HKP Legal Briefing Newsletter Summer 2024

Legal Briefing Newsletter

Summer | 2024

HKP Wins Award Third Year in a Row!

HKP was recently named as one of the 2024 Best Places to Work in Orange County. The awards program was created in 2009 and is a project of the Orange County Business Journal in partnership with Workforce Research Group.

This county-wide survey and awards program was designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in Orange County, California, benefiting the county's economy, its workforce and businesses.

The ranking of the winning organizations were released via a special section of the Orange County Business Journal’s July 1st issue.

Recent Litigation Victories

HKP’s client was sued by her sisters in Los Angeles Superior Court seeking to invalidate a trust amendment on the grounds of undue influence and elder abuse. After the sisters finished presenting their evidence two days into a five-day trial, HKP's Andrew Kienle brought a motion to dismiss. The Judge granted the motion, dismissing both the trust petition and related civil complaint and entering judgment in the client’s favor.

HKP’s client was sued by her sister to invalidate their father’s entire trust on the grounds of undue influence. After a 4-day trial conducted by Andrew Kienle in October in San Bernardino Superior Court, the judge denied the petition, thereby validating the trust and confirming HKP’s client’s right to receive 100% of her father’s estate.

HKP’s client sued his deceased brother’s former girlfriend who absconded with over $1,300,000 in trust assets. HKP's Andrew Kienle conducted a 3-day trial in Orange County Superior Court in February, which concluded with the judge ruling in the client's favor, and ordering the respondent to return the $1,300,000 in real and personal property to our client.

HKP's Schedule of Upcoming Industry Events

WMA Convention & Expo

October 14-17, 2024

Henderson, Nevada

Don't miss our educational seminar! Stay tuned for details.

MHET

October 23, 2024

New Laws Seminar

Don't miss the latest legislation in manufactured housing presented by John Pentecost.

MHI NCC Forum

November 13-15, 2024

Chicago, IL

30th Anniversary PFAC Conference

May 7-10, 2025

Anaheim, CA

In the News

Achieving Transparency in the Wake of Antitrust Violations

by Anna G. Kudla

This year marks a massive change in the real estate industry with brokerages settling antitrust class-action litigation for hundreds of millions of dollars, including the National Association of Realtors (“N.A.R.”), a trade organization with over 1.5 million members, agreeing to pay $418 million in settlement. These settlements put an end to class-action lawsuits against members across the country accused of violating antitrust laws and driving up home prices by deceptively steering homebuyers to properties offering higher commission percentages. The accusations raised in the various lawsuits, although vehemently denied, have altered the way real estate professionals do business. The most significant change brought about by these serious claims can be boiled down to one word, transparency.