Areas of Experience

Civil Law Firm in Frederick MD

Business litigation comprises the vast majority of cases at Gordon & Simmons. Since it first opened its doors in 1987, Gordon & Simmons has assisted its clients – large and small – in resolving business disputes. Gordon & Simmons routinely represents clients in state and federal court in Maryland, Virginia, D.C., West Virginia and Pennsylvania, but has also represented clients in disputes across the country, including most recently in California, Florida and New Jersey.

The firm’s practice areas include business torts, contract disputes, lender liability, corporate control battles, professional (legal) malpractice, intellectual property, real estate and zoning, civil and constitutional rights, defamation and libel, labor and employment, and construction law.

In the more than quarter century since the firm was founded, Gordon & Simmons has handled a number of large, important and high-profile cases, including:

1. Dan E. Moldea v. New York Times, 793 F. Supp. 335 (D.D.C. 1992); 22 F.3d 310 (D.C. Cir. 1994). In this case, Gordon & Simmons took on The New York Times for a negative book review of a work by author Dan Moldea. The decision remains important in media and First Amendment law nearly 20 years later.
2. Perini Corporation v. Perini Construction, Inc., 915 F.2d 121 (4^th Cir. 1990). Gordon & Simmons successfully defended the right of a smaller, local company based in Hagerstown, Maryland to use the Perini name in business against a much larger company, Perini Corporation.
3. The Tailwind Controversy – in multiple cases Gordon & Simmons represented two former producers at the Cable News Network (CNN) after they were terminated in connection with the broadcast of “Valley of Death,” a segment that charged that Sarin gas had been used by the American military during the Vietnam War. Roger Simmons’ efforts in defending the producers against CNN and in defense of the story are documented in a book by one of the co-founders of CNN, Reese Schonfeld, Me and Ted Against the World.
4. Ronald Haft v. Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Case No. CA-94-9904. In this action, Gordon & Simmons represented one of the members of the Haft family (Ronald) – which once controlled retail outlets including Dart Drug, Trak Auto, Crown Books, and Shoppers Food Warehouse – in his dispute with his former lawyers (a prestigious D.C. law firm) over its handling of his interests in connection with the break-up and control of the Haft business empire.
5. Jan Pottker v. Kenneth Feld and Ringling Bros. & Barnum & Bailey Circus, Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Case No. CA-99-008068. In 2001 Salon.com ran a feature article on this litigation brought by Gordon & Simmons against the famous circus and its owner. In this case, Gordon & Simmons collaborated with the late Johnnie Cochran and his firm on behalf of D.C. area author, Jan Pottker.
6. David Schwartz, et al. v. Rent-A-Wreck America, Inc., et al., Civil No. PJM 07-1679. In this ongoing litigation, Gordon & Simmons has defended, in two separate, Federal jury trials, the founder of the Rent-A-Wreck used car franchise and sought to protect his contract and intellectual property rights against the national company.
7. Warren Halle v. Fr. Lurssen Werft GmbH & Co. KG. Gordon & Simmons successfully represented a Maryland based developer and entrepreneur in a dispute with one of the world’s premier luxury shipbuilders, Lurssen.
8. Margaret O. McElroy v. Action Products, Inc., Case No. 21-C-12-044601, Circuit Court for Washington County. Gordon & Simmons is currently representing Action Products, a Hagerstown-based company, in a dispute over the ownership of a proprietary formula and the payment of royalties.
9. David & Joelle Abke v. Byrd & Byrd, P.C., et al., Case No. CAL10-02134, Circuit Court for Prince George’s County. Gordon & Simmons represented a husband and wife who sold their telecom business to an entrepreneur, but failed to realize most of the promised proceeds of the sale.
10. Antrim Business Park, L.P. v. Dominick J. Perini, AAA Case No. 16 115 Y 00833 09 before the American Arbitration Association. In this complex commercial arbitration, Gordon & Simmons represented a prominent Washington County landowner and developer in his fight to recoup several hundred thousand dollars held in escrow in connection with the sale of land slated to become Antrim Commons Business Park.

This is but a sampling of some of the larger cases that Gordon & Simmons has handled since the firm first opened its doors in Frederick, Maryland in 1987. Gordon & Simmons strives to provide stellar legal service at reasonable rates to all its clients, regardless of the size or nature of the dispute.