Business Disputes

Much like Wills and Trust Disputes, most business are run by “Closely held Corporation” and partnerships owned primarily by family members or close friends. While I have represented a number of non family mid to large size corporations, I find that most of the business disputes on the Cape are between family members who avoid the formal protocols of running a corporate business and run it like a partnership or in some cases a “sole proprietorship”.

This leads to things such as minority ownership “freeze outs” where one person who owns a larger percentage of the business forces another smaller shareholder to resign and sell their shares back to the business. Massachusetts has very strict laws protecting minority shareholders. In addition, businesses sometimes have disputes with employees, the government, the “IRS” and “The Massachusetts Department of Revenue”.

You’ll hear and learn about “buy outs”, “labor disputes”, “unpaid payroll taxes”, “receivership” and “dissolution” of business. Call me with any questions, as a person who grew up in a large family corporation, I have personally experienced all of the above, as a business man not just as an attorney. That’s called “empathy”.