Hospitality Expert Witness
Cayuga Members offer years of experience as hospitality expert witnesses and legal counsel in a wide variety of cases, including: ownership/management disputes; franchisor/franchisee disputes; brand defense disputes; disputes involving market feasibility studies, economic impact analyses, appraisals; valuations; security issues resulting in theft, personal injury and/or wrongful death; contract interpretation and negotiation disputes; landlord and tenant issues; eminent domain takings, bankruptcy and/or foreclosure issues; real estate tax appeals and zoning issues; and more.
As a developer, owner, operator, investor or other senior level executive in the hotel, resort, restaurant, bar and night club, gaming and special event industries, it is nearly impossible to avoid legal disputes. Cayuga Hospitality expert witnesses have wide-ranging experience in areas likely to become sources of litigation such as:
• Acquisition and Disposition
• Valuation and Feasibility
• Lost Income
• Contract Disputes
• Operations and Management
• Maintenance and Facility Upkeep
• Construction
• Safety and Security
• Alcoholic Beverage and Food Safety
• Labor Issues
• Employee Wage, Training, Supervision
Cayuga’s Hospitality Expert Witnesses are available to be engaged by defendants as well as plaintiffs. In addition, with their depth of experience and knowledge of all areas of the hotel, resort and foodservice industries, our Hospitality Expert Witnesses are also excellent resources for developing policies and procedures, and establishing training programs that can and will protect you when an instance of litigation arises. These protections can help to limit liability, or even result in case dismissals.
Prior to litigation, Cayuga Hospitality experts are able to conduct Hospitality Mediation and Arbitration services. Cayuga’s hospitality industry authorities who are also attorneys and/or Supreme Court Certified hospitality mediators and arbitration experts, are an excellent resource when seeking to resolve a dispute before escalating to litigation, or prior to trial.
Learn more about how the Cayuga Members can use their experience as hospitality expert witnesses and in hospitality mediation to help you with your issues.
Our Hospitality Expert Witness Consultants
John Berndt
Senior advisor for multi-use projects for International brands, independent owners/developers on hospitality operations,
James Braver
Our team of Israeli and American security experts can provide the extra-protective security layer needed for today's growing terrorism threats to the hospitality industry.
Scott Brush
Scott has focused on the Florida hotel industry since 1978 and is an Adjunct Professor at Florida International University's Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management.
Bill Carroll
Actively engaged with hotel ownership groups, intermediaries and start-ups in the areas of revenue, pricing, and marketing management.
Chekitan Dev
A leading authority on strategic marketing and brand management, customer loyalty, e-commerce, and Professor at The Cornell University School of Hotel Administration.
Chuck Kelley
Overall responsibility for a portfolio of over 50 hotels. An expert in hotel operations and brand management, from select service to the luxury tier.
Stephen Lipinski
Restaurant Business Specialist with Comprehensive Understanding of Operations and Business Success from Experiential and Academic Perspectives. "Management From Measurement"
Art Marshall
Art provides valuation work and exceptional business consulting services to his hospitality clients, focusing on transaction analysis, operational assessments, and budgeting.
Albert Pucciarelli
Experienced lawyer in the area of hotel and resort development and operations. Perfect for mediation, expert determination and arbitration of hotel-related issues.
Preston Rideout
My name is Preston Rideout. I'm a nightclub and bar consultant with twenty-two years experience opening and operating venues across the United States, Bahamas, and Mexico.
Thomas Riegelman
Maximizing Real Estate Value through thoughtful project planning, operational efficiency, resource conservation, and strategic use of capital.
Stephen Sherf
Expert in assessing the feasibility of hotel projects based on an understanding of competitive factors, the life cycle of hotels, and the realities of hotel financing.
Alan Someck
For 32 years, Alan has been a highly successful restaurant operator, full service consultant, expert witness, food product developer and trainer to the hospitality industry.
Romulo Vallejo
Fully bilingual, multicultural Hospitality Operations Specialist. Over 20 years U.S. and Caribbean-Latin American experience leading select, extended, and full-service hotels.
Peter Yesawich
Specialist in the development, execution and measurement of marketing communications programs for travel, hospitality and lifestyle businesses.