The Ponist Law Group represented a school serving special needs students against lessor attempting to terminate school’s lease. After a bench trial, the judge rejected lessor’s efforts to terminate the lease early and, instead, awarded the school an extension of its lease.
A judge has ruled an Allied Gardens school, which caters to special needs students, will be able to stay at its location until 2021, despite objections from the San Diego Unified School District.
In May, Excelsior Academy filed a lawsuit against the SDUSD, claiming the district violated the terms of the school’s lease when it told administrators to vacate their location by March 2018.
The SDUSD sold the property to the Islamic School of San Diego for $2,775,000 in February.
“The reason the school district did not want Excelsior to stay in the property longer, as far as we understand it, is that they received a notice from the Islamic School of San Diego requesting that we be thrown out, or Excelsior be thrown out,” said Sean Ponist, the attorney for Excelsior.
Commercial Investment Real Estate Magazine (May/June, 2015)
Sep 16, 2015, San Francisco Bar Association
A presentation addressing legal issues that arise when real estate agents “go rogue” and engage in conduct which may or may not be within the “scope of their employment.”
Presenter, San Diego and San Francisco, County Bar Associations (May 28, 2014 and September 16, 2014)
A legal education seminar which looked at the duties and obligations of commercial real estate agents and brokers who, unlike their residential counterparts, are not presently bound by strict statutory requirements.
Moderator, San Francisco Bar Association (July 19, 2013)
A legal education seminar covering private investigator techniques to assist lawyers in the prosecution and defense of their actions as well as the identification of critical persons and assets in litigation.
San Francisco and San Mateo County Bar Associations (May 15, 2013)
A legal seminar covering the existence and scope of agency relationships, including a discussion of agency agreements, ostensible agency, ratification, negligent supervision and the legal relationship between agents and principals.
Women’s Council of Realtors(February 14, 2013)
Presenter, a presentation to realtors covering general duties of real estate agents and brokers, traditional and novel legal issues arising in real estate transactions and “rogue” agent issues.
Presenter, San Francisco Bar Association/San Mateo County Bar Association (September 19, 2012)
A legal education seminar covering the best and most effective uses of experts in litigation and at trial, including a detailed discussion of expert depositions and approaches to direct examination and cross-examination at trial.
Forensic Expert Witness Association (March 14, 2012)
A presentation to expert witnesses covering of all aspects of the relationship between experts and counsel, including the role of an expert in litigation and at trial as well as the key issues for experts to be aware of in discovery and at trial.
San Francisco Bar Association (September 14, 2011)
A legal education seminar covering pre-closing remedies, post-closing remedies, equitable remedies and broker commissions.