigated 187 of these Section 747 arbitrations,
, as directed by Congress, resolved all of the litigation within seven months.
Obtained partial summary judgment in federal court on behalf of a large national law firm that had been sued for malpractice, aiding
abetting, conspiracy,
violations of RICO. The ruling reduced the damage claim from over $150 million to less than $2 million
paved the way for a favorable settlement of the case.
Represented footwear manufacturer Crocs in nationwide litigation involving allegations of defectively designed footwear
failure to warn with respect to alleged risks associated with wearing the shoes on escalators.
