A team of California litigators from Haynes Boone earned a complete defense verdict after a two-week jury trial in the Central District of California on March 22 for Black Gold Farms, a respected, family-run farming operation.
The trial team was led by Partner Jason Lao with assistance from Associates Andrea Levenson, Alfredo Amoedo and Letitia Johnson-Smith as well as Counsel Thomas Moore from the firm’s Orange County, San Francisco and Palo Alto offices.
The dispute stemmed from a prototype sweet potato transplanter that Black Gold Farms ordered from Motivo Engineering. The farm received an inadequate machine that fell short of the specified requirements while carrying a price tag that was twice the agreed-upon amount. Ultimately, the jury sided with Haynes Boone and Black Gold Farms, returning a resounding take-nothing judgment.
“We’re pleased the jury saw the facts of this case and agreed that Black Gold Farms did nothing wrong,” said Lao, for whom this is a second jury trial victory already in 2024, along with Levenson.
Haynes Boone’s Litigation Department is a go-to source across industries, including banks, financial services companies, manufacturers, technology firms, real estate entities, nonprofit institutions and major energy conglomerates. The firm’s litigators handle high-stakes, complex business disputes of all kinds, including breach of contract, class action, regulatory cases and more.
