Greenberg Traurig Attorneys Obtain Complete Defense Jury Verdict On Behalf Of Music Icon Jack Boyle

FORT LAUDERDALE and WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., May 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- A team of Fort Lauderdale attorneys with international law firm Greenberg Traurig secured a complete defense jury verdict in Palm Beach County Circuit Court on behalf of entertainment industry icon Jack Boyle, a longtime firm client who had been sued by the former business partner of his entrepreneur son, John J. Boyle III.

The plaintiff ARGP, whose principals are Palm Beach County businessmen Reid Boren and JP Kelly, alleged that Jack Boyle had interfered with the operations of Auto Relief Group II and caused them to lose the value of their 49 percent ownership interest in the company they contended was worth as much as $15 million. The plaintiff was seeking damages of $4.9 million plus interest. Jack Boyle was the primary lender to Auto Relief Group II, his son's Fort Lauderdale-based auto loan modification company that closed in 2010 after operating for almost a year.

After a two-week trial, it took the jury less than three hours Friday to deliver its verdict, finding in favor of both Jack and John Boyle and that the plaintiff was owed no damages. The Greenberg Traurig team representing Jack Boyle was led by William R. Clayton and Alaine Greenberg, Shareholders with the Litigation Practice Group at the firm's Fort Lauderdale office. John Boyle and Auto Relief Group II were represented by Mark Perry of Fort Lauderdale.

"I am feeling wonderful and vindicated by the jury's unanimous decision," Boyle said after the verdict. "I greatly appreciate the legal counsel and support that I have received over the years from Greenberg Traurig."

Added Clayton: "We believe that justice was done by the jury. The court also found as a matter of law that Jack Boyle was not an owner or member of this company. It was undisputed that Jack did not receive a single dime or dollar on his almost $750,000 loan."

Jack Boyle, a widely renowned music legend credited for helping launch the careers of Billy Joel, Jimmy Buffett and many other artists, was once considered the largest concert promoter in the United States. After selling his company, Cellar Door (a Fort Lauderdale-based concert promotion company that later became Live Nation) in 1998, he became an active investor and entrepreneur in entertainment, club and restaurant businesses throughout South Florida and other parts of the country. Jack, who lives in Fort Lauderdale, recently stepped down as chairman emeritus of Live Nation and is still the owner of several South Florida restaurants, including JB's on the Beach in Deerfield Beach and Mangos Restaurant & Lounge on Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale.

"I have been Jack Boyle's counsel for more than 25 years and more importantly, he is my dear friend and a man of integrity and character who became an icon in an industry and a huge, self-made success story," said Greenberg Traurig CEO Richard A. Rosenbaum. "I am pleased that a team led by William Clayton, a top trial lawyer, was successful in clearing his name from these claims, which never should have been brought in the first place."

About Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Greenberg Traurig, LLP is an international, multi-practice law firm with approximately 1750 attorneys serving clients from 36 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Greenberg Traurig is among the Top 10 law firms on The National Law Journal's 2013 NLJ 350, an annual ranking of the largest firms in the U.S. For additional information, please visit www.gtlaw.com.

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SOURCE Greenberg Traurig, LLP