Ask a better question about the deal
Ask the Napkin Litigator
The paperwork says one thing. The people, money, and history may say another.
Ask a general question about ownership, control, compensation, governance, or other economic rights that are difficult to understand from one document or one field of law.
Ask your questionWhat belongs here
The question beneath the legal label.
Napkin Litigation addresses disputes where valuable rights are spread across contracts, entity records, tax filings, financial statements, communications, and actual conduct. A useful question identifies the conflict and asks what an attorney should examine to understand it.
Who has a right to it?
A contribution, promise, document, or course of conduct may tell only part of the story.
Who can make decisions?
Legal title, management authority, and practical control may not align.
Where did the money go?
Distributions, compensation, transfers, and related entities may affect the economic picture.
An illustrative question and answer
How an answer works.
Question
What if the operating agreement says one person owns the company, but the tax returns and years of business conduct tell a different story?
A general answer
Start by mapping the full economic relationship. An operating agreement, tax filings, contributions, distributions, communications, and actual conduct may each matter. They can support or contradict different accounts of ownership, authority, and economic rights. What those records prove depends on the facts, the governing documents, and applicable law.
This is an illustration of the format, not an answer to a submitted question or advice about a specific dispute.
Submit a question
Ask your question.
Andrew Lieb may select questions to answer for publication. Keep yours general and focused on a legal or practical issue that other readers could learn from. Submission does not guarantee an answer or publication.
Do not include your real name, anyone else's name, confidential information, documents, or time-sensitive details. This form is for general educational questions and is not a request for legal advice or representation.
To discuss your own matter, contact Lieb at Law.