Court Upholds $4 Million Verdict for South Carolina Man

GREENVILLE, SC – April 11, 2011 – The United States Court ofAppeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed a jury verdict in favor ofRichard Davis, creator of the television series “Flip this House.”

Billy Wilkins, head of Nexsen Pruet’s Appellate Advocacy Group, and Kirsten Small (pictured left) represented Davis on appeal before the 4th Circuit.

In 2004, Davis shopped around his idea of a house-flipping TV show.  Davis struck a deal with cable network A&E.  For 13 episodes, “Flipthis House” followed Davis’ company, Trademark Properties, as crewsflipped homes around South Carolina.

At trial in 2006, Davis told the court that he upheld every aspect ofthe deal, but A&E did not pay.   The heart of the case was an oralagreement.  The jury found in favor of Davis and awarded him $4million.  That’s roughly equal to half of the net revenue for the firstseason of the show. Today’s appellate ruling confirms that jury verdict.

“We’re pleased that the appellate court let the jury verdict stand,”said Wilkins.  “The creator of “Flip this House,” Richard Davis,deserved to be compensated for the work.  A&E breached its contractand refused to pay the money due.”

Read the 4th Circuit’s full opinion here.

Nexsen Pruet, LLC is one of the largest law firms in the Carolinas, with more than 180attorneys and offices in Columbia, Charleston, Greenville, Hilton Head,and Myrtle Beach, S.C. as well as Charlotte, Greensboro, and Raleigh,N.C.  Founded in 1945, Nexsen Pruet provides a broad range of legalservices to the business community and represents companies and otherentities in local, state, national, and international venues.