As lead trial counsel in a two-week jury trial defending a small business and its CEO against sexual harassment claims originally by six plaintiffs where the CEO admitted having sex with 8 employees seeking more than $3 million, KJK attorney Samir Dahman obtained a jury outcome essentially giving only one plaintiff just $16,000.

Samir Dahman, the Partner in Charge of Kohrman Jackson & Krantz, LLP’s Columbus office, was selected for the fifth consecutive year as a 2018 Business Litigation Super Lawyers in Columbus by Ohio Super Lawyer magazine, following two years of being selected as a Rising Star.

Ten other KJK attorneys were also selected as Super Lawyers or Rising Stars, including Senior Partner Robert H. Jackson, Managing Partner Jon J. Pinney, Sarah J. Gabinet, Robert S. Gilmore,  Jon W. Groza, Ari H. Jaffe, Justine L. Konicki, Brett S. Krantz, Alan M. Rauss, and Susan O. Scheutzow.

The Super Lawyers selection process evaluates lawyers based upon multiple criteria, including professional achievement and peer recognition; honors and awards; firm and bar involvement and leadership; scholarship and professional writings; community service and pro bono activities; and other outstanding achievements.

“Rising Stars” are the top up-and-coming attorneys who are no more than 40 years old or who have been practicing for no more than 10 years.

Samir Dahman, Partner in Charge of KJK’s Columbus office, and his client are savoring a recent victory in a bitter intellectual property dispute between a franchisor and former franchisee who both serve calzones.

The franchisor – D.P. Dough – asserted nine (9) claims, including:  trademark, trade dress, and copyright infringement; breach of contract; misappropriation of trade secrets; Ohio Deceptive Trade Practices Act, unfair competition, tortious interference with business, and unjust enrichment – against the former franchisee who went out on his own to open calzone restaurants in Southeastern college towns.  Most concerning, however, was the franchisor’s motion for an injunction that would have required the former franchisee and Mr. Dahman’s client to close his two operating restaurants.

But instead going through discovery and allowing the case to play out normally, D.P. Dough asked the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio to hold an immediate hearing on an injunction to force Mr. Dahman’s client to close his two restaurants.

At the injunction hearing, which was converted to a trial under Rule 65(a)(2), Mr. Dahman debunked all of D.P. Dough’s claims, even though D.P. Dough was represented by the venerable attorneys of the Taft firm.  D.P. Dough was so concerned that they would lose the injunction, and effectively the case, that it asked Mr. Dahman’s client if it would like to mediate.  So the parties attended mediation and thought they may have reached a settlement.  As it were, negotiations fell apart and the parties sought the Court’s guidance on the purported settlement.  Eventually, the Court held there was no settlement and allowed the injunction to be decided.

With the settlement snafu over, the parties anxiously awaited the Court’s decision that would end the whole case – and possibly Mr. Dahman’s client’s successful fledgling restaurants.

Just as college students were getting settled back into their classes, Chief Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. issued the Court’s decision finding that D.P. Dough likely could not succeed on the merits of its claims, and even if it could there was no irreparable harm to the business, while Mr. Dahman’s client’s businesses would be forced to shut down.  In doing so, the Court found in Mr. Dahman’s client’s favor on all nine of D.P. Dough’s claims.  The decision is reported at D.P. Dough Franchising, LLC v. Southworth et al., No. 2:15-cv-2635, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 157951 (S.D. Ohio Sep. 26, 2017).

Following the decision Mr. Dahman’s client’s principal stated “we were confident that their claims were baseless, are thankful the Court came to the right outcome, and are excited to getting back to what we do best – crafting quality calzones for hungry students.”  Mr. Dahman added “we are fortunate to have an insightful bench in the Southern District of Ohio as well as a skilled team.”

If you need a skilled and passionate advocate, contact Mr. Dahman at sdahman@dahmanlaw.com or 614.636.1250.

DP Dough Opinion

Mr. Dahman, as co-founder of the Berkshire Triathlon, is pleased to announce that the 2017 Berkshire Triathlon raised $21,000 for Flying Horse Farms and Ronald McDonald House of Central Ohio.

This year was the Berkshire Triathlon’s most successful year with 160 participants raising $18,000 for Flying Horse Farms and $3,000 for the Ronald McDonald House of Central Ohio.

This could not have done this without KJK as the Presenting Sponsor and supporting sponsors City Barbecue, Greenswell, Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, tinytitan, Derrick Layer Custom Homes & Remodeling, Pure Dental, Abercrombie & Fitch, Collins & Slagle, The Arlington Bank, ARM, Acre, and Scotts Miracle-Grow.

I enjoyed presenting at the National Business Institute’s continuing legal education seminar Business Law: From Start to Finish on June 27, 2017.  My segment was on Clarifying Procedures in Mergers and Acquisitions of Privately-Held Companies.   More info can be found here:  Business Law Start to Finish

Samir Dahman, Partner in Charge of KJK’s Columbus office, has been recognized for his significant contributions to the community and will be presented with the 2017 Distinguished Alumni Leader Award. The award, bestowed by Leadership Upper Arlington, is given annually to an alumnus who has had a positive impact on the Upper Arlington community following their graduation from the adult leadership program.

The award is based on the hard work of Samir – and his wife Amalee – in founding and operating The Berkshire Triathlon which has raised over $45,000 to help children with serious illnesses by supporting Flying Horse Farms, Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Ronald McDonald House Charities through the proceeds of this grassroots event.  The Berkshire Triathlon is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization registered with the IRS as Two Bears Foundation, Inc.

As Partner in Charge of KJK’s Columbus office, Samir provides leadership to the office’s talented team of partners, associates and legal analysts, while counseling clients on commercial litigation, business law, estate planning and employment law in Ohio, Michigan and federal courts.  He is known for taking a sincere and serious approach to every one of his clients’ matters.

Samir Dahman, the Partner in Charge of Kohrman Jackson & Krantz, LLP’s Columbus office, was selected for the third time as one of the 2016 Business Litigation Super Lawyers in Columbus by Ohio Super Lawyer magazine, which follows two years of being selected as a Rising Star.  Samir Dahman founded Dahman Law and his firm recently merged with KJK, making him the new Partner in Charge of the firm’s office in Columbus.

After an extensive nomination, evaluation, and research process, Ohio Super Lawyer magazine selected Mr. Dahman to the prestigious Super Lawyer list.  It is a distinction reserved for only the top 5 percent of all lawyers in Ohio.

The Super Lawyer Selection Process

Super Lawyers selects attorneys using a patented multiphase selection process.  Peer nominations and evaluations are combined with third party research. Each candidate is evaluated on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement.  Selections are made on an annual, state-by-state basis.

The objective is to create a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of outstanding attorneys that can be used as a resource for attorneys and consumers searching for legal counsel.

The Super Lawyers patented selection process involves three basic steps:  creation of the candidate pool, evaluation of candidates by the research department, and peer evaluation by practice area.

Step 1: Creation of the Candidate Pool

Lawyers enter the candidate pool by being formally nominated by a peer or if identified by the research department during the research process.

Step 2: Evaluation of Lawyers in Candidate Pool

The Super Lawyers research department evaluates each candidate based on these 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement: verdicts and settlements; transactions; representative clients; experience; honors and awards; special licenses and certifications; position within law firm; bar and or other professional activity; pro bono and community service as a lawyer; scholarly lectures and writings; education and employment background; and other outstanding achievements.

These indicators are not treated equally; some have a higher maximum point value than others.

Step 3: Peer Evaluation by Practice Area

In this step, also known as the “blue ribbon review,” candidates are grouped according to their primary areas of practice.  The candidates in each practice area with the highest point totals from steps one and two above are asked to serve on a blue ribbon panel.  The panelists are then provided a list of candidates from their practice areas to review, rating them on a scale of one to ten.

The Super Lawyers research staff also checks each candidate’s standing with the local licensing authority.  And each candidate is asked to aver that they have never been subject to disciplinary or criminal proceedings.

Final Internet searches are performed on each candidate to ensure there are no outstanding matters that would reflect adversely on the lawyer.  Each lawyer is also contacted to ensure accuracy of all published information.

Final Publication

The final published list represents no more than 5 percent of the lawyers in the state. The lists are published annually in state and regional editions of Super Lawyers Magazines and in inserts and special advertising sections in leading city and regional magazines and newspapers.  All attorneys selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers, regardless of year, can be found on superlawyers.com.

Mr. Dahman and the KJK team are passionate about providing exceptional, client-focused legal services.  They handle commercial litigation, business law, employment, and estate planning matters across Ohio and Michigan. But what makes Mr. Dahman different is that you will know up front how much you can expect to pay for legal services, instead of wondering how much you will end up being charged at the end.

Mr. Dahman is able to do this by leveraging experience, creativity, and hard work, with value-based fee arrangements that provide clients predictability and results. So his services, including litigation, are handled on pre-determined, fixed fee or contingency bases. No hourly billing.

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