Ralph H. Blakeney

Ralph Blakeney has represented clients in a broad range of complex legal matters for the last quarter of a century.  Ralph has advised and counseled clients in real estate, breach of contract, securities fraud, antitrust, accountant's liability, lender liability, insurance coverage, deceptive trade practices, wrongful termination and personal injury actions, as well as consumer and employment class actions. He has conducted internal investigations for clients and represented them in governmental investigations.  Ralph has tried cases in both state and federal courts.  He has represented clients in private arbitration, and has served both as a sole arbitrator and as the presiding arbitrator on arbitration panels. 

Education, Memberships and Honors

Ralph earned his Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School, where he was on the Dean's List and a member of both the Scott Moot Court Honors Board and the St. Thomas More Law Honor Society.  He was awarded a Master of Business Administration degree in Taxation by New York University.  Ralph earned his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Mississippi State University, where he was on the Dean's List and a member of the Beta Alpha Psi honor society for accounting students.

Ralph has been awarded the AV Preeminent® rating by Martindale-Hubbell. The AV® Preeminent rating signifies that a lawyer has achieved the highest levels of professional skill and integrity-a testament to the fact that a lawyer's peers rank him at the highest level of professional excellence.  Martindale-Hubbell is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings^TM fall into two categories - legal ability and general ethical standards.

Ralph is admitted to practice law in the states of California, Colorado, Mississippi and Texas.  He also is admitted to practice before numerous federal courts.  Ralph is a member of the American Bar Association, the Orange County Bar Association, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants.

For many years, Ralph has been involved in the Orange County Bar Association through participation in several committees and sections, including the Mandatory Fee Arbitration Committee, the Judiciary Committee, the Pro Bono Committee and the Business Litigation Section.  He has served as a member of the Public Law Center Board of Directors for nearly two decades and is an active, registered volunteer in both the Boy Scouts of America and the American Youth Soccer Organization. 

Experience

Before joining Gordee, Nowicki & Blakeney LLP, Ralph was a litigation partner with two international law firms.  Ralph has litigated and tried cases in numerous state and federal courts and in private arbitration. He currently represents both plaintiffs and defendants in business disputes, and also is using his tax experiences to assist a major corporation with a sales tax dispute. Ralph defended a large software company in consumer class actions in two states.  He recently represented a lender in foreclosure litigation against a group of related commercial borrowers and helped his client obtain full repayment of all amounts owed.  Ralph recently assisted an indigent pro bono client, obtaining dismissal of all claims brought by a well-funded institutional plaintiff.  He has defended a specialty restaurant company in two employment class actions, and he represented an affiliate of an investment banking company in a dispute concerning a real estate development.  Ralph has represented a quick service restaurant company in a contract dispute, health care providers in disputes with health insurers, a developer in a dispute against a local municipality, and a registered investment advisor against fraud and contract claims. His experience also includes the representation of financial institutions in collection, lender liability, and foreclosure actions; the representation of software developers; and the supervision of a large Hart-Scott-Rodino compliance team in connection with a $400 million transaction.

Representative Matters

• Currently representing a large software company in commercial dispute.
• Currently representing plaintiff in an elder abuse and real estate fraud. 
• Recently defended national company against consumer class actions
  in multiple states.
• Recently prosecuted multi-million dollar judicial foreclosure action on behalf
  of a large commercial lender and obtained full recovery of all funds.
• Defended a law firm against multi-million dollar malpractice claims.
• Successfully represented a publicly-traded retailer in two California class actions
  alleging that the retailer failed to provide meal and rest breaks to hourly employees and failed to pay employees for all working hours.
• Obtained dismissal of a lawsuit against a hospital company in a lawsuit filed by
  a health plan which sought to recover payments for care it had authorized for its members.
• Filed petition and obtained "grandparent visitation" for a pro bono client.
• Obtained a defense decision for registered investment advisor in an arbitration before the American Arbitration Association alleging breach of contract and fraud claims. Also obtained award of attorney's fees for the investment advisor and assisted the client in post-judgment collection of the fees.
• Represented lender in United States District Court trial against borrowers.
• Represented quick service restaurant company in a class action filed in United
  States District Court alleging violations of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, and obtained a very favorable settlement and dismissal.
• Prosecuted specific performance action against seller who refused to complete
  transaction. Obtained favorable settlement for buyer during jury trial.
• Defended real estate developer against breach of contract and fraud claims
  involving a purported option to sell undeveloped land; obtained judgment for defendant after 17-day trial.
• Defended real estate title information provider in billion dollar breach of
  contract suit. Settled matter for under six figures.
• Obtained dismissal of a lawsuit against restaurant chain alleging fraud and
  breach of contract and seeking multi-million dollar damages.
• Represented an indigent client who feared that she would lose her home to a bail
  bonding company which took a deed of trust on the home to secure a bond issued to allow her son to be released from jail.
• Prosecuted a complex judicial foreclosure action on behalf of a financial
  institution.
• Obtained judgment in federal court on behalf of specialty lender against a
  borrower; also defeated borrower's lender liability counterclaims.
• Obtained dismissal of a lawsuit brought against pro bono client by company
  that purchases purported defaulted credit card accounts at large discounts and then prosecutes collection actions against consumers.
• Supervised 40-person team gathering information to respond to Hart-Scott-
  Rodino second request. Defended depositions leading to clearance and closing of transaction.
• Successfully represented owners and developers in a broad range of real estate
  disputes and litigation involving land development, joint venture, construction, and purchase/sale transactions.