Former Real Salt Lake Head Coach Mike Petke Files Suit Over Contract Balance

Team owes Petke nearly $700,000 in salary on 3-year contract DALLAS – The former head coach of the Real Salt Lake (RSL) Major League Soccer club has filed suit against the team, claiming, among other things, the team and its owner, Dell Loy Hansen, broke a legally binding promise that was part of an amendment to the coach’s contract. Mike Petke was approximately 18 months into his three-year contract with RSL when he was dismissed on Aug. 11. According to the terms of the contract, the team owes him his salary for the remainder of 2019 and all of 2020. Mr. Petke’s dismissal followed a two-week suspension related to his actions in an incident with an international official following a Leagues Cup match. RSL also levied additional sanctions, which were outlined in a contract amendment signed by the coach and RSL leadership. Although the amendment expressly stipulates that future infractions could result in his dismissal, RSL removed Mr. Petke as coach the day before he was scheduled to return to the team. “The amendment was clear about what club leaders expected of Mike. He was following that amendment to the letter and looking forward to returning to his team when he was blindsided by ownership,” said Mr. Petke’s attorney, Clayton Bailey of Dallas’ Bailey Brauer PLLC. “The decision was announced in a way calculated to damage his reputation, not just as a coach, but also personally. Refusing to pay the remainder of his salary is a move designed to inflict additional, unwarranted economic damage.” “What happened here is fairly simple. RSL owner Dell Loy Hansen was recorded contradicting the agreement while speaking to another team’s fans, became embarrassed, and later fired Mike when he had

September 17th, 2019|Categories: News|

Clayton Bailey, Alex Brauer Recognized Among State’s Top Business Litigators

Bailey Brauer co-founders honored in 2019 Texas Super Lawyers guide  DALLAS – Dallas attorneys Clayton Bailey and Alex Brauer, co-founders of Bailey Brauer, have been selected among the state’s top business litigators in the 2019 edition of the Texas Super Lawyers legal guide. One of The National Trial Lawyers’ Top 100 Texas Civil Plaintiff Lawyers, Mr. Bailey has a national trial and appellate practice. He represents clients involved in complex tort and other commercial cases, corporate litigation and in putative class actions and mass action lawsuits in federal and state courts. A frequent author, he contributed significant expertise to sections of the American Bar Association’s recently released Agriculture and Food Handbook. This is his ninth Texas Super Lawyers selection. Mr. Brauer represents companies and high net worth individuals involved in high-stakes business litigation involving claims of fraud, tortious interference, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, conspiracy, deceptive trade practices, trade secret theft, RICO, and antitrust violations. Mr. Brauer has successfully defended clients facing class and collective actions and represented plaintiffs and defendants in complex tort and negligence cases. The 2019 selection is the third for Mr. Brauer. Texas Super Lawyers is published by Thomson Reuters, appearing in Texas Monthly and Super Lawyers magazines. Selection is limited to no more than 5 percent of Texas attorneys and is based on a statewide survey of lawyers and extensive editorial review. For more information, visit http://www.superlawyers.com. “Professional honors such as Super Lawyers in which peer feedback plays such a key role in selection are particularly rewarding,” said Mr. Bailey. “To earn the respect of your contemporaries is an indication that you are not only doing things the right way but also doing so successfully,” said Mr. Brauer. The Super Lawyers selections are the

September 4th, 2019|Categories: News|