Ellen Cirangle is an experienced commercial litigator with a highly successful track record litigating cases in federal and state courts, as well as before arbitration panels. Ms. Cirangle has litigated in the areas of securities fraud, real estate, partnership disputes and fiduciary matters.

Ms. Cirangle has obtained million-dollar-plus trial awards against leading brokerage firms before arbitration panels in three separate cases; successfully defended a fraud and rescission action concerning a commercial lease and obtaining full award of attorneys' fees for client; successfully tried an action for breach of a commercial lease agreement and obtained judgment for full amount requested and attorneys' fees; obtained at trial a reduction in commercial loan of approximately ten million dollars based upon claims of fraud and usury and obtaining a full defense verdict and a multi-million dollar award on a counterclaim in a breach of contract case before an arbitration panel. Ms. Cirangle has also negotiated multiple settlements on behalf of her clients.

Before joining Stein & Lubin in 2002, Ms. Cirangle practiced as a trial attorney at Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott in Denver and Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel in Honolulu. Prior to that, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Ann Aldrich in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.

Ms. Cirangle earned a B.A. in psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an M.A. in psychology from American University. She earned her law degree, summa cum laude, from University of California Hastings College of the Law in 1992.

Representative Matters/Published Cases

• Overstock.com, Inc. v. Morgan Stanley, et al., San Francisco Superior Court (filed 2007). Represent Internet retailer and individual shareholders in suit alleging violations of California Corporations Code §25400, and other claims arising from the largest prime brokerage firms in the United States illegally naked short selling Overstock's common stock.

• Overstock v. Gradient Analytics, et al., Marin County Superior Court (filed 2005). Represent Internet retailer and individual shareholders in suit concerning defamation of Overstock through publication of multiple analyst reports falsely accusing Overstock of intentionally falsifying its accounting statements.

• Security National Guaranty, Inc. v. Shores LLC et al., Santa Clara County Bankruptcy Court (Judgment obtained 2006). Represented debtor developer in adversary proceeding against lender alleging usury and fraud and obtained favorable judgment after bench trial.

• Chicken Chicken LLC v. Kockas, San Mateo County Superior Court (2004). Represented owner of commercial building in jury trial and obtained judgment of forfeiture of twenty year lease.

• Aguilar & Sebastinelli v. 1700 California St. (2003). Represented defendant in fraud/rescission case concerning commercial lease. Plaintiff dismissed case with prejudice after one-week trial. Full award of attorneys' fees granted.

• Fuchs v. Tokyu Corporation, U.S.D.C. Hawaii (2001). Represented owner of real property within resort on the island of Hawaii sued for breach of contract and fraud by potential purchaser. Plaintiff sought approximately $67 million dollars in damages. Case settled favorably before trial.

• Koch v. Koch, U.S.D.C. Kansas (1998). Part of trial team representing selling shareholders in second largest private company in the United States in litigation over fairness of price received for shares. Three-month jury trial. Jury found misrepresentations, but not material.

• Represented retired couple whose conservative stock portfolio was liquidated and invested in high-tech funds by Morgan Stanley broker . Won award of full damages sought after week-long arbitration.

• Represented officer of Fortune 50 company whose company stock was both mismanaged and embezzled by account manager at brokerage firm who was unlicensed. Obtained successful results in suits against introducing brokerage firms and clearing broker.

• Overstock.com v. Gradient Analytics, Inc., 151 Cal. App. 4th 688 (2007).

• Avenius v. Bank of America Securities, Inc., 2006 WL 4008711, (N.D.Cal., December 30, 2006).

• Koch v. Koch Industries, 203 F.3d 1202 (10th Cir. 2000).