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Now taking: subcontractor and supplier claims on stalled building projects
Now taking: subcontractor and supplier claims on stalled building projects
Eskelsen Tavassoli
(801) 555-0147
Tell us about the case
Tell us about the case
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Practice group · Bahram Tavassoli

Partnership and owner disputes

Co-owners stop agreeing, and the company is caught in the middle. We work toward a way out that keeps the business worth something.

We represent members, partners and shareholders of closely held companies: the owner pushed out and the owner doing the pushing, the minority holder and the majority. Most of these disputes end in a buyout or a split. When one side won't come to the table, we go to court for an accounting, a valuation or dissolution.

We act for

  • Minority and majority owners

  • Founders and family members in the business

  • LLC members and managers

  • Professional partnerships

Two men in business clothes smiling at each other across a table in a glass-walled office

What these disputes look like

  • Deadlock

    Two owners, two votes, and no way to decide anything.

  • Money taken out

    A partner paying themselves, or a related company, more than the agreement allows.

  • Push-outs and buyouts

    Being removed as a manager, or wanting out at a fair price.

  • Breaking up the company

    Dissolution, winding up, and who keeps the name, the clients and the lease.

Sample matters

Owner cases like these

  • Bought out

    Two-member landscaping LLC

    Minority member bought out at an appraised value after a deadlock over equipment debt

  • Settled

    Dental practice partnership

    Departing partner's draw dispute resolved with a payment plan and a patient-notice agreement

  • $126,000

    Family restaurant group

    Recovered for a sibling owner after distributions were paid to one side only

Invented sample matters for this template, to show the kind of case we take. Past results don't guarantee a similar outcome; every case turns on its own facts.

Questions from co-owners

Can my partner just lock me out?

Usually not without following the operating or partnership agreement. Bring us the agreement and any minutes or emails about the decision; what it says matters more than who holds the keys.

What is my share worth?

That's often the whole dispute. We work with valuation experts and look at what the agreement says about price before anyone names a number.

Will this destroy the business?

Not if it's handled early. Many owner disputes settle with a buyout that keeps the company running for whoever stays.

Stuck with a partner?

Tell us who owns what and where it broke down. The first call is with a lawyer from this group.

Tell us about the caseCall (801) 555-0147

The first call is free and doesn't make us your lawyers; a signed engagement letter does.