Bill Brewer’s Defense of Starwood in a Landmark Hospitality Litigation Case
Bill represented Starwood Hotels Resorts Worldwide, Inc. in a dispute involving ownership and management practices of multiple Westin properties. The hotel owners alleged that Starwood had improperly received and retained vendor rebates, discounts, and other payments generated through its purchasing activities, including allegations of commercial bribery, fraud, conversion, breach of contract, and breach of fiduciary duty.
In 2004, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed dismissal of the hotel owners’ federal commercial-bribery claim, concluding that the allegations did not establish the improper intent required to support a bribery claim.
Bill also represented hotel owners in Woolley v. Embassy Suites, a landmark case concerning the termination of hotel management agreements.