Fred L. Wilks

Fred Wilks represents clients in diverse areas of business litigation, including contract disputes and business torts, partnership and shareholder disputes, dissolution actions, real estate litigation, fraud and consumer class actions, unfair business practice claims, and trade secrets litigation.

Professional Highlights

• Successfully defended a lawsuit by a member of a Delaware limited liability company against the company’s managing member in which the client was accused of committing an $8 million fraud, mismanaging the company, and falsifying accounting records. After the court case was submitted to arbitration and a two-week hearing, the client was absolved of all claims of fraud and financial mismanagement. Instead, the arbitrator found that the limited liability company owed our client nearly $3 million and ordered the company dissolved under our client’s full control.
• Obtained a judgment of specific performance to enforce a publicly-traded real estate investment trust’s option to purchase its partner’s fifty-percent interest in a company owning a $30 million shopping center. The trial court also awarded compensatory and punitive damages.
• Successfully defended director defendants in the trial of In re The Walt Disney Company Derivative Litigation, 907 A.2d 693 (Del. Ch. 2005), a high-profile three-month trial of a shareholder derivative lawsuit before the Delaware Court of Chancery. The lawsuit challenged the hiring, compensation package, and termination of the President of The Walt Disney Company by the company’s board of directors.
• Successfully obtained an order on behalf of several trade associations enjoining a California regulatory agency from implementing and enforcing new regulations that exceeded the agency’s authority and imposed undue burdens on California businesses.
• Obtained a judgment on behalf of a publicly-traded company against its former employee awarding damages and permanently enjoining the employee from using the client’s trade secrets to solicit the client’s customers.
• Obtained a judgment quieting title to real estate by adverse possession.
• Received a formal commendation from the United States District Court, Central District of California, for pro bono representation of a civil rights litigant.

Mr. Wilks was formerly a litigation associate with Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP and Newmeyer & Dillion, LLP.

Education

Mr. Wilks graduated from UCLA School of Law where he received the American Jurisprudence Award for his performance in Business Associations. He was a participant in the Moot Court Honors Program, and was named Moot Court Outstanding Brief Writer. He received his bachelor’s degree with honors from the University of Southern California.