Lincoln-Kelley

Kelley M. Lincoln

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Kelley is an accomplished litigator who has differentiated herself as a trial attorney both by the number of cases she has taken to trial and for favorable results. Her career began as a trial attorney for the escrow and title insurance industry where she took a number of cases to trial and often spent more time in a courtroom than the office. She has had success in a broad range of business and real estate litigation, and in recent years is a sought-after trust and estate litigator. She advocates for clients in proceedings involving will contests, claims of undue influence, elder abuse and breach of fiduciary duty. She’s handled probate litigation cases with large estates, businesses, real property and millions of dollars at stake.

I thrive when I am in trial, but my goal is always to try to resolve litigation disputes before trial becomes inevitable.

“Whether it’s a multi-million dollar dispute between a trustee and a beneficiary, or a feud among business partners, my favorite aspect of trial is being able to present my client’s story to the judge or jury in a compelling way.”

 

I am an early riser. I love what I can accomplish before the sun rises, whether it is at the gym, at home meditating – or getting a head start at the office.

Experience

Probate and Trust Litigation

  • In 2022 alone, has tried several cases involving multi-million dollar claims of undue influence, elder abuse, breach of fiduciary duty and fraud in San Diego, Orange County, Sacramento and Yolo County.
  • Represented a wrongfully omitted heir of a million dollar estate in an undue influence and elder abuse action and obtained a successful verdict from the bench upon the close of evidence.
  • Retained as trial attorney in large business disputes where there is a probate component, such as when a business partner is deceased and significant partnership assets are at stake.

Civil, Commercial and Business Litigation

  • Represented a real estate broker against a $700,000 claim for breach of contract and fraud related to the sale of a medical office building in Southern California. Obtained a complete defense verdict for her client after a week-long jury trial in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
  • Successfully defended the owner of a car dealership in a jury trial involving a $200,000 breach of contract claim in San Joaquin County Superior Court. Trial court verdict was affirmed on appeal.

Title Insurance and Escrow Litigation

  • Represented a title company that was sued for over $1 million in a multi-party action venued in San Mateo County Superior Court’s complex litigation division. Obtained a judgment of non-suit at the close of Plaintiff’s case.
  • Represented a title insurance company that was sued in Federal Court by a bank on a claim exceeding $1 million arising from an alleged bad faith breach of the insurance contract. Along with shareholder Michael Kuzmich, defeated the claim through a motion for summary judgment that upheld the title insurance company’s right to rely on a No Voluntary Payment clause in the policy as a basis to deny title insurance coverage to the bank.
  • Represented  title insurance companies seeking to establish priority lien positions on behalf of their insured institutional lenders as against lenders holding trust deeds secured by home equity lines of credit and other obligations. Have settled many of these cases, often resulting in a full release and reconveyance of the adverse trust deed.

Real Estate Litigation

  • Represented a tenant farmer against breach of lease claims by a corporate landlord in a multi-week arbitration before a three-member panel of arbitrators. Successfully defended the breach of contract claims, upheld the agricultural lease and obtained various equitable rights for the tenant in fields adjacent to the leased premises.
  • Represented a national trust company in an action to secure possession of commercial real property against a previous owner that did not vacate the property after foreclosure. Obtained a judgment against the entity in possession after trial in Sacramento County Superior Court.
  • Represented an individual in an easement dispute involving multiple adjacent land owners in Sacramento County. Succeeded in affirming the individual’s rights in the easement after a two-week bench trial in Sacramento County Superior Court.

Involvement

Professional Associations and Memberships

Treasurer of Operation Protect and Defend, a program of the Anthony M. Kennedy Learning and Library Center Foundation

Immediate Past Executive Chair of Operation Protect and Defend

President, Sacramento Network of Chico State Alumni

Member at Large, Chico State Alumni Association Board of Directors

Executive Committee Member, Chico State Alumni Association

Graduate of Leadership Sacramento, a program of the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Class of 2008

Honors

Sacramento Magazine Top Lawyer, 2019

Sacramento Business Journal Best of the Bar, 2013 and 2018