SHERLOCK GNOMES TO BE RELEASED ON MARCH 23, 2018

SANTA FE, NM March 14, 2018 - Sherlock Gnomes will open in theaters nationwide on March 23, 2018. The animation movie follows 2011’s Gnomeo and Juliet. This time the world's greatest "ornamental detective,” Sherlock Gnomes, is hired to investigate why garden gnome friends are disappearing. The film features the vocal talents of Johnny Depp as Sherlock Gnomes, James McAvoy as Gnomeo, Emily Blunt as Juliet, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Gnome Watson, and also includes Mary J. Blige, Michael Caine, Maggie Smith, and Ozzy Osbourne.  Elton John wrote original music for the film. Ben Allison of Bardacke Allison LLP handled the rights agreements for the picture on behalf of Conan Doyle Estate Ltd.

SANTA FE REPORTER INVESTIGATES SFUAD CLOSURE

SANTA FE, NM February 28, 2018  -  The Santa Fe Reporter's cover story today reports on the lawsuit brought by more than 50 current and former Santa Fe University of Art and Design students. The students filed suit against the university’s owners and operators, Laureate Education, Inc. and its affiliates, for breaching the students’ contracts and making misrepresentations in connection with the university’s closure. The story investigates Laureate’s actions and their consequences in the lives of students. Bardacke Allison LLP represents the students.

JUDY CHICAGO FEATURED IN NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE

NEW YORK, NY February 18, 2018 - Judy Chicago was featured today on the cover of The New York Times T Magazine Women's Fashion issue. The cover story, "Judy Chicago, the Godmother" explores her pioneering career as a feminist and artist. Ms. Chicago's work is in the collections of major museums around the world, including the British Museum, the Metropolitan, National Gallery, Tate Modern, Art Institute of Chicago, and many others. She is represented by UTA and in intellectual property matters by Bardacke Allison LLP.

NEW YORK TIMES RECOGNIZES FABSCRAP

NEW YORK, NY February 8, 2018 - Bardacke Allison client FABSCRAP was featured today in a New York Times story, at the start of New York's Fashion Week. FABSCRAP is a public charity founded in 2015 by Jessica Schreiber to save mountains of fabric scraps by partnering with New York’s fashion industry to prevent the fabric from ending up in landfills. FABSCRAP recycles the fabric for a variety of uses. Bardacke Allison’s Breanna Contreras represents FABSCRAP in intellectual property matters.

KENT ANDERSON’S GREEN SUN SCHEDULED FOR RELEASE

NEW YORK, NY February 6, 2018 - Kent Anderson’s highly anticipated third novel, Green Sun, will be published February 27, 2018 by Mulholland Books, an imprint of Little, Brown & Co. Anderson’s fans have waited more than twenty years for this third book about Officer Hansen, a Vietnam veteran and Oakland police officer who chooses to live in the precinct he patrols and takes seriously his duty to serve and protect the black community—his neighbors—in East Oakland. James Patterson writes, "Green Sun tells the unvarnished truth about what it is to be a cop in modern day America. I can give a suspense novel no higher compliment,” and Michael Connelly writes, “Kent Anderson serves up the best of what crime fiction can do in Green Sun, showing us a slice of the world that stands for the whole wide world and giving us Officer Hanson, whose perseverance and bedrock fairness and understanding of human frailty make him a hero for all places and times. The Hanson trilogy should not be a secret. It’s the best of the best in American storytelling today.” 

Publisher’s Weekly named Green Sun one of the most anticipated books of the spring and one of the top 10 mysteries coming in 2018.

Mr. Anderson is a U.S. Special Forces veteran and has won two NEA grants for creative writing as well as two Bronze Stars. He lives in New Mexico and is represented in publishing matters by Bardacke Allison LLP.

JUDGE RULES IN SFUAD STUDENTS' FAVOR

SANTA FE, NM November 16, 2017 - The First Judicial District Court ruled in favor of the more than 50 students of Santa Fe University of Art and Design (SFUAD) on pretrial efforts by defendant Laureate Education Inc. to throw out the students’ claims. Ben Allison and Justin Miller argued on behalf of the students that SFUAD and Laureate engaged in fraud and unfair practices by abruptly closing the school, and that the District Court in Santa Fe is the right place for the students to bring their claims. The cases will proceed toward trial, which has not yet been set.

BARDACKE ALLISON WINS EIGHT YEAR TTAB BATTLE

SANTA FE, NM October 28, 2017 - Bardacke Allison lawyers recently won a complete judgment on the merits in favor of Conan Doyle Estate Ltd in a trademark proceeding before the US Trademark Trial & Appeal Board. The proceeding involved trademarks registered internationally as well as in the United States, and capped an eight-year legal battle.

RETURN TO RAINY MOUNTAIN PREMIERES OCTOBER 19TH, 2017

SANTA FE, NM October 11, 2017 - The world premiere of Return to Rainy Mountain, a film about Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist N. Scott Momaday, will take place October 19, 2017 at the Lensic Performing Arts Center in Santa Fe.  Ben Allison assisted with development of the film. The film is airing as part of the Santa Fe Independent Film Festival, which runs from October 18-22 in Santa Fe.

WE ARE DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE THAT JUSTIN MILLER HAS BECOME A PARTNER

SANTA FE, NM July 18, 2017 - Justin Miller has been newly promoted to partner at Bardacke Allison LLP. Justin received a dual degree in law and Latin American Studies from the University of New Mexico in 2005. He served as Governor Bill Richardson’s chief counsel, entered private practice in 2011, and joined Bardacke Allison LLP in 2015. Justin’s practice focuses on commercial litigation in the areas of consumer protection, employment, and intellectual property. He also continues to serve public entities, including as general counsel for the New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange and as Chair of the City of Santa Fe Ethics and Campaign Review Board.

STARFALL EDUCATION FOUNDATION SUCCESSFULLY RESOLVES LAWSUIT AGAINST TRION WORLDS, INC.

SANTA FE, NM   June 7, 2017 - Starfall Education Foundation has successfully resolved trademark infringement occurring in a video game produced by Trion Worlds, Inc.  Starfall is a nonprofit that has taught millions of children throughout the United States and the world to read using online phonics games and other materials. Starfall filed suit in federal court in Colorado to stop the misappropriation of its name STARFALL in Trion's commercial video game. Trion agreed to cease all use of the name STARFALL in its game and acknowledged Starfall’s trademark rights. Starfall Education Foundation had protected its name with multiple federal and international trademark registrations. Bardacke Allison LLP represented Starfall in the lawsuit along with co-counsel in Sydney, Australia and Denver.

BARDACKE ALLISON LLP WELCOMES SUMMER ASSOCIATE VICTOR GRAFE

SANTA FE, NM  May 30, 2017 - Bardacke Allison LLP is pleased to have Victor Grafe as a summer associate. Victor is a second year law student at the University of Arizona Law School, where he is a member of the Arizona Law Review. He recently completed a judicial internship with the Honorable Philip Espinosa of the Arizona Court of Appeals and has worked with the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project. He is married to Maria Elena Bendlin de Grafe, of Paraguay, and they have one child. Before law school Victor attended seminary, did prison ministry, and played viola with the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra. He is fluent in Spanish and also plays the piano, violin, and guitar. His undergraduate degree is in music, summa cum laude, from Texas Tech University.

SFUAD STUDENTS FILE LAWSUIT AGAINST FOR-PROFIT UNIVERSITY OWNERS

SANTA FE, NM   April 28, 2017 -  Bardacke Allison lawyers Paul Bardacke, Ben Allison, and Justin Miller recently filed a lawsuit against Laureate Education Inc. on behalf of several Santa Fe University of Art and Design students. The lawsuit alleges that in closing SFUAD, the for-profit university broke its contract with students and misled both incoming freshmen and returning students, causing significant harm. Paul Bardacke said, “It is clear that Laureate cares more about its bottom line than about its students.” Ben Allison was quoted in recent Santa Fe New Mexican and Albuquerque Journal stories on the lawsuit. 

CITY OF SANTA FE ETHICS AND CAMPAIGN REVIEW BOARD TACKLES SODA TAX CAMPAIGN ISSUES

SANTA FE, NM April 27, 2017 - The City of Santa Fe’s Ethics and Campaign Review Board, chaired by Bardacke Allison’s Justin Miller, ruled on several complaints under the City’s Campaign Code as money pours into both sides of the campaign on the proposed soda tax. The Board reprimanded Pre K for Santa Fe for failing to disclose its identity in campaign materials, dismissed a complaint that would ask the Board to become the arbiter of truth in campaign communications, and reprimanded and ordered the Rio Grande Foundation to disclose expenditures and contributions in connection with a video it distributed in opposition to the tax. The Board will soon request public comment on a variety of questions to be answered in anticipation of the upcoming mayoral election. 

HOLMES AND WATSON FILMING IN U.K.

SANTA FE, NM  March 23, 2017 - Ben Allison assisted the Conan Doyle Estate Ltd. in connection with Holmes and Watson, a comedy starring Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Ralph Fiennes, and Hugh Laurie. The picture is being filmed in London for an expected release in 2018.

APPEAL FILED ON OUTCOME OF HOLLY HOLM'S FIGHT

NEW YORK, NY  February 15, 2017 - Bardacke Allison's Paul Bardacke and Breanna Houghton filed an appeal of the outcome of Holly Holm's UFC 208 Featherweight Title fight with the NY State Athletic Commission.  The appeal states that Ms. Holm "seeks review of Referee Todd Anderson's failure to deduct one or more points from Germaine de Randamie following her repeated strikes thrown after the horn sounded to end Rounds 2 and 3."

RIO GRANDE SUN DETAILS CLIENT’S BATTLE WITH ZIA CREDIT UNION

SANTA FE, NM  February 9, 2017 - Thursday’s Rio Grande Sun details the recent jury verdict won by Ben Allison and Justin Miller in favor of Bardacke Allison client Stella Vigil against Zia Credit Union. Headlined “Woman’s Bank Account Cleaned Out,” the article highlights Zia Credit Union’s use of inflated appraisals in its lending process, Zia’s culpability in making a bad loan to Stella’s daughter, and Zia’s failure to follow its own policy requiring Zia to warn Stella about the risk to her life savings. The Sun explains that the Rio Arriba County jury found the credit union liable on all counts, including that the credit union violated New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act. The Firm is awaiting a decision on a motion to triple the damages as a punitive measure to stop the credit union from treating other members the same way in the future.

ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL FEATURES STELLA VIGIL'S WIN AT TRIAL

SANTA FE, NM   February 3, 2017 - Today's Albuquerque Journal describes the jury verdict in favor of Bardacke Allison client Stella Vigil in a jury trial last November and December. Ms. Vigil’s life savings were taken by her financial institution to pay a debt of Ms. Vigil's daughter—a debt Ms. Vigil had not co-signed or guaranteed and which she was not told about. The financial institution claimed it had the right to the money because it was in a joint account on which Ms. Vigil’s daughter was listed. Ms. Vigil prevailed on all nine counts against the financial institution, including conversion, breach of contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and willful violation of the Unfair Practices Act. The jury also returned a verdict of punitive damages in Ms. Vigil’s favor.  Ben Allison and Justin Miller represented Stella Vigil at trial.

BARDACKE ALLISON WINS JURY TRIAL

SANTA FE, NM  December 2, 2016 -  A Rio Arriba jury today returned a verdict in favor of the Firm’s client and against a financial institution on every claim in the case, including willful violation of the New Mexico Unfair Practices Act. Ben Allison and Justin Miller tried the case, which began November 21, 2016. The jury agreed with them that the financial institution acted with reckless disregard of its customer’s rights, and awarded punitive damages in favor of the Firm’s client.

BARDACKE ALLISON NAMED TO 2017 “BEST LAW FIRMS” LIST

SANTA FE, NM  November 1, 2016 - Bardacke Allison LLP is just over a year old and has already been named one of the area's best law firms for commercial litigation and mediation.  The ranking, by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers, is based upon input from other leading lawyers and from clients.  Partners Ben Allison and Paul Bardacke were also both listed in the 22nd edition of The Best Lawyers in America. 

ALLISON EXPLAINS BATTLE BREWING OVER BAD ASS COFFEE

SANTA FE, NM  October 7, 2016 - Ben Allison was quoted in a KRQE-TV story about the battle between Bad Ass Coffee Company and a new Santa Fe sandwich shop which took the Bad Ass name and a similar logo featuring a donkey.

Bardacke Allison LLP represents Bad Ass Coffee Company of Hawaii, Inc.