Montgomery McCracken Secures Complete Defense Verdict in New Jersey Jury Trial

Types : Press Releases

Montgomery McCracken is pleased to announce that partners Alexandra Jacobs and Michael Fekete secured a complete defense verdict for client Pat’s Pizza, a chain of casual restaurants, following a two-week jury trial in Camden County Superior Court.

The case arose from a dispute brought by a former licensor and operator of one of Pat’s Pizza’s New Jersey locations. The former licensor alleged breach of contract, fraud, bad faith, and sought both compensatory and punitive damages totaling more than $1.4 million. Montgomery McCracken filed counterclaims on behalf of Pat’s Pizza for unpaid license fees and other obligations.

Alex Jacobs took the lead at the trial along with Michael Fekete. Michael successfully argued a motion for partial directed verdict, resulting in the dismissal of the plaintiff’s fraud and punitive damages claims at the close of the plaintiff’s case. The motion was supported by a persuasive brief prepared by Rachel Welsh, whose written advocacy played a key role in the court’s ruling.

After deliberating for more than six hours, the jury returned a unanimous 6–0 verdict finding that Pat’s Pizza had not breached any of the six contracts in dispute. The jury also found in favor of Pat’s Pizza on its counterclaim.

About Montgomery McCracken

Montgomery McCracken is a full-service law firm with offices in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Delaware. The firm represents leading businesses, multinational corporations, nonprofit organizations and individuals across a wide range of industries in complex litigation matters, significant corporate transactions and challenging disputes. For more information about Montgomery McCracken or its practice areas, please visit us online at www.mmwr.com.