Stephen Kitagawa’s Real Estate Experience
Steve Kitagawa is currently the supervising attorney at Ghassemian Law Group and is in charge of 5 other attorneys and oversees numerous current cases.
Steve has years of experience representing financial institutions (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Bank of America, Citi Bank, Wells Fargo, Chase, and OCWEN) in various capacities including litigation through trial, appeal, and various other matters including privacy compliance, fraud (suspicious activity reports), eminent domain, and probate (where bank’s the deed of trust was being foreclosed upon). One of his recent cases involved helping facilitate a loan (by a Ghassemian Law Group client to the buyer) and sale of his bar and its assets (to the same buyer), securing the client’s interest by revising the sale contract to include an acceleration clause, protected by a note and deed of trust after the buyer’s counsel prepared a contract for sale (which did not remotely protect the client’s interests).
For six years, he was the managing attorney of the Orange County office of a national firm where he defended complex individual consumer and class action claims relating to the Mortgage Banking industry, including claims involving traditional real property disputes, wrongful foreclosure, violation of the California Homeowners Bill of Rights, UCL, fraud, other tort claims, complex Unlawful Detainer matters, including various habitability claims, coupled with Los Angeles County law specific to tenancies. During this time, he also prepared and argued appeals before State and Federal Courts, including the U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit.
He trained attorneys and staff in litigation techniques, appeals, and various compliance related matters. He has also trained and counseled corporate clients in various compliance related matters including financial crimes, suspicious activity reports (SARS), and privacy laws (CCPA, CPRA, GDPR).
Here are some examples of what he has done with Ghassemian Law Group:
- He has been representing a multi-million dollar client in various real estate transactions in California ranging from real estate pre-litigation disputes to various commercial Unlawful detainer actions as well as providing overall advice about the client’s real estate holdings and how to deal with a rogue partner in this context. This is continuing.
- Another Real Estate matter which he just won involved a deed restriction: A treatment facility (the “Facility”) with a few number of beds in a residential area wanted to expand. The client is a neighbor. Neither the client, nor the other neighbors or the City were aware of the existence of this Facility. Under California law, as long as a facility has 6 beds or less, then it does not have to obtain permission to exist.
Steve was able to get the Facility to enter into an agreement with the client which requires the client’s permission (via written agreement) prior to any further expansion of the Facility. He was also successful in securing a deed restriction which guaranteed the same and ran with the land giving the client, his heirs, and/or subsequent purchasers the same rights. Obtaining such deed restrictions is extremely rare and very hard to get.
Ultimately the City Board voted not to approve the Facility’s expansion and the Facility can reapply in one year. At that time, the client will be able to proceed with the same agreement.”
- Another matter that is still going on, involves disputes of a Ghassemian Law Group client with a neighbor and a homeowners association. The neighbor was allowed to build a wall that restricted the ocean view of the client’s house. Multiple real estate issues are involved and this one will probably end up in litigation.
Areas of practice include but are not limited to:
- Contract drafting and review
- Contract negotiation
- Easement agreements and disputes
- Leases
- Neighbor disputes
- Preparation of purchase and sale agreements
- Property boundary disputes
- Real estate contracts, leases and other transactional work
- Real estate litigation
- Quiet title actions defense
- Nondisclosure / Fraud
- HOA Disputes
- Nuisance
- Bad Faith Insurance
- Encroachment
- Trespass
- Breach of Contract
- Co-Owner Disputes
- Boundary/Easement Issues
Mahyar Ghassemian’s Real Estate Experience
With over two decades of Litigation and transactional experience in Business and Construction law, Mahyar has had numerous cases where there was a cross-over with real estate.
Her experience in Real Estate includes but is not limited to:
- Leases
- Contract drafting and review
- HOA disputes
- Bad Faith Insurance disputes
- Accessory Dueling Units (ADUs)
- Representation of developers and investors in litigation
- Formation of Development Entities
- Joint venture Agreement
Clinton Coddington’s Real Estate Experience:
Clint’s interest in real estate and construction took root before he finished law school. Since then, Clint has amassed more than twenty years of experience with real estate transactions in California, Idaho and Mexico, including contract negotiations, drafting and litigation.
Clients include property owners, buyers, sellers and developers. Clint’s insightful approach to transactional work balances efficiency of invested time and costs with his desire to achieve the best possible client result.
Clint is admitted to all state and federal courts in California and Idaho. He is fluent in Spanish and adores spending time with his wife and three teenagers which makes him appreciate how simple and straightforward the practice of law really is.
Areas of practice include but are not limited to:
- Commercial Disputes
- Contract drafting and review
- Contract negotiation
- Easement agreements and disputes
- Leases
- Neighbor disputes
- Preparation of purchase and sale agreements
- Property boundary disputes
- Real estate contracts, leases and other transactional work
- Real estate litigation
- Nondisclosure / Fraud
- HOA Disputes
- Nuisance
- Bad Faith Insurance
- Encroachment
- Trespass
- Breach of Contract
- Co-Owner Disputes
- Boundary/Easement
- Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
