Mr. Cortes handles legal matters in the following practice areas: Civil Litigation, Real Property and Mortgage Litigation, Business Litigation, Copyright Litigation, Corporate Control, Contract Litigation, Torts, Construction Defects, Liens, Bad Faith, Wrongful Termination, Sexual Harassment, Government Claims, Government Contract Litigation, Land Claims, Collections, Breach of Warranty, Trade Secret Misappropriation, Voting Rights, and Civil Rights.
Real Property Litigation. Mr. Cortes has extensive experience with land-related court cases. He is currently busy with mortgage and home-purchase litigation arising out of the recent "mortgage meltdown." He has litigated quiet title actions, commercial leases, the partition of real property, construction defects, the foreclosure, rescission, and validity of deeds and mortgages, actions concerning easements and access rights, boundary disputes, flooding liability, nuisance, negligence, the establishment and foreclosure of equitable liens and mechanics liens, private claims for government land, the proper allocation of public land use rights, landlord-tenant issues such as unlawful detainer, breach of lease, toxic mold liability, and quiet enjoyment, and the fiduciary and other duties of developers and members of public land trust boards. He has also prepared numerous public and private sector leases, deeds, options, mortgages, claims of lien, settlement agreements, and other types of conveyances and encumbrances.
Business Litigation. Mr. Cortes has handled numerous cases involving corporate dissolution, shareholder inspection rights, corporate control, director liability, and securities and business fraud. He has extensive experience with the collection of large debts, and has litigated the breach of a wide variety of private and government contracts, warranties, guaranties, and other obligations. He has litigated numerous business torts, such as fraud, negligence, sexual harassment, and product liability. He has litigated trade secret misappropriation claims, and patent and copyright infringement cases involving electronic and biological processes. He assisted in the successful assertion of a noted Japanese corporation?s trademark rights in Guam without resort to litigation, and has prosecuted and defended unfair competition claims. His domestic and international business dispute resolution work spans litigation, arbitration, and mediation.
Government-Related Litigation. Mr. Cortes has extensive litigation experience with constitutional issues such as the separation of powers doctrine, legislative powers and immunities, and the powers and duties of autonomous and semi-autonomous government agencies such as public land authorities. He has significant experience with government contract claims under the Miller Act. In Palau, he successfully litigated the constitutionality of the Koror Constitution, and obtained a Supreme Court ruling setting the Koror-Peleliu boundary to include Palau?s famous Rock Islands within the jurisdiction of his client, Koror State. He advised the Koror State Legislature and Administration during Court supervised governmental reorganization by constitutional amendment. In Guam, he defended the late activist Senator Angel Santos from federal contempt charges arising from civil disobedience intended to hasten the return to Guam of lands formerly used by the U.S. Military, and successfully prosecuted a Sunshine Act case against the Guam government for Guam?s Pacific Daily News. He has significant experience with government tort claims and sovereign immunity, with civil claims made by governmental entities, and with public figure slander, as well as with governmental violations of the civil rights of citizens.