Developers Defended in Commercial Real Estate Transaction

Gordon & Simmons succeeded in extricating two well-known Washington-area real estate developers from a lawsuit arising out their efforts to purchase a multi-million dollar commercial property (worth between $36 million and $42 million, according to the parties) in Northern Virginia occupied by General Dynamics.

Galaxy/Halle Investments, LLC, a prospective buyer, became embroiled in a long-simmering feud between partners in the ownership of prime Oakton, Virginia commercial property, and Galaxy/Halle and its principals were dragged into litigation in the Circuit Court for Fairfax County involving disputes between the partners including members of the Lerner family (who own the Washington Nationals) and Merrick Marshall and Jerome Kaplan.

Roger Simmons and the law firm of Gordon & Simmons came into the case as successor counsel approximately one month before the scheduled trial in the case, and working with local counsel Barney Goodman and George Hawkins of Peterson, Goodman & Hawkins, PLLC, succeeded not only in having the claims filed by the Lerner entities dropped, obtaining releases for the clients, but were also successful in recouping all of the attorneys’ fees and other associated costs incurred by Galaxy/Halle and its principals in the transaction plus additional monies to compensate the clients for the time and expenses incurred.