Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Padres slugger Tony Gwynn sues Seltzer, Caplan

San Diego's concert promoter Bill Silva buys $1.9 million house in Hollywood Hills

— Padres slugger Tony Gwynn is shooting it out in court with Seltzer, Caplan, Wilkins and McMahon, one of the town's most well-connected law firms. According to a legal malpractice claim Gwynn and wife Alicia filed last week in Superior Court, the firm has badly screwed up the couple's many legal entanglements. In late March of 1997, the lawsuit says, Seltzer, Caplan, and attorney Janice Brown were retained by the Gwynns to defend against a suit from Japanese baseball superstar Hideo Nomo, who had sued the Gwynns and their company, Gwynn Sport, Inc., claiming they had "made unauthorized use of Mr. Nomo's name and likeness." The Gwynns' lawsuit alleges that Selzter, Caplan "negligently advised" the couple to "personally pay $250,000" to Nomo to settle the case, a sum "greatly in excess" of what they should have settled for. In another case brought against the Gwynns by a Japanese sports company -- alleging fraud in the way they handled Major League Baseball toy licenses -- the Gwynns claim that Seltzer, Caplan, and Brown failed to turn the matter over to the Gwynns' insurance company. As a result, the Gwynns claim, they were personally left on the hook for legal fees and settlement costs. The suit describes two other similar cases that were also allegedly bungled by Seltzer, Caplan. Worse yet, Gwynn charges, Seltzer, Caplan pressured him and his wife into attending an October 1997 reception at the law firm's offices. "Upon discovering that [Seltzer, Caplan] was using the reception 'in his honor' for nothing more than an opportunity to trade off his goodwill and to give his appearance to clients," Gwynn wanted to leave the party. But the complaint says he decided to stay and sign baseballs "in order to avoid any possibility of negative publicity for his employer (the San Diego Padres), the Tony and Alicia Gwynn Foundation, and himself." Gwynn also claims that the law firm failed to pay for its sponsorship of a golf tournament sponsored by his charitable foundation. "To add insult to injury, [Seltzer, Caplan] claimed it did not have any obligation to honor its pledge to the TAG foundation or to pay its promised sponsorship because it was throwing a party in honor of Tony Gwynn and the party had gone over budget." The Gwynns claim total damages of more than $3.7 million.

Forever 40

Sponsored
Sponsored

San Diego's own Bill Silva, who rose to fame and fortune beginning in 1979 when he was a UCSD student promoting campus concerts, has just bought a $1.9 million house in the Hollywood Hills from Dr. L. Lee Bosley, a hair-transplant doctor, reports the L.A. Times. The 3500-square-foot house, built in 1972, features three bedrooms, two fireplaces, and a pool. Silva unloaded his company, Bill Silva Presents, in 1998 to Universal Studios. This week's Times story reported Silva's age to be 40. But back in September 1998, the Union-Tribune's Burl Stiff reported that Silva was turning 40, celebrated with a lavish three-day birthday bash that included food trucked in from Wolfgang Puck and a telephoned performance by Jewel ... The Shiley Family Trust has just foreclosed on the Artesian Valley Ranch near Durango, Colorado. The trust paid $3.34 million at a foreclosure auction last Thursday and is expected to try to quickly unload the land, the proposed site of a controversial 975-acre, 244-home subdivision opposed by neighbors. Colorado records list Donald Pearce Shiley as trustee of the Shiley Family Trust. Shiley, the inventor of an artificial heart valve, and wife Darlene are big donors to local charities like KPBS.

Talent Drain

Ace Union-Tribune reporter Valerie Alvord, known for her hard-hitting coverage of U.S. Attorney Alan Bersin and border controversies spawned by whistle-blowing Customs inspectors, has quietly departed the newspaper. Her byline has recently shown up in USA Today ... Padres owner John Moores continues his Internet spending spree. His JMI Equity Fund has announced it shared in a $6.75 million investment in a Massachusetts outfit called Unica. The company says it specializes in "providing analytic and campaign-management software solutions for Internet-based and traditional marketing channels such as call centers, mail, fax, and point-of-sale."

Contributor: Matt Potter

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Jayson Napolitano’s Scarlet Moon releases third Halloween album

Latest effort has the most local vibe
Next Article

The Fellini of Clairemont High

When gang showers were standard for gym class

— Padres slugger Tony Gwynn is shooting it out in court with Seltzer, Caplan, Wilkins and McMahon, one of the town's most well-connected law firms. According to a legal malpractice claim Gwynn and wife Alicia filed last week in Superior Court, the firm has badly screwed up the couple's many legal entanglements. In late March of 1997, the lawsuit says, Seltzer, Caplan, and attorney Janice Brown were retained by the Gwynns to defend against a suit from Japanese baseball superstar Hideo Nomo, who had sued the Gwynns and their company, Gwynn Sport, Inc., claiming they had "made unauthorized use of Mr. Nomo's name and likeness." The Gwynns' lawsuit alleges that Selzter, Caplan "negligently advised" the couple to "personally pay $250,000" to Nomo to settle the case, a sum "greatly in excess" of what they should have settled for. In another case brought against the Gwynns by a Japanese sports company -- alleging fraud in the way they handled Major League Baseball toy licenses -- the Gwynns claim that Seltzer, Caplan, and Brown failed to turn the matter over to the Gwynns' insurance company. As a result, the Gwynns claim, they were personally left on the hook for legal fees and settlement costs. The suit describes two other similar cases that were also allegedly bungled by Seltzer, Caplan. Worse yet, Gwynn charges, Seltzer, Caplan pressured him and his wife into attending an October 1997 reception at the law firm's offices. "Upon discovering that [Seltzer, Caplan] was using the reception 'in his honor' for nothing more than an opportunity to trade off his goodwill and to give his appearance to clients," Gwynn wanted to leave the party. But the complaint says he decided to stay and sign baseballs "in order to avoid any possibility of negative publicity for his employer (the San Diego Padres), the Tony and Alicia Gwynn Foundation, and himself." Gwynn also claims that the law firm failed to pay for its sponsorship of a golf tournament sponsored by his charitable foundation. "To add insult to injury, [Seltzer, Caplan] claimed it did not have any obligation to honor its pledge to the TAG foundation or to pay its promised sponsorship because it was throwing a party in honor of Tony Gwynn and the party had gone over budget." The Gwynns claim total damages of more than $3.7 million.

Forever 40

Sponsored
Sponsored

San Diego's own Bill Silva, who rose to fame and fortune beginning in 1979 when he was a UCSD student promoting campus concerts, has just bought a $1.9 million house in the Hollywood Hills from Dr. L. Lee Bosley, a hair-transplant doctor, reports the L.A. Times. The 3500-square-foot house, built in 1972, features three bedrooms, two fireplaces, and a pool. Silva unloaded his company, Bill Silva Presents, in 1998 to Universal Studios. This week's Times story reported Silva's age to be 40. But back in September 1998, the Union-Tribune's Burl Stiff reported that Silva was turning 40, celebrated with a lavish three-day birthday bash that included food trucked in from Wolfgang Puck and a telephoned performance by Jewel ... The Shiley Family Trust has just foreclosed on the Artesian Valley Ranch near Durango, Colorado. The trust paid $3.34 million at a foreclosure auction last Thursday and is expected to try to quickly unload the land, the proposed site of a controversial 975-acre, 244-home subdivision opposed by neighbors. Colorado records list Donald Pearce Shiley as trustee of the Shiley Family Trust. Shiley, the inventor of an artificial heart valve, and wife Darlene are big donors to local charities like KPBS.

Talent Drain

Ace Union-Tribune reporter Valerie Alvord, known for her hard-hitting coverage of U.S. Attorney Alan Bersin and border controversies spawned by whistle-blowing Customs inspectors, has quietly departed the newspaper. Her byline has recently shown up in USA Today ... Padres owner John Moores continues his Internet spending spree. His JMI Equity Fund has announced it shared in a $6.75 million investment in a Massachusetts outfit called Unica. The company says it specializes in "providing analytic and campaign-management software solutions for Internet-based and traditional marketing channels such as call centers, mail, fax, and point-of-sale."

Contributor: Matt Potter

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

The vicious cycle of Escondido's abandoned buildings

City staff blames owners for raising rents
Next Article

Haunted Trail of Balboa Park, ZZ Top, Gem Diego Show

Events October 31-November 2, 2024
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader