• About
    ▼
    • About Hone Law
    • Meet the Team
    • Careers
  • Practice Areas
    ▼
    • Business Litigation
      ▼
      • Shareholder Disputes
      • Contract Disputes
    • Business Torts
    • Employment Law
    • Cannabis Advocacy
    • Construction Litigation
    • Intellectual Property Litigation
  • Resources
    ▼
    • News & Insights
    • FAQs
  • Contact
  • Skip to main content

Hone Law

Site by GNGF

Sharp Business Litigation
(702)608-3720 Get In Touch
  • About
    • About Hone Law
    • Meet the Team
    • Careers
  • Practice Areas
    • Business Litigation
      • Shareholder Disputes
      • Contract Disputes
    • Business Torts
    • Employment Law
    • Cannabis Advocacy
    • Construction Litigation
    • Intellectual Property Litigation
  • Resources
    • News & Insights
    • FAQs
  • Contact

Breach of Fiduciary Duty

Home Practice Areas Breach of Fiduciary Duty

Business is fast-paced, and as you expand, you may add more executives and stakeholders to the team. Owners put trust in their employees, and when there’s a breach of trust, it is often a costly matter that can cause long-lasting damage. As your breach of fiduciary duty attorney, we’ll fight to:

  • Determine whether a breach of fiduciary duty occurred
  • Explain the possible remedies to you
  • Hold liable parties liable

Get in touch with us and we’ll start planning your effective strategy

Elements of Litigating a Breach Of Fiduciary Duty

Nevada businesses must prove that a fiduciary duty existed during litigation. If no duty existed, seeking damages is impossible. Three main elements must be proven:

  1. You must show that a fiduciary duty existed.
  2. The duty that existed in point one must have been breached, meaning the individual did not uphold their duty.
  3. Breaches must be shown to have caused damages of some kind.

Causation must also be shown, so the person’s breach of duty was a major contributing factor to the “injuries” caused. For example, if an employee acted on behalf of a competitor and caused significant financial loss, it must be shown that the employee’s actions were a major contributor to the loss.

If the loss wouldn’t have happened without the breach of fiduciary duty, causation may be easy to prove.

Remedies For Breach of Fiduciary Duty

At Hone Law, a breach of fiduciary duty attorney will seek the maximum remedy in your case to help your business be made whole. Courts may award damages that include:

  • Monetary damages
  • Equitable remedies

Compensatory damages may be paid to the plaintiff, and if money was stolen as part of the breach of duty, the court may request that the money be returned. Punitive damages may also be sought in cases where the defendant’s actions were malicious.

You can also seek damages for any loss of business that occurred.

For example, if your employee started to take clients to a competitor, you can seek damages for this breach of duty.

Common Types of Fiduciary Breaches

Breaches in fiduciary duty can occur across a wide range of employees, partners and other stakeholders, all of which can breach duties. Common breaches include:

  • Employees: An employee or agent can breach their duties by acting on behalf of competitors, failing to exercise a duty of care when carrying out duties, sharing your IP and trade secrets and more. Agents are those that you hire on a contractual basis.
  • Partners: If you have partners, they may mismanage funds, damage the company with illegal behavior, conceal information from you, maintain conflicts of interest that they fail to disclose to you and engage in self-dealing.
  • Board of Directors: Companies with a board of directors may find that directors are denying access to records or preventing stakeholders from their voting rights. In some cases, a board of directors can try and push out shareholders or refuse dividend payments, all with bad faith.

Fiduciary breaches can have a significant impact on your business, and in some cases, the damage is extensive enough that the company closes. If news of the breach reaches investors, customers or clients, the damage to your reputation may be irreversible.

Several impacts to the business can occur that go well beyond monetary losses.

The Impact of Fiduciary Disputes

A fiduciary duty dispute can result in several outcomes, including court-ordered remedies, damage awards or even the removal of a fiduciary.

Monetary damages are a common remedy in these types of cases, where the plaintiffs are compensated for the harm caused by the breach.

That said, damage awards are not the only impact of a fiduciary breach.

  • Businesses may suffer significant financial losses
  • Leadership changes may be necessary
  • Professional relationships may be permanently strained

It’s in the best interest of all parties to resolve the issue as efficiently as possible while ensuring that affected parties are made whole. To achieve the best possible outcome, it’s important to work with an experienced and skilled breach of fiduciary duty attorney who will tailor their strategies to your specific needs and situation.

How Hone Law Can Assist with Breach of Fiduciary Claims

Breach of fiduciary claims are serious and can have a lasting effect on organizations and business relationships.

To navigate the choppy waters of your claim, you need a forward-thinking, innovative business law firm on your side. At Hone Law, we focus on complex legal problems and develop targeted strategies to resolve disputes efficiently and effectively.

Contact us today to arrange a consultation with a breach of fiduciary duty attorney at Hone Law.

FAQ

Who Can Be Held Liable for a Breach of Fiduciary Duty?

Frequently, fiduciary relationships arise through contracts or agreements. Even still, virtually any party with a fiduciary duty can be held liable for a breach of their duty, including but not limited to:

  • Business partners. Nevada law states that partners owe their other partners a fiduciary duty of loyalty. For example, refraining from competing with the partnership.
  • Employees and agents, which have a duty not to act contrary to the interests of their employers (principals).
  • Board of director members, who have a fiduciary duty to act in the interest of shareholders.
  • Certain professionals advising or representing a business in a fiduciary capacity, such as lawyers, real estate agents, CPAs or financial advisors. It’s important to note that financial professionals are not always considered fiduciaries.

The first step to determining liability is to prove that a fiduciary duty exists. Depending on the circumstances, establishing a fiduciary relationship can be complex and is something that should be handled by an experienced and capable attorney.

How Long Do I Have to Sue?

Under Nevada law, breaches of fiduciary duty are considered fraud and subject to a three-year statute of limitations.

The three-year countdown starts when the breach became known or should have become known.

Given the complexity of breach of fiduciary claims and the limited window of time to file a claim, it’s imperative to consult an attorney as soon as possible.

Helpful Links

Business Litigation In Nevada: Frequently Asked Questions Shareholder Disputes What Are the Common Issues in Business Litigation And Alternative Dispute Resolution? Business Litigation
Hone Law logo
701 N. Green Valley Pkwy, Ste. 200
Henderson, NV 89074
  • Facebook logo
  • Instagram logo
  • LinkedIn logo

Copyright © 2023 Hone Law
Disclaimer Privacy Policy

Connect With Us

  • By checking this box, you agree to receive SMS text messages from Hone Law. Reply STOP to opt out of messages from Hone Law at any time and no further messages will be sent. Reply HELP for Hone Law team support They can also be reached at legalteam@hone.law or 702-608-3720. Messages and data rates may apply. Message frequency will vary. Visit https://hone.law/privacy-policy/ for privacy policy and SMS Terms of Service
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.