Katharine (Trina) Falace is a business litigator with extensive trial experience. Ms. Falace regularly handles lawsuits in the areas of business, real estate and land use representing multiple wineries and vineyard managers. Additionally, her focus includes construction defect and trespass/nuisance litigation. Ms. Falace also counsels clients in resolving disputes to avoid litigation. Ms. Falace is well versed in all aspects of winery and vineyard management transactions including winemaker agreements, vineyard management agreements, grape purchase agreements, and water sharing agreements. She has successfully represented multiple vineyard managers in defending agreements and has successfully defended numerous wineries in easement and boundary disputes.

Bar Admissions

• California

Education

• Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology
• DePauw University

Significant Accomplishments

• Successfully represented world famous Napa Valley winery in an action to enforce the winery’s easement rights. In a bifurcated trial, Ms. Falace obtained an order from the Napa County Superior Court quieting title in her client’s favor and allowing the winery to maintain its water pipeline.  Subsequently, Ms. Falace obtained a unanimous jury verdict in the second phase of trial.
• Represented Fortune 500 consumer products company in easement dispute and successfully negotiated favorable outcome for client.
• Successfully represented legendary Napa Valley restaurant in contested trademark dispute.
• Obtained a unanimous published decision on behalf of the landowner in an appeal to the California Court of Appeal, First District to reverse the trial court’s decision, allowing the client to maintain causes of action for nuisance and prescriptive easement and reversing attorney fee award
• Represented Bartolucci Family in the Sale of Stice Lane Vineyard to Raymond Vineyards
• Obtained a unanimous jury verdict on behalf of contractor, Terry Klein Plastering, dismissing the plaintiff’s contentions and claims for willful misconduct, and awarding the client his action for quantum meruit
• Obtained alternative writ of mandate directing the Superior Court to vacate its order denying client’s motion for summary judgment and to hear the motion for summary judgment on the merits

• Buchalter COVID-19 Client Alert: San Francisco Moves to Lowest COVID Tier in California, Begins Process of Reopening Non-Essential Offices; Other Bay Area Counties Slower to Follow

  By Katharine Falace |November 2020