Crowe Dunlevy successfully represented the majority shareholders of a family-owned corporation in a closely contested shareholder dispute involving an 800-acre Colorado ranch that had been owned and operated by the family for generations. A minority shareholder sought judicial dissolution of the corporation, alleging shareholder oppression and mismanagement and requesting that the corporation’s primary asset be divided among the owners. Following six years of litigation, including interlocutory appeals, extensive discovery, adverse pretrial rulings, and the appointment of a special master to evaluate partition of the property, the matter proceeded to a three-day bench trial. The Firm demonstrated that the corporation was being properly managed and that dissolution was neither warranted nor in the best interests of the corporation or those who relied upon the ranch’s continued operation.
The court rejected all claims for dissolution, dissolved a prior injunction restricting the clients’ corporate options, declined to adopt the special master’s proposed division of the property, and entered judgment fully in favor of the Firm’s clients. The ruling preserved the family business, protected a multi-generational asset, and significantly strengthened the clients’ position against any further challenge.