AZA Client Wins Take-Nothing Judgment from Jury

HOUSTON – In a business divorce trial where the plaintiff presented damages of up to $82 million, a Harris County jury unanimously found he should take nothing and returned a verdict in favor of AZA’s clients. 

Hunter Carr, who ran a diabetes treatment consultancy along with AZA’s clients, alleged in the lawsuit that the others squeezed him out of their business and improperly sold company assets to themselves. But AZA clients Scott Hepford and partners showed the jury they had saved the assets in the sale because their company was failing. 

In the two-week trial before Judge Ravi Sandill, the jury charge was 34 pages long, with many questions the jury did not need to answer once it found that AZA’s clients did nothing wrong. 

“It is always gratifying when a jury sees through the haze of false allegations and finds unanimously for the truth. Here a dying business’ assets were sold to pay debt and a disgruntled former manager was offered a fair settlement,” said AZA partner Kevin Leyendecker. He tried the case with partners Nathan Campbell and Kelsi Stayart White, on the team to watch for appellate issues. 

The case is Hunter Carr v. Scott Hepford et al. in the 127th District Court of Harris County case 2020-45718. 

AZA, or Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Mensing, is a Houston-based law firm that is home to true courtroom lawyers with a formidable track record in complex commercial litigation, including energy, healthcare, intellectual property and business dispute cases. AZA is recognized by Chambers USA 2023 as among the best in Texas in commercial law and intellectual property; has been listed by Best Lawyers’ Best Law Firms as one of the country’s best commercial litigation firms for 12 years; has been named Litigation Department of the Year by Texas Lawyer three times; and was previously dubbed a Texas Powerhouse law firm by Law360.