Susman Godfrey

Tell us about your biggest trial win from January 2018 through June 2019 and how you achieved the result for your client. 

We won a $706.2 million jury verdict for real estate analytics firm, HouseCanary, in a trade secret misappropriation, breach of contract and fraud case against Title Source. This win was on a counterclaim—after Title Source, now called Amrock—preemptively sued HouseCanary for purported breach of contract. During discovery, the case completely turned around: We learned that Amrock had stolen HouseCanary's trade secrets related to real estate valuation and appraisal analytics to build competing products. We proved as much to a San Antonio jury. After a two-month trial, the jury found unanimously in HouseCanary's favor and rejected every single Amrock claim. The court entered judgment for $740 million. The verdict is Susman Godfrey's largest ever.

Share two trial tips that have been key to your success.

1) Max Tribble: Instruct your witnesses to tell the truth and be honest about any bad facts; be totally prepared to roast anyone who lies on the other side.

2) Kalpana Srinivasan: Treat jurors and the court with respect, and never, ever underestimate their ability to grasp issues. Be authentic in your presentation—jurors appreciate real people.