LOS ANGELES (Diya TV) — In a monumental decision, a Los Angeles County Superior Court jury has resolved a 20-year dispute between the Jogani brothers, with a verdict favoring four siblings who accused a fifth of misappropriating assets and breaching a family partnership agreement.
Ross LLP, one of the firms representing the prosecuting brothers, disclosed that the jury ruled in their favor, granting $2.5 billion in monetary damages and over $4.5 billion in property interests. This landmark case involved a conflict over more than 170 apartment buildings, totaling 17,000 units primarily in the San Fernando Valley region.
The brothers – Haresh, Rajesh, Chetan, Shashikant, and Shailesh Jogani – found themselves entangled in a legal saga rooted in familial discord. Haresh Jogani, listed as the owner on paper, faced allegations from his siblings that he held the properties as part of an oral family partnership, a claim the jury ultimately supported.
Following a five-month trial, the jury concluded that Haresh Jogani owed substantial damages and real estate interests to his brothers Rajesh and Chetan. Shashikant Jogani, represented separately, received the most substantial payout, with the jury awarding him $4.75 billion. Shailesh Jogani was granted $570 million in damages.
The verdict also opens the door to potential punitive damages, with further hearings scheduled to determine the extent of additional penalties. Attorney Peter Ross, representing Rajesh and Chetan Jogani, expressed gratitude to the jurors for bringing closure to the prolonged legal battle.
This legal drama unveils a complex family history, tracing back to the patriarch’s diamond business in Gujarat, India. Shashikant’s move to the U.S. in 1969 marked the family’s entry into real estate, eventually leading to the formation of a partnership agreement among the brothers.
The outcome underscores the significance of oral contracts in legal proceedings, as Shashikant’s attorney, Steve Friedman, emphasized. Despite the decades-long conflict, the verdict promises a resolution to the brother-against-brother dispute that has captivated legal observers.
