Business & Franchise Disputes Across the Upper Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin
When a commercial dispute hits, it doesn’t just threaten a balance sheet—it can put an entire U.P. or Northern Wisconsin family business at risk. We represent:
- Closely held and family-owned businesses
- Auto dealers and franchisees
- Contractors, suppliers, and manufacturers
- Professionals and entrepreneurs
in litigated disputes involving:
- Breach of contract and warranty (Michigan & Wisconsin Uniform Commercial Code)
- Shareholder, member, and partnership disputes (Michigan Business Corporation Act, Michigan LLC Act, and comparable Wisconsin statutes)
- Franchise, dealership, and distribution litigation, including:
- Business torts – fraud, misrepresentation, conversion, unjust enrichment, tortious interference
- Non-compete and trade secret disputes, restrictive covenants, and confidentiality agreements
- Commercial real estate and construction litigation, including leases and contractor/subcontractor disputes
Bero Motors v General Motors – Trial and Second Appeal
Real franchise and dealer experience means more than reading the statute—it means trying the case and defending the result.
Attorney Vincent R. Petrucelli represented Bero Motors, Inc., a family-owned Upper Peninsula Pontiac/Buick dealership, in a breach-of-contract case against General Motors Corporation arising from “Plan 2000” realignment and an oral right-of-first-refusal agreement to purchase a neighboring GMC truck franchise.
Key issues included:
- Whether the oral right of first refusal was an enforceable contract
- Whether it was barred by the statute of frauds as involving an interest in real estate
- Whether Bero Motors provided valid consideration for GM’s promise
- Whether Bero Motors’ lost-profits damages were too speculative or properly recoverable
A jury found in favor of Bero Motors and awarded $3.1 million in lost profits. General Motors moved for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, a new trial, and remittitur—all denied. On the second appeal, the Michigan Court of Appeals affirmed, holding that:
- The oral arrangement was a valid right of first refusal, not barred by the statute of frauds;
- Bero Motors’ promise provided valuable consideration and created an enforceable contract; and
- The $3.1 million lost-profits award naturally arose from the breach and was not unacceptably speculative.
That kind of trial-and-appeal experience means we know how to:
- Build and present complex lost-profits models
- Anticipate and defeat contract-formation and statute-of-frauds defenses
- Protect a favorable verdict with post-trial motions and appeals
The same disciplined, fact-intensive approach used in Bero Motors is brought to every commercial case we handle.
U.P. and Northern Wisconsin Business Focus
We understand how business is actually done in the Upper Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin—where relationships matter, markets are small, and litigation risk can be existential.
We represent commercial clients in and around:
- Marquette County – Marquette, Ishpeming, Negaunee, Gwinn
- Houghton & Keweenaw Counties – Houghton, Hancock, Calumet, Laurium, Copper Harbor
- Iron & Dickinson Counties – Iron Mountain, Kingsford, Norway, Iron River, Crystal Falls
- Delta & Menominee Counties – Escanaba, Gladstone, Bark River, Menominee, Stephenson
- Alger, Schoolcraft, Luce, Chippewa & Mackinac Counties – Munising, Manistique, Newberry, Sault Ste. Marie, St. Ignace and surrounding towns
- Ontonagon, Baraga & Gogebic Counties – Ontonagon, L’Anse, Baraga, Bessemer, Ironwood, Wakefield
If you are searching for a commercial litigation attorney in Marquette, a business dispute lawyer in Houghton or Hancock, a franchise lawyer in Escanaba or Iron Mountain, or business counsel in Sault Ste. Marie, Menominee, Iron River, or any other U.P. community, Petrucelli & Petrucelli offers trial-tested and appeal-proven representation.
We also serve businesses throughout Northern Wisconsin, including Florence, Niagara, Marinette, Oconto, Green Bay, Appleton, Wausau, Rhinelander, Eagle River, Ashland, Hurley, and Superior.
Contact Vincent Petrucelli at (906) 265-6173 or vincent@truthfinders.com for a free consultation today.
