Mrachek Law Shareholders Scott Konopka and Greg Weiss secured a $6M jury verdict on June 3, 2021, after a three-week jury trial in 19th Judicial Circuit, in Stuart, Florida. In 2014, Mrachek Law took over as counsel for the plaintiff in the 2010 case, involving claims arising from a dry beef business located in Jupiter, Florida. Two Swiss investors started the business in 1993, and each loaned more than $4M needed to buy real property, equipment and inventory. When the plaintiff wanted out in 2003, the defendant drafted a contract to let him take over the business, in exchange for his entity assuming the plaintiff’s debt and a payment of $500,000. The defendant never paid the $500,000, nor paid off the debt, but did sell the business’s commercial building for $3.7M. This hard fought lawsuit ensued in 2010.
“The discovery issues were complex and challenging,” said Konopka, who detailed that full records of tax returns, corporate books and other critical documents were not initially produced. In the end the exhibit lists for trial, for each side, included more than 1500 documents. In addition, due to the pandemic, Konopka’s client could not acquire a travel visa to attend the trial in person, because he resides in Switzerland, so he attended trial via Zoom. “We had to make sure the jury would not hold it against our client that he was prevented from being in the courtroom with them, particularly for a three-week trial, so we humanized him from voir dire to closing argument,” said Weiss. The jury selection was conducted in three venire groups of 25, and everyone in the courtroom was masked throughout the trial. In the end, the jury returned a $5,565,768.80 in damages for Money Lent and $500,000 for Constructive Fraud. “We are thrilled to have our client finally have justice, and closure,” Konopka said.
Mrachek Law is a boutique business and construction trial firm with offices in Stuart and West Palm Beach, Florida, which handles matters on hourly, hybrid and contingency bases.
