Troutman Pepper Locke secured a defense verdict after an eight-day jury trial in a contract construction dispute in the Superior Court of Fulton County, Atlanta, Georgia. The case, Be Our Guest Invs. v. Piedmont Park Conservancy, Inc., concluded on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, with a finding from the jury that the plaintiff, Be Our Guest, breached the lease agreement, resulting in an award of compensatory damages and attorneys’ fees to the Piedmont Park Conservancy, a nonprofit organization in Atlanta that manages the largest public park in the city, Piedmont Park.

Although the jury found both parties breached the lease agreement in some respect, Be Our Guest had asked the jury to award it over $6 million in damages, including a claim for future lost profits. Instead, following post-trial briefing, on March 5, 2025, the court entered the final judgment, finding that “PPC is entitled to recover $1,514,370.34” from the plaintiff, Be Our Guest, and entered an award of nominal damages to the plaintiff in the amount of $171,107.

The trial team was led by Jason McLarry and Brett Mason, with key trial support from associates Frederick King, Alex Martinez, Nicole Laudick, and Rachel Hendrix.