Chicago, IL commercial litigation attorney Peter S. Lubin talks about a memorable case involving a dispute in a family-held business. He represents numerous large, closely held family businesses, particularly those that were once successful where family members got along. In one notable case, he represented a sister-in-law whose brother-in-law had taken over a complicated real estate business after her husband—one of the founding brothers—passed away. The brother-in-law attempted to seize control of the family business while overcharging and defrauding her.

He devised a strategy to make the sister-in-law whole, recovering tens of millions of dollars. The case went to trial and lasted for two years. Working closely with forensic accountants and tax specialists, he demonstrated that the brother-in-law had effectively stolen from his sister-in-law using ghost payrolls and other schemes to siphon money from her.