Plaintiffs' Attorney Michael Alder Secures $33 Million Verdict for Concept Chaser in IP Case Against Pentel

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 12, 2011  /PRNewswire/ -- Trial lawyer Michael Alder of AlderLaw, a leading plaintiffs' law firm in Los Angeles, earned a $33 million jury verdict on behalf of Concept Chaser Co., Inc., in the Los Angeles Superior Court on Dec. 8, 2011, against Pentel of America Ltd. and its parent company, Pentel Co. Ltd. (Japan). The case involved theft of El Segundo, Calif.-based ad agency Concept Chaser's marketing campaign ideas to promote Pentel's $2 HyperG Gel Pen.

"This is a major victory not only for our client, but also for any business that has suffered major losses due to intellectual property theft by a larger corporation," said Alder, managing partner at AlderLaw and current president-elect of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA). "Pentel chose not to honor its contract with Concept Chaser, and a jury has now held them accountable for trying to blindside the little guy." 

The jury in Concept Chaser Co., Inc. v. Pentel of America Ltd. awarded $14.65 million in contract damages and $750,000 for fraud to Concept Chaser, finding malice against both Pentel of America Ltd. and parent company Pentel Co. Ltd. (Japan). It also awarded $17.5 million in punitive damages and ordered Pentel to pay attorneys' fees, bringing the total verdict to nearly $33 million.

Alder represented Yoshi Hayakawa, owner of Concept Chaser, and his wife, Clara Goh Hayakawa (VP of Concept Chaser), who hired Alder on a contingency basis when they could no longer afford their previous, hourly rate law firm. Alder – who's a strong proponent of raising public awareness of the importance of plaintiffs' or "consumer" lawyers in the current climate of corporate fraud and abuse – notes that small business owners like the Hayakawas have a tough time getting justice when they're going up against deep pockets.

This verdict marks the third, eight-figure verdict for Alder and his team at AlderLaw in 2011 alone. In the first two months of 2011, Alder and his team helped secure two major verdicts in California and Louisiana. In one case, he represented a California Highway Patrol officer paralyzed from the waist down after being struck by a car. The $48 million verdict in January is the largest personal injury verdict in Ventura County history. In the Louisiana case, Alder represented the daughter of a man killed in a big rig accident, securing a $29 million verdict in February, the largest in the history of St. Charles Parish.

About AlderLaw

AlderLaw is a Los Angeles-based plaintiffs' law firm that represents plaintiffs in personal injury, business tort and employment litigation nationwide. The firm was founded in 2000 by attorney Michael Alder, current president-elect of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles and past CAALA Trial Lawyer of the Year. In the first months of 2011, AlderLaw helped secure two major verdicts totaling $77 million for clients in California and Louisiana. For more information, visit www.alderlaw.com.

SOURCE AlderLaw