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Matthew J. Geyer
Attorney
Arbitrator
Mediator
San Francisco, CA 94111
415-***-**** (fax)
abp9mj@r.postjobfree.com
Background
Attorney, Arbitrator and Mediator. Shareholder, Rogers Joseph O Donnell &
Phillips, 2000-2002; Partner, Landels Ripley & Diamond, LLP, 1991-2000;
Associate, Landels Ripley & Diamond, 1985-90
Mediation and Arbitration Experience
Since 1991, Mr. Geyer has acted as neutral arbitrator, mediator or discovery referee
in over 300 commercial cases, and as one of three panelists (usually
neutral, sometimes party-appointed) in several others. Since 2002, his
practice has focused primarily on arbitration and mediation.
Recent mediations include:
Claims relating to disputed patents and licensing fees for
biotechnology relating to harvesting and storing of cord blood stem cells
Pre-litigation mediation of multi-million dollar dispute between buyer and seller of franchise and product system
sold to franchisee, for competing claims by buyer for non-disclosure under asset purchase agreement, and by seller for mismanagement under
related franchise broker agreement going forward
Litigation between regional and local railroad
companies concerning historic expense cost allocations and substantial
reimbursements due under agreements between various predecessors in
interest
Litigation by one adult sibling against
another, alleging fraud and undue influence in challenging father's will
expressly disinheriting plaintiff, bulk of estate comprising San Francisco
and Sonoma county real property
Litigation between former co-counsel involving claims for portion of
contingency fee associated with successful prosecution of celebrated sexual
harassment case, mediated to settlement on eve of trial following years of
trial court and appellate litigation, including decision and remand by
California Supreme Court
Pre-litigation dispute between technology company and assignee of
predecessor company s intellectual property rights and other assets
Wrongful eviction and related claims of San
Francisco residential tenants under San Francisco's Rent Ordinance and
Tenant-in-Common regulations, and California's Ellis Act and related
statutes (dozens of cases)
Claims by handicapped patron and access
advocates against restaurant and its landlord, under state and federal
laws, for failure to provide wheelchair access
Claims by construction contractor for unpaid
invoices and retention, with defenses by property owner related to
unpaid subcontractor's liens on property and failure to complete work
and obtain final permit approvals, relating to office/industrial space
South of Market
Subrogation action of casualty insurance carriers against general
construction contractor and roofing and other subcontractors following
destruction of homes by fire during remodeling
Litigation of former
employee's wage-and-hour claims relating to alleged failure to allow mandatory meal breaks, unpaid
overtime and defamation, pending in California state court
Wrongful termination and related employment claims of partially or temporarily disabled employee
for failure to accommodate and age discrimination
Wrongful termination and related employment claims of state university employee alleging
race and age discrimination
Wage-and-hour and related claims of employees and/or independent
contractors in hotel, transportation and other industries
Claims of professional malpractice against nationwide engineering firm for
allegedly inferior work in development of erroneous expert opinion used at
trial
Litigation concerning ownership of San Francisco residential property,
alleging fraud and undue influence in the procurement of a deed by one of
four siblings from intestate parent-decedent
Claims by home owners against construction
contractors for damages arising out of allegedly defective construction
(numerous engagements involving various kinds of property damage, economic
losses and personal injuries)
Claims by home owner against construction contractor for damages arising
out of allegedly defective construction
Claims of former tenants, including minors
and guardians ad litem, against residential landlords alleging personal
injuries, learning disabilities, income loss and other damages due to
exposure to molds, lead-based paint and other conditions.
Personal injury (slip-and-fall) claim for general and special damages,
including lost wages, filed by partially-employed writer against owners of
property adjacent to allegedly displaced sidewalk in one of San Francisco s
more colorful neighborhoods
Claims and counterclaims between client and former contingency
fee counsel alleging malpractice, misallocation of settlement proceeds,
failure to cooperate and fraud
Action for specific performance or damages for breach of contract for the
purchase and sale of commercial property in San Francisco following the
removal of underground storage tanks and associated contamination
Recent cases, arbitrated to decision unless otherwise indicated,
include:
One-week arbitration of
investors misrepresentation and unsuitability claims against broker and
financial advisor relating to private placement fund involving municipal
bonds, interest-rate swaps and hedging strategies (chair of panel of three
neutrals)
Three-week arbitration of case involving claims of breach of contract,
fraud and mismanagement, arising out of joint venture agreement between
Fortune 100 company s venture capital arm and small venture capital firm in
Silicon Valley (sole arbitrator)
Multi-phase arbitration of claims among Home
Owners Association members relating to condition and replacement of
windows in units, structural sound transmission issues among units, and
overseeing of construction and landscaping project with architect and
contractors
Two-week arbitration involving standard of value to be used under, and
amount to be paid pursuant to, restricted stock purchase agreement between
terminated minority shareholder employee and closely-held professional
services corporation (sole arbitrator)
Arbitration of multi-million dollar claims for fraud and rescission of
joint venture agreement between large national bank and commercial real
estate investment and development firm (chair of panel of three neutrals,
settled following discovery proceedings and on eve of hearing cross-motions
for summary judgment)
Arbitration of multi-million dollar claims and
counter-claims of licensor and licensee of telecommunications technology,
for termination of license and damages for alleged disclosure of
confidential information, declaratory relief relating to indemnification
for claims of third parties alleging patent infringement, and numerous
related claims (chair panel of three neutrals, pending)
One-week arbitration of claims between
national business consulting firm and its client, involving claims of
breach of contract and breach of warranty (sole arbitrator, pending)
One-week securities arbitration involving claims of churning and related
impropriety on the part of a financial advisor and broker-dealer (one of
panel of three neutrals)
One-week arbitration between buyers and sellers of a multi-unit
residential complex in Oakland, California, alleging fraud in the inducement
and seeking rescission and other damages (sole arbitrator)
Arbitrations to determine fair market rental
value of space in option periods under commercial leases of office,
retail and industrial space, with competing appraisals and lease
interpretations, etc. (several engagements, sole arbitrator or panel
chair)
International arbitration of contract claims between Canadian
pharmaceutical company and American bio-tech firm (sole arbitrator, settled following hearing on
preliminary issues)
International and domestic arbitrations of
contract disputes involving shipping contracts (sole
arbitrator)
International arbitration of software
consultancy contract (sole arbitrator)
Arbitration of breach of contract claims between winery and vineyard owner
(sole arbitrator)
Arbitration of breach of contract claims between book publisher and author
(sole arbitrator)
Multi-million dollar coverage dispute under employment practices liability
policy between large institutional insurance carrier and venture capital
operating company insured (party-appointed member of panel of three
neutrals)
Three-day arbitration of claims and
counter-claims between franchisee and franchisor for fraud in the
inducement, rescission and damages (sole arbitrator)
Litigation Experience
Since 1985, Mr. Geyer has practiced complex commercial litigation in San
Francisco. His practice has specialized in commercial contracts, licensing
agreements, business torts, antitrust, securities, insurance coverage,
construction, commercial landlord-tenant and other real property, copyright
and trademark infringement, and employment litigation. His securities litigation experience includes
the representation of broker-dealers, issuers, lenders and some corporate
investors. His other commercial litigation experience has involved
representing both plaintiffs and defendants in cases involving commercial
contracts for goods and services, operating agreements, licensing
agreements, franchise agreements, partnership agreements and partnership
disputes, joint venture agreements, contracts for the purchase and sale of
businesses, intellectual property, commercial real estate and
multi-residential developments, including conditions, covenants and
restrictions ("CC&R's") in industrial parks and as applicable to homeowners'
associations, output and requirements contracts, and
contracts for professional services, where various remedies have been
sought, including lost (past and future) profits and other damages,
rescission and restitution, or dissolution of a partnership, joint venture
or closely held corporation, and an accounting. His litigation experience
also includes unfair competition claims, fraud and misrepresentation claims,
landlord-tenant litigation, gaming and Indian gaming litigation, asbestos removal, environmental cost
recovery, endangered species litigation, ADA and other disability rights
issues, misappropriation of trade secrets and other intellectual property
litigation. This litigation, and related counseling, has involved both large
institutions and small business clients operating in various industries,
including banking, investment banking, venture capital, information
technology, law, accounting, real estate, construction, paving, agriculture,
gaming, entertainment, hotel and casino, jewelry, apparel and other retail,
as well as issues relating to withdrawals from or dissolutions of law partnerships.
Alternative Dispute Resolution Training
American Arbitration Association, Basic Arbitrator Training, San Francisco,
1991 (one day); AAA Commercial Arbitrator Training Workshop, 1999 (two
days); AAA Arbitrator II Training, 2002 (two days); Rosenberg Mediation
Training, 2003 (five days, certificated); Bar Association of San Francisco
Advanced Mediation Training, 2004 (two days, certificated)
Professional Licenses
Admitted to the Bar, California, 1985
Professional Associations
State Bar of California, Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution, 2007-2010; American Arbitration Association, National Roster of Commercial
Arbitrators, Large & Complex Case Panel, Securities Panel, Panel of
Mediators; Bar Association
of San Francisco, Mediation Services Panelist and Early Settlement Program Panelist; State Bar of California, Alternative Dispute Resolution
and Litigation, Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law Sections; Bar
Association of San Francisco, Mediation and Arbitration Sections; Edward J. McFetridge American Inn of Court, San Francisco, past-Executive Board Member
and Program Chair
Education
California State University, Northridge (BA-1982); Hastings College of the
Law (JD-1985), magna cum laude, Order of the Coif.
Publications and Speaking Engagements
Mediation Do s and Don ts, Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF)
Seminar Panel, September 2009; Mediation Confidentiality and Creating
Enforceable Settlement Agreements, California State Bar Annual Conference
Seminar, September 2009; Drafting Effective Mediation Clauses, BASF Business
Law Section, November 2008; What Trial Lawyers Know (and Don't) About
Arbitrating, California State Bar Annual Conference, September 2008; So
That's How They Do It Around Here: Procedural Issues in Commercial
Arbitrations, BASF ADR Section and Arbitration
Committee, August 2008;
Mediating Residential Real Estate Disputes: Safeguarding the Right to Attorney Fees in Subsequent
Proceedings, BASF Bulletin, July 2007; Maximizing Results in Mediation, BASF
Mediation Services Seminar, April 2007; Ten Things Not to Do When Bringing Your Case to Mediation,
Barristers Club of San Francisco Seminar, August 2005;
Discovery and Hearing Practice in Commercial Arbitrations: The View from the
Neither Side, BASF, 2004; Discovery Practice in
Commercial Arbitrations, BASF, 2003; California
Commercial and Residential Leasing and Eviction Law, National Business
Institute, 1994, 1996, 1999; Picking Up a Plaintiff s Pen: Drafting
Complaints in Civil Litigation, CEB Civil Litigation Reporter, May 1993,
reprinted in Forum, a publication of the California Trial Lawyers
Association, in September 1993, reprinted in revised form in Family Law
News, Spring 1994; Statutory Limitations on Corporate Spending in Ballot
Measure Campaigns: The Case for Constitutionality, 36 Hastings Law Journal
433 (1985)
Compensation
$425 per hour (including both hearing and study time). Hourly rate
discounted to $400 for arbitrations with less than $1 million in
controversy; and to $350 for arbitrations with less than $500,000 in
controversy.
All mediations are $350 per hour. The hourly rate for mediating
multiple-party cases is the same as for two-party cases, with the modest
expenses for additional room rentals simply passed through.
If
mediation or arbitration is cancelled or postponed within 30 days of
scheduled date, or for cases set for three days or more of hearing, if
cancelled or postponed within 45 days of scheduled hearing start date,
cancellation fee of six hours per reserved hearing date applies, unless
reserved dates can be rebooked. Cases in San Francisco Bay
Area (including Sacramento, Santa Rosa, San Jose, Oakland and East Bay)
mediated or arbitrated without travel time or expense charges. Cases outside
this area heard with travel expenses paid by parties; in most cases, travel
time not charged.
Personal
Born 1953, Los Angeles, California
Matthew J. Geyer
Attorney Arbitrator Mediator
1750 Montgomery Street
San Francisco, CA 94111
415-***-**** (fax)
abp9mj@r.postjobfree.com
uction, commercial landlord-tenant and other real property, copyright