In June 2025, Jacob Sarabian tried a commercial lease breach action to verdict in Alameda County Superior Court. The defendant, appearing through a certified interpreter, contended that the rent obligation had been extinguished by the COVID-19 pandemic and related closures. The jury rejected that defense and returned a verdict for the firm’s client in the full amount sought. The court subsequently awarded attorneys’ fees under the prevailing-party provisions of the lease.
Following entry of judgment, Sarabian Law pursued post-judgment enforcement against the defendant. After substantial collection efforts, the firm recovered the judgment in full, together with accrued interest, the fee award, and recoverable costs — a total exceeding $400,000 paid to the client.
The matter is a reminder that pandemic-based excuse defenses remain fact-intensive and are by no means dispositive in commercial lease litigation, and that a judgment, once obtained, often requires sustained enforcement work before it translates into actual recovery.