Below is a sampling of cases which attorney Richard J. Breibart has been involved with. Documentation regarding these cases is available upon request. Please note that these are only a few of the results that we have achieved for our clients — information regarding other litigated and/or settled cases and are available also upon request.
Criminal Cases
Much of the work of a successful criminal defense attorney happens before the cases result in an arrest, a trial or any other court appearances. However, there are certain cases below which firm founder Richard J. Breibart, has been involved with that are representative of the type of work we handle at the firm:
Sex Offenses. Defendant was charged with in excess of forty-five counts of criminal sexual misconduct and other sexual related crimes. After an extended trial in the Court of General Sessions for Lexington County, South Carolina, defendant was acquitted of all charges which included three alleged victims. As a result of the acquittal, the defendant was able to resume his career as a real estate developer.
Serious Felonies - Robbery. Defendant was accused of two counts of bank robbery as well as a total of six other counts. Following a two-week trial in the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, the defendant was found not guilty of bank robbery on one count. Another count and various others counts were subsequently dismissed. A plea agreement was entered into on the remaining counts. This occurred despite the fact that co-defendant (not represented by attorney Breibart) was convicted on the count of bank robbery and substantial evidence was presented at trial, including video testimony.
Avoiding Trial. The most successful cases that attorney Richard J. Breibart has handled in criminal matters cannot be identified here because his work assisted individuals and they either were not charged at all, were charged but placed in diversion programs, or entered into arrangements with the State or Federal government which successfully assisted them in avoiding incarceration. Among these clients is a doctor who was accused of defrauding the Federal government and the State of South Carolina private insurance carriers of over $2 million dollars. This physician served no jail time, paid restitution of approximately ten percent of the alleged loss, and is successfully pursing another career.
Because of Richard Breibart's early and successful involvement in dozens of other cases, many clients were never charged, or their charges were dismissed without the clients ever having a criminal conviction against their record.
Civil Cases
Attorney Richard Breibart been involved in handling a wide range of civil cases involving business litigation, personal injury, contract disputes and other personal litigation:
Business Disputes. Plaintiff, represented by attorney Richard J. Breibart and others, received a jury verdict in Greenville County Court of Common Pleas for $3 million dollars, against an individual in a business dispute. The verdict was predicated in part upon an oral promise and the jury found unanimously for $1.8 million dollars actual damages and $1.2 million dollars punitive damages against the defendant. Defendant had made no offer of settlement for trial and the case was tried in the defendant's home county.
Catastrophic Injury. An individual was crushed by a tractor-trailer truck as the truck backed into a loading dock, resulting in months of hospitalization. A confidential settlement was reached during mediation, with the individual receiving one of the largest settlements awarded in South Carolina history in a case with facts similar to these.
Catastrophic Injury & Defective Product. A family of four suffered fire damages as a result of a kerosene heater explosion which involved death or serious injury to family members. In three separate cases before the United States District Court, District of South Carolina, the matter resulted in a successful appeal and one settlement. Even though the manufacturer and distributor of the kerosene heater was not known, suits and settlements against the seller of the kerosene heater totaled in excess of $850,000.
Business Litigation. Plaintiff's jewelry store was robbed due to a defective burglar alarm and improper maintenance of the burglar alarm. Believed to be the first successful reported case in South Carolina, and one of the first in the United States, the burglar alarm company was held liable for direct damages suffered by the owner of the jewelry store. This case was affirmed on appeal. One defendant settled, and the other defendant went to trial, resulting in an amount awarded that was greater than the actual cash value of the stolen jewelry. Collins & Sons Fine Jewelry, Inc. v. Carolina Safety Systems, Inc., et al, 371 S.E.2d 539 (S.C.).
Appeal. Attorney Richard J. Breibart represented appellants after the district court jury granted a small verdict to one of the appellants. On appeal, the South Carolina Court of Appeals held that the appellants were entitled to a new trial as the result of an inadequate verdict, and also that the appellants had been prejudiced because the jury considered issues improperly before then. After the appeal, appellants settled the case for more than five times the original jury verdict in the case. Sullivan v. Davis, 454 S.E.2d 907, (S.C. 1995).
Civil Litigation Involving Securities Fraud. Plaintiff brought charges against Prudential Bache for "churning" stocks, which involves the rapid buying and selling of stocks, so as to boost commissions to defendant company. Believed to be one of the first successful securities fraud cases, the case was tried in the United States District Court, in Greenville, South Carolina. Defendant originally offered to settle for $15,000. The jury verdict was in excess of $398,000.
In addition to the cases noted above, attorney Richard J. Breibart has been involved in representing plaintiffs in a wide variety of other civil cases. In a number of those cases, notably two involving catastrophic injury, clients received total settlement payouts of over $1 million dollars.
Put Our Experience To Work For You
As can be seen above the attorneys at the Law Office of Richard J. Breibart have handled a wide variety of civil and criminal cases. Please feel free to contact our office to learn more about how we can help with your case.
