Denver Complex Litigation Blog

Colorado white collar criminal defense: Charged with tax evasion?

On behalf of Otto.Law posted in white collar criminal defense on Friday, June 7, 2019.

Tax evasion is a serious criminal offense that can carry significant penalties if one is convicted. Colorado residents who have found themselves facing such charges can likely help their situations by retaining legal counsel who has experience litigating white collar criminal defense cases. In short, when facing such charges, who is at one's side matters.

Tax evasion is defined as the deliberate failure to pay or underpay one's tax liability. Now, mistakes do happen; the tax laws are not easy to understand, but when tax evasion charges are filed, it is because the Internal Revenue Services believes that more than a mistake was made. A few examples of tax evasions include:

Concealing income
Filing returns with false information
Overstating deductions
Destroying records
Falsifying records

Is there an alternative to securities litigation?

On behalf of Otto.Law posted in securities litigation on Tuesday, May 28, 2019.

When dealing in securities, questions will, at some point, arise over the cause of investment losses. It happens. If there is a concern that the losses resulted from actions not related to standard market fluctuations, legal action may be taken against the party or parties responsible. Securities litigation is not easy or inexpensive to get through. Do Colorado residents have an alternative to litigation when faced with a securities problem?

The short answer to this question is yes. Litigation is and should be a last resort. Settling cases out of court is ideal; however, there are some cases that really do need an outside party to weigh in on the matter. This is where arbitration comes into play.

Colorado oil and gas commissioners face pressure to draft rules

On behalf of Otto.Law on Sunday, May 26, 2019.

Colorado's new law rewrites the regulatory guidelines for the state's oil and gas resources. Senate Bill 181 grants local communities more power over neighboring developments and mandates the formation of a full-time regulatory council. Fans have argued the law will lead to some of the most impactful reform in decades.

Making such a sweeping series of changes almost always takes time, but some environmentalists have already pressured the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) to act more swiftly. According to The Denver Post, these environmentalists want all drilling permits put on hold until the COGCC rewrites new rules to follow the new law.

How does your income determine your energy?

On behalf of Otto.Law on Wednesday, May 22, 2019.

Both individuals and business owners have increasing concerns about protecting the planet. And debates continue over which form of renewable energy is best. While solar technology has gained popularity throughout the United States, not everyone embraces its use.

Some environmental activists assert that nuclear energy is a better choice. Meanwhile, disparity remains between energy and prosperity.

When construction litigation is necessary to deal with a defect

On behalf of Otto.Law posted in real estate and construction defect litigation on Friday, May 10, 2019.

Buying a home is supposed to be exciting. It is a big move, one that takes some Colorado residents a lot of years to make. When they finally do, they expect the home to be in good repair -- particularly new construction homes. When construction defects are found, it can be maddening. What's worse, it may require construction litigation to get the defects fixed.

There are a number of things that can be qualified as construction defects. By definition, to qualify, the issue must be a condition in the home that reduces its overall value. There are a number of things that can cause construction defects. Some include:

Use of poor building materials
Negligent construction
Failure to properly prepare the foundation
Engineering problems
Poor site planning

Passing your family business to the next generation

On behalf of Otto.Law on Sunday, May 5, 2019.

When you started your family business, you likely started it as a sole proprietorship. But that doesn’t mean you worked at it and grew it all by yourself. You probably hired employees, expanded the business and maybe even brought in your children to have them help out.

The years pass. Your business thrives and becomes a local fixture—one of the many family-owned small businesses driving Colorado’s economy. You love the work, but there may come a point that you need to step away from it. If you plan to leave your business to your children, you may want to convert it to a limited liability company (LLC) at the same time.

The winner in Apple’s settlement with Qualcomm? Your patent

On behalf of Otto.Law on Saturday, April 27, 2019.

One of the largest and most interesting intellectual property battles in recent history ended with a surprise April settlement. Since 2017, Apple and Qualcomm had filed a series of suits and countersuits until the stakes of their feud climbed to tens of billions of dollars, potential antitrust regulation and leadership in the emerging 5G market.

Now it seems that Apple has blinked first—just after the two companies had presented their opening arguments. As Forbes noted, the settlement followed a March decision that Apple had violated three of Qualcomm’s patents, and it keeps both companies on pace to assert leadership in the emerging 5G market. Even so, the settlement’s biggest winners might be U.S. patent holders everywhere.

Securities Fraud Misconceptions

On behalf of Otto.Law posted in securities litigation on Sunday, April 21, 2019.

Although shareholders may generally know they have certain rights provided by federal law, they may be unclear on what constitutes securities fraud. In the broadest sense, the term covers any deceptive practice used to induce investors into buying or selling stocks or commodities.

Consider what's already been done before applying for a patent

On behalf of Otto.Law on Friday, April 19, 2019.

When you get an idea about a new product, process or design, you probably rejoice in your innovation. But how do you protect it?

If you have an entrepreneurial side, an "Aha!" moment can be exhilarating. But before you go too far in your production process, you might want to see just how original your idea is. When you try to secure a patent, you could potentially experience a conflict with prior art.

Thank the good law for basketball!

On behalf of Otto.Law on Friday, April 19, 2019.

Regardless of how or where you grew up, you may have spent many evenings shooting hoops with the neighbor kids. Whether you could dunk or never quite manage to bring the ball down the court, playing basketball may have been your way to pass the time as a kid.

As you grew older, maybe your skills improved enough to get you a college scholarship. Or perhaps you've simply enjoyed rooting for your favorite team (Go Nuggets!). But no matter your interest in the sport, have you ever thought about how basketball came to be?