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 Civil:
Mr. Pitzer has won victories for business clients in numerous industries. Most recently, Mr. Pitzer:
- Won a $65.5 million jury verdict against one of the biggest accounting firms in the world in a complicated case involving tax advice the jury found to have been negligently provided (August 2023)
Won a shareholder oppression trial in federal court in Portland, Oregon resulting in the
appointment of a custodian to liquidate sufficient corporate assets to pay
his client $4.7 million as fair value for her shares (December 2021) - Won a unanimous decision in the Oregon Supreme Court
establishing for the first time in Oregon history that parties have a right to a
jury trial under the Oregon Constitution in a shareholder derivative
action (July 2021)
- Obtained an outright dismissal of all substantive
claims against its real estate development client in a complex dispute
with an investor in a multi-million dollar project (March 2021)
- Won
a victory in the Oregon Court of Appeals upholding a $10 million verdict Mr.
Pitzer procured at the close of a three-week jury trial in Washington County (April 2020)
Won summary judgment for the defense in a complex lender-creditor lawsuit, defeating a $6.5 million claim, motion granted based on lender misconduct uncovered in discovery (Jan. 2020) - Won the outright dismissal of a multi-million shareholder derivative lawsuit on behalf of a former executive of a Fortune 100 company (October 2019)
Won a complete victory for the defense (plus fees and costs) after a three-day arbitration, defeating fraud and rescission claims arising out of a Portland area real estate transaction (July 2016)
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Successfully defended an international technology company in a multi-million dollar trade secrets case involving geospatial imaging applications. Case concluded with plaintiff dropping all of its claims in their entirety for zero compensation (September 2015)
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Won a $10 million dollar verdict after a three-week jury trial in a complex shareholder derivative case by proving that a group of directors attempted to conceal fraudulent technology and, as part of the cover-up, made the defrauder himself president of the company (September 2014)
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Won the outright dismissal (with prejudice) of all claims against his client in a $75 million trade secrets case involving highly complicated laser technology (May 2014)
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Won a favorable settlement in a bet-the-company trade secrets case preserving an Oregon engineering firm's ability to compete in the oil rig industry (Jan. 2013)
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Won a preliminary injunction against the United States of America in a highly-publicized case involving the rights of twelve Portland-area businesses to participate in an important federal program (April 2012)
- Won a $2 Million settlement at the close of a two-week jury trial in a fraud/construction defect case involving a prominent Oregon hotel (June 2011)
- Won a directed verdict for the defense (after three days of testimony) in a fraud/construction defect trial in Portland (November 2009)
- Won an outright victory in a complex trade secrets case involving semi-conductor technology where the plaintiff was forced to drop its entire case (2009)
- Won a favorable settlement after a successful injunction hearing on behalf of a lawyer sued by his former partner (2007)
- Won an emergency injunction (which led to a favorable settlement) in a complex real estate dispute involving several million dollars worth of farm property,(2006)
- Won an outright victory on behalf of a prominent group of Portland, Oregon radiologists in a multi-million dollar antitrust case (2005)
- Won a seven figure settlement on behalf of an Oregon-based technology company in a vigorously-contested breach of contract case involving complicated issues of exclusive marketing rights (2005)
- Won a fraud and breach of contract trial on behalf of the purchaser of a downtown Portland restaurant who was swindled in the transaction (2004)
- Won a cutting-edge and highly publicized trademark trial in Portland on behalf of a nationally recognized African musician (February 2003)
- Won a temporary restraining order preventing the president and CEO of an Oregon technology company from misappropriating trade secrets and further damaging the company's business (August 2002)
- Won a high profile eminent domain case, featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, which saved an Illinois landowner's $35 million property (appeal concluded in the fall of 2002)
- Was part of the trial team that won a $133 million jury verdict in federal court in Connecticut (the largest in the state's history) in a complex financial dispute on behalf of a Fortune 100 company (July 2000)
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Criminal:
In addition to civil trials, Mr.
Pitzer also devotes a portion of his practice, often on a pro bono
basis, to criminal defense. Among other cases, Mr. Pitzer has:- Succesffully
convinced federal prosecutors to dismiss charges of attempted murder
and armed robbery by establishing that they had charged the wrong person.
- Won a Ninth Circuit appeal of multiple federal
felony convictions on the ground that a critical defense witness should
have been granted immunity.
- Won a first degree murder jury trial on behalf of a wrongly-accused mentally retarded father of four
- Won an aggravated robbery jury trial where the alleged victim ultimately admitted that she stole the goods herself
- Won an armed robbery jury trial where the victim had mistakenly identified the defendant
- Won an armed violence bench trial where the police falsified their reports
- Won a prostitution procurement bench trial on behalf of an innocent businessman who never intended to hire a prostitute
- Won
the appeal of a conviction in a first degree murder case where the
appellate court concluded that the alleged eye witness never saw the
shooting
- Won a rare grant of habeas corpus from the Seventh
Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago in a first degree murder case (later
reversed by an en banc panel of the Seventh Circuit, but then reversed
again on a post-conviction petition)
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