Sheppard obtained a victory in a two-day sanctions trial on behalf of plaintiff Robin Fleming and Miss America IP, Miss America's Scholarship Foundation and MAO IP Holding (the Miss America companies) in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
The matter arose from a $500 million dispute over ownership and control of the Miss America companies, where defendant Glenn Straub asserted he was the rightful owner. He presented as evidence to the court minutes for two board meetings and operating agreements for the Miss America companies allegedly created in 2022. However, Judge Donald Middlebrooks found the documents to be fraudulent. The operating agreements were actually created by Straub and his attorney Craig Galle in 2024. The fabricated documents have also been used as evidence in other related matters, including in bankruptcy court in the Southern District of Florida and in state courts in Florida and New Jersey.
In his order, Judge Middlebrooks granted plaintiffs' motion for sanctions, dismissing Straub's counterclaim seeking a declaration that he is the sole owner of the Miss America entities, as Glenn and Straub had used the fraudulent documents to claim ownership. He also awarded attorneys' fees and costs to plaintiffs and submitted a copy of the order to state court for any action deemed appropriate.
The team that represented Robin Fleming and the Miss America companies was led by Benjamin Chew, Andrew Crawford, Jessica Meyers, John Doyle and Nina Franco.
The matter isFleming et al. v. Straub et al., case number 9:24-cv-81507, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Read the orderhere.