AALRR Partners Secure Significant Trial Victories

03.31.2026

Four AALRR partners recently obtained two significant trial victories on behalf of major real estate national corporations. These cases are the latest in a string of six trial victories and settlements for the Real Estate and Title Litigation team within the last fourteen months. These victories are reflective of excellent trial advocacy and strategic pre-trial motion practice.

$20 Million Post-Trial Settlement for Client in Los Angeles’s Infamous Graffiti Towers Case

As reported by the Los Angeles Times on February 5, 2026, United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Central District of California, Deborah J. Saltzman, signed an order approving a settlement agreement resolving the years-long litigation surrounding a failed $1 billion real estate development project in downtown Los Angeles. The project—located across the street from the Crypto Arena and L.A. Live—has commonly, and infamously, come to be known as “the Graffiti Towers” as a result of the graffiti that covers the façade of the three partially built towers.

As part of this settlement, AALRR’s client, Chicago Title Insurance Company, collected $20 million from the project’s general contractor, Australia-based Lendlease (US) Construction, Inc. (represented by Perkins Coie), following a state court trial—handled by AALRR partners Ryan Squire, Scott Mahler, and AALRR associate Ani Grigoryan—in which the court held Lendlease breached its contract with Chicago Title and scheduled a separate phase for determining the amount of damages owed by Lendlease to Chicago Title. The case settled before the damages phase. The AALRR trial team also assisted in establishing the validity and priority of the deed of trust of Chicago Title’s insured lender L.A. Downtown Investment LP (LADI) (represented by Greenberg Traurig), which had a claimed value in excess of $180 million. The $20 million recovery is one of the largest-ever recoveries for Chicago Title and the title industry.

This case arose from a loan LADI made to the project’s now-bankrupt developer Oceanwide Plaza LLC in the face amount of $325,000,000. Chicago Title issued a title insurance policy to LADI insuring the lien of LADI’s deed of trust. However, prior to issuing the title insurance policy, Chicago Title required the project’s general contractor, Lendlease (US) Construction Inc. and its parent, Lendlease (US) Construction Holdings, Inc., to execute an Indemnity Agreement containing an express subordination clause in which the Lendlease entities agreed to subordinate any mechanic’s lien they held or acquired to any deeds of trust insured by Chicago Title. The agreement further required Lendlease to execute documents “reasonably required” by Chicago Title “to effectuate” the subordination provision.

Starting in 2019, after the project ultimately failed, numerous contractors, including Lendlease’s (US) Construction, recorded mechanic’s liens and filed lawsuits against LADI, claiming they were owed hundreds of millions of dollars and that their liens were senior to LADI’s deed of trust. Lendlease’s claims were in direct violation of the Indemnity Agreement. Chicago Title hired the Greenberg Traurig firm to successfully defend LADI, costing Chicago Title $20 million over the course of many years of litigation.

Despite Chicago Title’s repeated formal demands that Lendlease desist from suing LADI and agree to subordinate its liens, the Lendlease entities repeatedly refused. The AALRR team moved for summary adjudication asking the court to declare that Lendlease’s mechanic’s liens were subordinate to LADI’s deed of trust. Despite the court’s ruling granting the motion, the Lendlease entities still refused to execute recordable subordination documents. As a result, AALRR attorneys Squire, Mahler, and Grigoryan proceeded to trial to establish that LADI’s deed of trust was valid, enforceable and senior to the myriad mechanic’s liens and to obtain a ruling that Lendlease (US) Construction had breached the Indemnity Agreement and was liable for damages. The AALRR trial team was victorious following a 14-day trial, in which Judge William Highberger held Chicago Title was entitled to attorneys’ fees and costs as damages for the Lendlease entities’ breach of the Indemnity Agreement. Significantly, the court further found LADI’s deed of trust was valid, enforceable, and senior to the numerous mechanic’s liens. The court scheduled a separate phase to determine the amount of Chicago Title’s damages.

Many months of settlement negotiations followed, and the case was ultimately resolved before the damages phase of the trial.

AALRR attorneys worked closely with bankruptcy counsel William Hawkins and Jonathan Goltser at Loeb & Loeb, who were integral to Chicago Title’s success.

Jury Verdict for Less Than 1% of Amount Requested by Plaintiff

AALRR partners Ryan Squire, Jennifer Slater, and associate Ani Grigoryan completed a three-week jury trial in Orange County, California, defending a major national corporation. The case involved a large property located on Newport Bay in the exclusive Corona Del Mar community of Newport Beach, California. Over the course of several years, Mr. Squire, Ms. Slater, and Ms. Grigoryan successfully excluded millions of dollars of plaintiff’s claimed damages by pre-trial motions. At trial, plaintiff (represented by a prominent law firm) attempted to assert new theories and asked the jury to award $18 million in compensatory damages and punitive damages. The jury returned a verdict awarding only $113,500 in compensatory damages and rejected the request for punitive damages. The client was also represented by New York-based attorney Paul McGeough.

$20 Million Colorado Judgment for Client

Mr. Squire also recently obtained a $20 million judgment for a major national corporation in a case he tried in Aspen, Colorado, where Mr. Squire is also admitted to practice. Mr. Squire’s client sued the defendants (a businessman, yacht-builder, and real estate investor/developer and his companies) for breach of contract, fraud, and fraudulent transfers, among other claims. The case involved a residential estate at the base of Aspen Mountain that included a 21,000 square foot house and was one of the most expensive properties ever sold in Aspen. The litigation had been pending for over a decade and involved complex real estate transfers, and contracts spanning years. Mr. Squire was initially hired in 2016 to appeal the dismissal of the client’s claims. After prevailing on appeal and then securing a significant pre-trial finding in the client’s favor on one of the client’s claims, Mr. Squire successfully tried the remaining claims over the course of three weeks. The court found the defendants liable for breach of contract, fraud, and fraudulent transfers, among other claims.

Other Recent Victories

Within the last year, AALRR partners Ryan Squire and Candie Chang tried a 7-week jury trial and obtained a full defense verdict for the client in a case involving a complex alleged real estate fraud and elder abuse scam in which the plaintiff, a 90-year-old retired prominent artist, sought over $230 million, including punitive damages. The plaintiff asserted numerous claims against the client. Mr. Squire and Ms. Chang successfully obtained dismissal of some of the claims before trial, leaving the jury to decide the numerous remaining claims. After a week of deliberations, the jury found for the client on all fronts.

In addition, AALRR partners Ryan Squire, Jennifer Slater, and AALRR associate Ani Grigoryan tried a 4-week jury trial in a case in which their client sued to establish it had no obligations under a policy of title insurance to an insured who owned a $20 million-plus commercial development. The insured (represented by a prominent large law firm and well-known plaintiff’s-title-insurance-lawyer) cross-complained. At trial the insured sought $54 million including punitive damages. The jury returned a unanimous verdict for the client, finding the client had no obligations to the insured.

About Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo             
With over 45 years of unwavering commitment to client service, Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo (AALRR) is one of California’s leading law firms. Our diverse team brings a seasoned perspective to California’s complex legal landscape for public and private entities, with particular strength in the areas of education, labor and employment, construction, complex litigation, corporate, taxation, and water. AALRR’s public sector clients include more than 450 K-12 school districts, community college districts and universities, as well as cities, counties, and special districts. We also represent diverse business entities, from small, family-run businesses to publicly traded corporations. With more than 300 lawyers and growing, AALRR has ten offices in Cerritos, Fresno, Irvine, Marin, Pasadena, Pleasanton, Riverside, Sacramento, San Diego, and Westlake Village to serve our clients throughout California.

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