Montgomery Little Soran & Murray, PC

Successful Appeal in Toxic Tort Case: In August 2007, Steve Hensen and Todd Drake successfully defended an appeal in a highly contested toxic tort case. The Court of Appeals affirmed the jury verdict in favor of Steve and Todd's client in this multi-million dollar case.

Successful Verdict in Contested Foreclosure: Fred Skillern assisted his client in obtaining a foreclosure order and the appointment of a receiver for several hundred acres of prime development land in Mesa County, Colorado after a two-day trial in Grand Junction during August 2007. The complex dispute revloved around the enforceability of key provisions in the client's mortgage.

9 News Law Line: Karen Best and Carmen Decker volunteered their time to the Channel 9 News Law Line in August 2007. Karen participated as part of a special family law panel that answered questions on the 9 News hotline. Carmen was part of a team of attorneys answering calls for general legal advice and she appeared on the 5:00 PM newscast.

Little and Murray Speak at Statewide Convention: Dave Little and Rick Murray spoke at the August 2007 annual meeting of the Colorado Defense Lawyer's Association in Snowmass, Colorado. The CDLA is a statewide organization with more than 700 members. Dave presented a discussion on the updated Colorado Rules of Professional Conduct for lawyers. Rick spoke on the topic of Closing Arguments and Story-Telling as part of the Advanced Trial Advocacy seminar.

Skillern Speaks at Real Estate Symposium: Fred Skillern presented his annual update on legal developments in the area of real estate law at the 2007 Real Estate Symposium for CLE in Colorado. The conference took place in July 2007 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Firm Attorneys Contributing Authors to Upcoming Treatise on Colorado Construction Law: In July 2007, several of the firm's construction law attorneys were asked to contribute to the upcoming revised volume of The Practitioner's Guide to Colorado Construction Law. Dan Murphy, John Riley, Bill Searfoorce, Mike Decker, Heather Weckbaugh, Greg Lindsay, and Max Stich all authored sections of the upcoming edition of the series, which will be published by CLE In Colorado later this year.

Successful Five Week Jury Trial in Wyoming: In June 2007, Dan Murphy completed a five week jury trial in Gillette, Wyoming. Dan represented the City of Gillette, Wyoming in a complex construction dispute involving renovations to the City Hall. Dan won a defense verdict on the claim for breach of contract and the ultimate judgment was substantially less than the amount sought by the plaintiff. The case is on appeal and will ultimately be decided by the Wyoming Supreme Court.

Intellectual Property Presentation to Chamber of Commerce: Chris Taravella and Coulter Bump spoke to the South Metro Chamber of Commerce in May 2007. Chris and Coulter discussed issues affecting small businesses in the areas of trademark, patent, and copyright law.

Successful Defense of Wrongful Termination Claim: In May 2007, the Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court's summary judgment in favor of a supervisor represented by Amy Cook-Olson. The supervisor was accused of discrimination in a wrongful termination claim. The court found that the termination was justified and Amy's client prevailed on all claims.

Firm Attorneys Make Presentation to Healthcare Professionals: Rick Murray, Kara Knowles, and Todd Drake presented a mock trial to Colorado Healthcare Associated Risk Managers during its meeting in May 2007. The presentation addressed emerging issues in the area of health care law and litigation.

Victory at the Supreme Court: In May 2007, Todd Drake prevailed in an original proceeding before the Supreme Court of Colorado. Todd successfully argued that consulting physicians were exempt from the physician/patient privilege, and that they could therefore be interviewed by litigation counsel defending a claim against a treating physician.

Dismissal of Claims Against Firm Client Upheld on Appeal: In April 2007, the Colorado Court of Appeals upheld the trial court's order dismissing all claims for legal malpractice against a client represented by Chris Little and Carmen Decker. Chris and Carmen were able to get the claims dismissed due to the plaintiff's failure to comply with Colorado's certificate of review statute.

Trial Victory for General Contractor: Mike Decker and Max Stich defended a general contractor in a payment dispute in April 2007. After a three-day trial, judgment was entered in favor of Mike and Max's client on all claims and their client was awarded its legal costs.

Summary Judgment for Real Estate Broker: Mike Decker and Greg Lindsay successfully represented a real estate broker and his company in March 2007. Mike and Greg won a motion for summary judgment that dismissed all claims made against their clients, and costs of defense were awarded against the plaintiffs.