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ARXIS - Litigation Consulting
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April 2018

 
Recent Case:

Fraud Examination with Surprising Results

Type of Matter:
Business partners in multiple real estate transactions stretching over many years had a falling out that eventually resulted in a claim of fraud against one of the partners.

Background:
Over 20 commercial buildings were acquired over several years. Some had been sold and some were still owned jointly. Neither of the partners, jointly or individually, maintained any formal accounting for the purchases, sales, or management of the properties. One of the partners took the lead role in buying, selling, and managing the properties. The non-active partner made claims of substantial amounts of cash that were unaccounted for and presumed stolen.

Arxis was retained by defense counsel to direct discovery and prepare a forensic accounting needed to establish whether the money had indeed been stolen.

Arxis Work:
Documentation was needed to establish purchase date, purchase price, identity of property, and source of funds for each of the purchased properties. For properties that were subsequently sold, documentation was needed to establish the sale date, sale price, identity of the sold property, and the distribution of proceeds from the sale. For property that was retained, documentation was needed to establish the source (rent) and use (expenses) of funds for each individual property.

The traditional sources of such information were not available as formal accounting records were not maintained and most relevant records were not even preserved. Third-party sources were used to accumulate deeds, escrow statements, bank statements, and other data to allow us to piece together what actually happened.

Result:
Contrary to all expectations, the evidence showed that the Plaintiff had already received substantially more proceeds than were originally invested in the projects. When adding together proceeds plus the fair market value of the property that was still owned, not only had his partner not stolen from him, but he had turned a very healthy profit. Even the defendant was impressed with his own success. Due to the lack of contemporaneous accounting neither party understood that their real estate partnership was actually quite successful.

 
Service Profile:

Forensic Accounting Services for Commercial litigation

Arxis Financial's "Forensic Accounting Services for Commercial Litigation" include reconstruction of accounting records, analysis of business transactions, document review and tracing, and expert witness testimony. We apply detailed investigation and analysis that is necessary to uncover essential facts and provide meaningful insights.

Arxis Financial professionals provide valued assistance in a wide array of commercial litigation matters, including: bad faith, breach of contract, business interruption, fraud, partnership and shareholder disputes, trade secret and unfair competition, wrongful termination, commercial collection, debtor/creditor litigation, mergers and acquisitions, corporation/partnership dissolution, lender liability, product liability, trade libel, and Uniform Commercial Code disputes.

Our experts have extensive experience in presenting and defending our findings in litigation proceedings, including depositions and trial at local, state and federal court levels, as well as mediation and arbitration. We assist attorneys in interpreting the data, and help counsel to understand and analyze events or issues. This level of support can be a key asset in determining a legal strategy as well as reaching a reasonable and efficient conclusion.

If you have any questions about Forensic Accounting Services for Commercial Litigation, please feel free to contact us.

 
Speeches:

Upcoming Speaking Engagements for Chris Hamilton


Chris Hamilton's upcoming presentations include:

April:

  • "10 Things Attorneys Should Know About Business Valuation" presented to San Fernando Valley Bar Association — Probate Section

June:

  • "Prisoner #61727-054: Fraud's Origin and Consequences" presented to Leadership Simi Valley, Reagan Library, Simi Valley, CA
  • "Weighted Average Cost of Capital: Wacky or Required?" presented to NACVA National Conference, Las Vegas, NV
  • "Making the Break: Litigation Consulting" presented to NACVA National Conference, Las Vegas, NV
  • "Hardball with the Masters" presented to NACVA National Conference, Las Vegas, NV

If you are interested in asking Mr. Hamilton to speak at your organization's upcoming meeting, please feel free to contact him.

 
 
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Chris Hamilton, CPA, CFE, CVA
 
 
Chris Hamilton, CPA, CFE, CVA
chamilton@arxisfinancial.com
(805) 306-7890
www.arxisfinancial.com
 
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Clients know us for results. Opposing counsel know Arxis for wishing they had hired us.