When do you need an experienced California or San Diego unfair competition and fraud attorney?  Are you a business person who is concerned about fraud or unfair competition?  Have you been accused of fraud or unfair competition in a business setting?  Almost every business lawsuit involves some assertion regarding fraud and/or unfair competition.  If you are involved in a business dispute you need to draw upon the proven success of the Watkins Firm over four decades here in San Diego and Southern California.

Business Fraud and Unfair Competition are Often Connected

Business fraud and unfair competition are often connected in San Diego business litigation cases.  We have successfully resolved many cases involving a business contract which is fulfilled by one party, but the other attempts to gain the benefit of the bargain while depriving the other of payment or the fruit of their labor.

In one case a company entered into an agreement with a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) services who was to hire employees for placement within the company.  The service organization was to provide all insurance including workers compensation and payroll obligations for the employees under this agreement.  Ultimately two of the employees hired under this contract were injured at work, only to have their valid claims rejected.  The PEO was not capable of providing the insurance under the contract and fraudulently induced the company to enter into a PEO contract so the supposed PEO provider could collect millions of dollars in fees.  In this case the PEO was unjustly enriched by more than $10 million in workers compensation insurance and other costs which they were required to provide under the agreement but never obtained on behalf of the client.

A Proven Strategy for Resolving Business Related Disputes

The Watkins Firm has more than four decades of experience in business to business litigation throughout the San Diego Region.  Business fraud and unfair competition often go hand in hand.  A proven San Diego fraud and unfair competition attorney from the Watkins Firm works to aggressively protect the interests of our clients.  It might surprise you to learn that the Watkins Firm is often able to resolve most these disputes through leveraged negotiation.  We represent clients through every phase of a dispute in an effort to contain costs while achieving their goals and objectives.  This includes mediation, arbitration and, if necessary, a trial in a San Diego or Southern California Court.

Pro-Tip: “Well, as a business attorney for the last almost 40 years, I can tell you every dispute between businesses, between a company and its employees, almost every kind of dispute ends up with a cause of action for unfair competition. Now in the business and professions code in the 17 thousands, there’s a whole bunch of different categories for different kinds of businesses and different kinds of offenses. Basically, if you are doing business and you’re following the law and you are competitors doing business and they’re sexually harassing their employees, or they’re not hiring minorities, or they’re falsely advertising their prices, or they’re doing a number of things that may violate this law.

And you’re going to find a cause of action for unfair competition included, because if you win even $5 under the unfair competition, you get your attorney’s fees. Yeah. And that’s a big hammer if you’re fighting with somebody for a hundred thousand, but it’s a breach of contract with no attorney’s fees clause, you throw in your unfair competition. They know that the stakes just went up, they could be paying $200,000, $300,000 in attorney’s fees in addition to what they may or may not lose in the case.

We work unfair competition clauses into almost every contract we create. How does that enhance the likelihood that contracts are going to be successful? Well, you want to have some teeth on your contract. Otherwise, if it’s more profitable to breach it, you might as well just breach it. That’s the actual intent of the law. So if, for example, you buy somebody’s company and then they turn around and start a new company to compete with you if you don’t have special clauses in there. And that’s just your most basic example, there’s a lot more subtle examples as well. And even when you don’t put it in the contract, sometimes the broad language of the unfair competition laws will save you. And you can go ahead and try to enforce your rights.

Some examples of unfair competition include false advertising, misleading advertising. That’s big. There are entire industries of lawyers who just go out and look at labels and then they’ll go find a consumer or a competitor and they will bring a class action against you.” – Dan Watkins, Founding Partner

Your San Diego Fraud and Unfair Competition Attorney

Your San Diego fraud and unfair competition attorney will provide sound advice and counsel while working to achieve a cost-effective, timely and successful outcome in your case.  We seek positive resolutions in cases of theft, fraud, deception and cases of unfair competition, misleading advertising or market manipulation.  We take a unique approach to litigation which is designed to accomplish our client’s goals and objectives in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Deception, fraud and unfair competition are often alleged in a business dispute and you need a legal partner who will protect your interests and aggressively pursue justice.

We invite you to review our podcast Episode 16 – Unfair Competition as well as the strong recommendations of our clients and contact the Watkins Firm or call 858-535-1511 for a complimentary consultation today. Learn about our proven track record of success and how our attorneys can work to set things right for you and your company.