Greenberg Gross LLP Wins Jury Verdict for $2.3 Million in Fraud Suit Against Founder of Dialysis Centers
COSTA MESA, CA (July 2, 2014) – Orange County-based Greenberg Gross LLP obtained a seven-figure judgment in a jury trial on behalf of KV Kumar, the former chief operating officer of Dialysis Centers Network LLC (“DCN”), an entity that managed eight dialysis centers in Southern California.
The eight-day jury trial, tried in Orange County Superior Court in Santa Ana, California, involved the breach of an oral agreement and a later written agreement between Dr. Gadsalli Ravikumar, the founder of DCN and the dialysis centers, and Mr. Kumar. The written agreement, consistent with the earlier oral agreement, provided that Mr. Kumar would, upon sale of the centers, be entitled to a percentage of the gross sale price. Based on this representation, Mr. Kumar worked for DCN for approximately four years, until Dr. Ravikumar sold the centers to DaVita, a Fortune 500 company, for approximately $43 million, which was more than double what he had hoped to achieve when he hired Mr. Kumar four years earlier.
When Dr. Ravikumar failed to pay Mr. Kumar his percentage of the proceeds, Mr. Kumar filed the lawsuit, alleging not only breach of contract as to both agreements, but also fraud in the inducement. Dr. Ravikumar not only vigorously defended the lawsuit, claiming that there was no agreement, but also filed a cross-complaint against Mr. Kumar.
After eight days of trial, the jury returned a verdict finding Dr. Ravikumar liable for approximately $2.3 million in damages for his breach of contract and fraud, while rejecting his cross-complaint against KV Kumar in its entirety.
“We are very pleased to have obtained justice for a client who had been defrauded by a powerful defendant who thought he could get away with it,” said Wayne Gross, the Greenberg Gross partner who led the trial team for the plaintiff. “KV Kumar and his family may now move on with their lives.”
KV Kumar, a 69-year-old resident of Yorba Linda, said that the Greenberg Gross trial team – Gross, Dan Gutenplan, and Frank Mickadeit – was an unstoppable force in the courtroom: “I am very thankful that I had the very best representation in a case where anything less would have put me at risk of losing what I earned in successfully turning around DCN’s operations.”
The case is KV Kumar v. Gadsalli Ravikumar, et al., Orange County Superior Court Case No. 30-2013-00657199-CU-BC-CJC.
About Greenberg Gross LLP
Prior to forming Greenberg Gross LLP, the partners made national headlines for winning a $50 million jury verdict in a partnership dispute regarding iconic Hollywood properties, including the Hollywood Palladium. Since its founding in April 2013, the firm has grown to ten lawyers and represents public companies, prominent law firms, nonprofit organizations and high-level executives in their most significant business cases. The firm was recently ranked as a “Best Law Firm” by U.S. News Media Group and Best Lawyers® for the metropolitan area of Orange County.
For additional information, please visit www.GGTrialLaw.com, or contact Wayne R. Gross: (949) 383-2810 /WGross@GGTrialLaw.com.
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