After an 11-month trial, a Santa Barbara judge ordered subcontractors to pay $3.7 million to a condominium association because of shoddy workmanship to its Santa Barbara-area complex.
The corporate decor at Universal Music Group is high-tech modern, but here, in the Santa Barbara law offices of A. Barry Cappello, it's the Wild West. To the left is a rattlesnake, coiled and ready to strike. To the right is a bronze statue of a bucking bronco. A muffled hysteria unspools as faxes, phones and modems transmit the breaking news about Cappello's high-profile entertainment case against UMG. Overlooking all this is a striking William Koerner painting that depicts a stickup.
Convincing the jury that the lead defendant was a villain in Russomano v. Russo, LC031514 (Los Angeles Super. Ct., verdict July 20, 2000) was the least of Santa Barbara business litigator A. Barry Cappello's trial challenges. After all, Gianni Russo had launched his acting career by portraying Talia Shire's abusive husband, Carlo Rizzi, in the 1972 film classic "The Godfather."
Case in Focus: "Litigators' Strategy Successful Appeal Opened the Way for Punitives" Verdict: $23.1 million Case/Number: Nabil Darghous v. Johnson Controls Inc./ BC134624 Court/Date: L.A. Superior Central West/August 28 Judge: F. Ray Bennett, Dept. 308 Disbursement: $4.4 million (retaliation, wrongful termination, breach of contract and covenant of good faith); $.5 million (slander); $1.2 million (prejudgment interest); $17 million (punitive).
