Park West Gallery Defeated in Major Federal Court Lawsuit

Law Offices of Garan Lucow Miller, P.C. - Press Release

Park West Gallery Defeated in Major Federal Court Lawsuit

Port Huron — 21 April 2010 — Garan Lucow Miller, P.C. is pleased to report a recent victory by one of its shareholders, Ian C. Simpson, of its Troy office. On behalf of its clients, Bruce Hochman and The Salvador Dali Gallery in a $46 million dollar libel suit brought by Park West Gallery in the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Park West Gallery, which bills itself as the largest private art gallery in the world, does about $300 million dollars of business a year, on cruise auctions at sea. Three years ago, the co-defendant website, The Fine Art Registry, through its owner Theresa Franks and a contract writer, David Phillips, began investigating the cruise ship auction business and Park West Gallery, and particularly the authenticity of Salvador Dali prints puportedly signed by Salvador Dali and sold by them at their gallery and at cruise ship auctions around the world. In November 2007, Bruce Hochman, owner of The Salvador Dali Gallery in San Juan Capistrano, California, gave an interview which was later published on The Fine Art Registry website stating, among other things, his opinion that the Dali signatures on a number of Park West Salvador Dali graphic prints appeared to be inauthentic. Park West Gallery then sued The Fine Art Registry, Garan Lucow Miller clients, Bruce Hochman and the gallery for defamation, claiming $46 million in damages. On March 11, 2010, a jury was selected in the case, and for almost six weeks, a remarkable parade of witnesses and Salvador Dali experts came to the Federal Courthouse in Port Huron, Michigan from around the world and gave testimony. The truth was our defense. The jury agreed with that defense, and after two days of deliberation returned a unanimous verdict against Park West Gallery. The jury also found in favor of defendants against Park West Gallery on a trademark infringement counterclaim under the Lanham Act, in the amount of $500,000 for improper use of the Fine Art Registry trademark on a website Park West had set up to impugn its reputation.

Ian C. Simpson
Garan Lucow Miller, P.C.
248.641.7600 - Troy office
248.320.4996 - cell

Garan Lucow Miller, P.C., a full-service law firm since 1948, providing quality representation to a national clientele from the Great Lakes Region, on a personalized basis, with a regional presence of nine offices throughout Michigan, and the new Merrillville, Indiana office. The Firm's expertise encompasses trial and appellate practices in every aspect of insurance law, tort and commercial litigation, admiralty, business, criminal law, commercial transportation & trucking defense, corporate, employment, real estate, family law, equine, workers' compensation, probate and estate planning practices. For more information, visit www.garanlucow.com

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