Business and Commercial Litigation Practice Areas

Reiser Law is a litigation firm with offices in the San Francisco Bay Area and on Brickell Avenue in Miami. We represent individuals, founders, businesses, investors, property owners, and community associations in California and Florida state courts, in federal courts nationwide, and in arbitration.

Business and Commercial Litigation

When a business dispute threatens revenue, control of a company, or a major asset, the outcome turns on preparation and trial credibility. We litigate commercial disputes from pre-suit strategy through trial, arbitration, and appeal, for plaintiffs and defendants alike.

  • Breach of contract and business tort claims
  • Fraud, misrepresentation, and concealment
  • Unfair competition claims under California Business and Professions Code section 17200 and the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act
  • Arbitration, including petitions to compel, confirm, or vacate arbitration awards
  • Civil RICO claims under federal law and Florida's Civil Remedies for Criminal Practices Act
  • Breach of fiduciary duty claims against partners, managers, directors and those who aid them

HOA, Condominium, and Condo-Hotel Litigation

Community associations control budgets, reserves, rental programs, and access to shared property. When boards, master associations, developers, or hotel operators overreach, owners and associations need litigators who understand how these structures work. We have represented condominium and condo-hotel purchasers at Hard Rock Hotel San Diego, Westin Verasa Napa, and the Ritz-Carlton Residences San Francisco.

  • Master association and sub-association disputes over assessments and cost allocation
  • Director fiduciary duty claims and books-and-records enforcement under California's Davis-Stirling Act and Florida's condominium and homeowners' association statutes
  • Construction-defect settlement proceeds and reserve accounting
  • Hotel rental-program and management-agreement disputes
  • Receiverships and injunctive relief

Related reading: Florida condo owners' right to inspect association records. More on this work: claims against developer-controlled HOAs and master associations.

Real Estate, Easement, and Co-Ownership Litigation

Property rights often rest on a deed recorded decades ago. We litigate disputes over what owners bought and what they are entitled to use.

  • Easement and access rights, including rights to use subdivision amenities
  • CC&R enforcement
  • Co-ownership and fractional ownership disputes
  • Lis pendens, quiet title, and partition
  • Purchase contract rescission, including claims under the Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act

More on this practice: real estate, easement and condo-hotel litigation.

Class Actions

Reiser Law has served as class counsel and co-lead counsel in state and federal class actions involving hotel-condominium sales, fractional interests, and insurance products, including Beaver v. Tarsadia Hotels in the Southern District of California, which resolved with a $51 million settlement for Hard Rock Hotel San Diego condominium purchasers. We also work with other firms as co-counsel.

More on this practice: class action litigation. Related reading: What to do after you receive a class action notice. See also our representative cases.

Investor Fraud, Ponzi Scheme, and Auditor Liability

When a fund collapses, the fraudster is rarely the only source of recovery. Auditors, valuation firms, administrators, and banks may be liable for failing to do their jobs. We represented more than 150 investors in claims against the auditor and the valuation firm of a private lending fund later revealed to be a Ponzi scheme; both matters resolved by confidential settlement. We also handle cryptocurrency fraud and securities litigation.

More on this practice: investor fraud and Ponzi scheme recovery, investment fraud claims in Miami and in the Bay Area, and FINRA arbitration for investors. Related reading: Recovering losses after a Ponzi scheme. See also our representative cases.

Partnership, Shareholder, Founder, and Fiduciary Duty Disputes

When co-founders, partners, or co-owners fall out, control of the company and the value of each owner's stake are on the line. We represent founders, partners, minority and majority owners, investors, and companies in these disputes, including:

  • Breach of partnership, operating, and shareholder agreements
  • Breach of fiduciary duty, self-dealing, and diverted opportunities
  • Founder equity, vesting, removal, and buyouts
  • Withheld distributions and books-and-records access
  • Dissolution and valuation disputes
  • Arbitration of these claims, including petitions to compel, confirm, or vacate awards

Related reading: Minority shareholder rights in California and the implied covenant of good faith in California. More on this practice: breach of fiduciary duty litigation, partnership, LLC and shareholder disputes in California and co-founder and startup disputes in the Bay Area.

Timeshare and Fractional Interest Litigation

We represent fractional and destination-club owners against developers and operators whose conduct devalues their interests, including more than 300 members in the Ritz-Carlton Destination Club litigation and the Hyatt Grand Aspen owners' association in G.A. Resort Condominium Association v. ILG in the District of Colorado.

More on this practice: fractional interest and timeshare litigation. See our representative cases for timeshare and fractional interest matters.

Discovery in Aid of Foreign Proceedings (28 U.S.C. § 1782)

Section 1782 allows an interested person to ask a U.S. federal court to order discovery from a person who resides or is found in the district, for use in a proceeding before a foreign or international tribunal. We prepare and litigate section 1782 applications for clients involved in proceedings abroad. See Section 1782 discovery in Miami.


To discuss a dispute, call (925) 256-0400 (San Francisco Bay Area) or (305) 726-2003 (Miami), or contact us. See our representative cases.

Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each matter depends on its own facts and law.