Admissions
State of Colorado
State of Minnesota
State of
California
U.S. District
Court, Colorado
U.S. District
Court, Western District of Michigan
U.S. District
Court, Central District of California
U.S. District
Court,
Eastern District of Wisconsin
U.S. District
Court, Northern District of Illinois
Education:
George Mason University School of Law,
Arlington, Virginia, Juris Doctor.
Duke University,
Durham, North Carolina, Bachelor of Science.
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Mr. Frazee
is a principal in the Yates Law Firm and has
practiced law for over 13 years since graduating
from George Mason University School of Law in
Virginia. Immediately after law school, Mr.
Frazee clerked for the Colorado Court of Appeals
in Denver, Colorado before embarking upon
private practice in civil litigation. Mr. Frazee
worked with Mr. Yates in a predecessor firm for
over five years in Denver where he handled
numerous cases from inception through jury trial
and appeal in state and federal courts
throughout the United States. After practicing
in Denver for over eight years, Mr. Frazee moved
to Southern California where he practiced before
taking a 2 ½ year sabbatical from the practice
of law to sail and scuba dive the South Pacific
with his wife. Upon his return, he re-joined the
Yates Law Firm to run the California office in
Newport Beach, California.
Mr. Frazee’s
licenses to practice in the States of Colorado,
Minnesota, and California have allowed him to
represent a diverse range of clients from
Fortune 500 Companies to small businesses and
individuals in business disputes without the
need for local counsel. In addition, Mr.
Frazee’s admission to numerous Federal Courts
have allowed him to represent these same clients
in a variety of matters on the Federal level.
Because most business and commercial disputes do
not end up in trial, but are settled either
before trial or even before litigation is
instituted through the use of arbitration or
mediation, Mr. Frazee realizes the importance of
developing good relationships with his clients
and opposing counsel, as well as developing his
client’s case, so that the best possible
settlement can be reached if a matter does not
go to trial. If a matter does go to trial, Mr.
Frazee has substantial experience in both first
and second chair in state and federal courts for
bench and jury trials in the areas of products
liability, personal injury, construction defect,
and insurance coverage and bad faith claims of
large property, construction and business
interruption losses.
Some of the
matters Mr. Frazee has been involved with
include:
•
Second-chaired a successful jury
trial defense of a major commercial property
insurer with Mr. Yates in Illinois state court
against a $5 million business interruption loss
and bad faith claim. The bad faith claim was
dismissed just before trial on summary judgment.
Mr. Frazee also wrote the appellate briefs on
Plaintiff’s appeal to the Illinois Court of
Appeals, which affirmed the trial court
verdict. Lyon Metal Products, L.L.C. v.
Protection Mut. Ins. Co., 321 Ill.App.3d
330, 747 N.E.2d 495 (Ill.App. 2001).
•
Second-chaired a jury trial with
Mr. Yates against Hartford Insurance Company
which resulted in a verdict in excess of $1.8
million for the insured for a large commercial
property loss in which Hartford denied all
coverage. Mr. Frazee also wrote the appellate
briefs on appeal to the Colorado Court of
Appeals which affirmed the jury verdict.
•
Prepared for trial, including
discovery, depositions of lay witnesses and
experts, and all motions, a case for a large
commercial property insurer defending claims for
breach of contract and bad faith totaling over
$8 million, which arose out of rain damage to a
hotel while it was under construction. At
trial, the court determined there was no
insurance coverage under the policy for the
loss. The ruling was upheld on appeal to the
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Continental
Cas. Co. v. Landmark Hotels, L.L.C., 184
Fed.Appx. 649 (9th Cir. 2006).
•
Prepared for trial, including all
discovery and trial briefs, a subrogation case
for a large commercial property insurer and its
insured, J.C. Penny, against the owner of a mall
and a maintenance contractor for the collapse of
a roof due to snow overloads on the roof.
Settled the matter on the morning of jury
selection with a very favorable verdict for J.C.
Penny and the insurer.
• Counseled and
assisted a minority owned, small business client
with contract negotiations and contract terms
and conditions for the construction of the
Sunrise Power Link Project with San Diego Gas &
Electric.
Reported Cases:
Agritrack, Inc.
v. DeJohn Housemoving, Inc., 25 P.3d 1187
(Colo. 2001).
Lyon Metal
Products, L.L.C. v. Protection Mut. Ins. Co.,
321 Ill.App.3d 330, 747 N.E.2d 495 (Ill.App.
2001).
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