Keller Anderle Scolnick (KAS) Partners Jeremy Stamelman and Benjamin Barron secured a defense victory at trial for their client, entrepreneur Brandon Burkhart, in a high-stakes commercial dispute. Stamelman and Barron successfully defended Burkhart against more than $70 million in claims after undermining experts.
The case, Route Four LLC v. Burkhart et al., arose in 2018 following the sale of Mr. Burkhart’s retail hydroponics business to Route Four LLC. Route Four alleged that Burkhart breached a non-competition provision in the parties’ Asset Purchase Agreement through his involvement with two pre-existing businesses—Luxx Lighting, a lighting manufacturer, and Athena Products, a plant-nutrient manufacturer—and sought more than $70 million in damages based largely on profits allegedly attributable to those companies.
While defending Mr. Burkhart and his businesses against the claims, Stamelman and the team pursued a cross-complaint against Route Four and its managing members, including breach of contractual obligations requiring Route Four to pay Mr. Burkhart for the sale of the business through monthly consulting fees, as well as claims arising from the conduct of Route Four’s managing members.
On August 19, 2026, less than two weeks before the scheduled trial, Barron’s deposition and cross-examination led to the exclusion of two experts and the evidence the plaintiff relied on. This pretrial success substantially undermined Route Four’s ability to pursue damages and materially altered the posture of the case.
On October 28, 2026, the jury returned a verdict in favor of Mr. Burkhart, while also finding Route Four’s CEO and managing member knowingly made false statements to procure the Asset Purchase Agreement.
The team also successfully secured on Mr. Burkhart’s cross-complaint $828,000 in damages, the full amount Mr. Burkhart was seeking.