Are you searching for an experienced, proven law firm for a San Diego or California minority shareholder dispute?  Are you looking for legal advice and counsel regarding issues as an investor or shareholder in California? The Watkins Firm has almost four decades of proven and successful investor and shareholder dispute resolution experience.

Key Takeaways Regarding a San Diego or California Minority Shareholder Dispute:

• California laws provide specific protections for minority shareholders and investors.
• It is absolutely possible to stand up to majority interests who fail to declare or pay appropriate dividends, prevent access to important corporate information or the books, or take actions that are not in the best interests of the company or a breach of their fiduciary duty.
• Draw on the Watkins Firm’s 40+ years of experience in asserting, protecting, and defending the rights and interests of investors, shareholders, members, and partners here in San Diego and throughout California.

California Provides Specific Protections for Minority Shareholders and Investors

California law provides extra protections for the minority interest unless corporate by-laws or shareholder agreements specifically address such issues directly.  Some minority shareholder rights cannot be changed, even in corporate by-laws or agreements such as the right to access specific corporate information.  Minority shareholders in California have the right to examine the record of shareholders, as well as the accounting “books”, records and minutes of corporate meetings and proceedings.

The denial of access to this information is a serious matter here in California, and the Watkins Firm has almost four decades of successful experience in cases representing clients in a San Diego or California minority shareholder dispute.  Denial of access to critical information or elements of decision making is often known as a “freeze out.”

In other cases the concern of a minority shareholder may be focused upon wrongdoing by those with control of the corporation.  If you are concerned about improper payments, excessive compensation or distributions, a lack of appropriate distributions, the misappropriation of funds, “sweetheart” transactions with outside companies that majority ownership may have a personal interest in,  or the breach of contract or fiduciary duty we invite you to contact the Watkins Firm.  Learn about the results we have gained on behalf of other investors or minority shareholders in similar situations.

Pro-Tip: “We’ve had so many investor or shareholder fights where a company takes a group of friends, or a group of friends who know friends, maybe 30 people to invest in a company and it’ll be doing well, but not great. And the investors, the shareholders won’t be receiving disclosures, or they will be receiving them, but they sort of don’t add up. And then they do an investigation and they come to some law firm like ours and they say, ‘well, let’s, let’s get in there seeing the books and records’ and you get some pushback from the company. And that’s when all the hairs in your neck stand up and you come to the Watkins firm and we file a motion.

And we discover through our due diligence that the company’s doing very good and that they also formed an offshore corporation of the same name. And they’ve taken all the assets and they’re all driving Rolls-Royces. So this has happened more times than I can say, because it just does happen. Nobody fights over anything unless there’s money involved. If it’s just doing okay, they would tell the truth and say, ‘it’s all great.’ But if that big money offer comes in the door and they have a way of, of keeping it for themselves, it’s very tempting for human nature to turn that down.

Obviously not all shareholders need legal advice, but many of them do. When should a potential shareholder seek the advice of the Watkins Firm?

Well, if you’re investing $500, no, but if you’re making a substantial investment in a company, you are a buyer of that company. So all the same thought process that we go through when we acquire a company or we sell a company and we do our due diligence should come into play. And law firms have resources that average people don’t. We have computer databases, we can do background searches, we can pull up, or request disclosures. We can actually help you ask certain questions of the corporation. We can literally even hire our CPA to review the financial documents to make sure it adds up.” – Dan Watkins, Founding Partner

The Right Law Firm for a San Diego Minority Shareholder Dispute

Are you searching for the right law firm for a San Diego or California minority shareholder dispute? Draw on the Watkins Firm’s 40+ years of experience in asserting, protecting, and defending the rights and interests of investors, shareholders, members, and partners here in San Diego and throughout California.

You have options, and there are legal remedies that “have teeth” to get the attention of majority owners and protect your rights and interests.  The actions of those in the majority may warrant a derivative action on behalf of the corporation itself in order to protect your interests. In other cases, it is possible to seek an order from the Court to liquidate the corporation, even if it is solvent, when it is necessary to protect minority interests from “oppression” or “persistent unfairness.”  The Court may find a basis for ordering a change in the control of the corporation and/or award liquidated damages up to and including reasonable attorneys fees in some cases.

If you are a minority shareholder who is experiencing shareholder oppression, a freeze-out or other strategies to keep you from the money you are owed, or the day-to-day operations and information of the corporation you own an interest in we invite you to review our podcast Episode 14 – Shareholders’ Rights and Disputes as well as the strong recommendations of our clients and contact the Watkins Firm or call 858-535-1511 for a complimentary consultation today.  

Meet Daniel Watkins:

Daniel W. Watkins is a true people person who sincerely listens. He cares deeply about what others are going through.  Dan enjoys digging into the facts and finding creative solutions to problems.  He contributes his insights candidly and constructively.

Dan’s interest in people make him deeply invested in every relationship and his exuberant personality makes him a true litigator. Dan fights for his clients with a fierce and calculated commitment.

Dan has practiced in the areas of business, medical practices and healthcare business, high tech/science, real estate and employment defense law since 1987. He is a trusted litigation strategist and true trial attorney with over 50 jury and bench trials to his credit. Dan has successfully represented both large companies and individuals and achieved substantial victories in well-publicized trials throughout California and the U.S.

He is experienced in business and corporate formation and administration, as well as all forms of alternative dispute resolution, including binding arbitration and mediation.

THE ROAD TO BECOMING A BUSINESS LAWYER AND LITIGATOR

Dan has almost 40 years of experience working with, for and against some of the largest insurance companies in the country. He has successfully tried and litigated cases in the areas of Healthcare Compliance, Commercial Litigation, Unfair Business Practices, Fraud, Breach of Contract, Battery, Premises Liability, Product Defect, Medical Malpractice, Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, Construction Defect, as well as Unfair Competition, Defamation, and Trade Secrets.

In December 2003, Dan commenced litigation against Health South Surgery Centers-West, Inc and its’ subsidiaries, exposing the company’s extensive mismanagement and misconduct of its’ surgery centers. Dan has also been asked by some of California’s largest municipalities and corporations to conduct legally required investigations into matters involving alleged employment discrimination and harassment.