Mark G. Valencia is a director and shareholder of the firm. Mr. Valencia concentrates his practice in the areas of civil litigation, with an emphasis in complex litigation matters. He has successfully handled a number of complex litigation cases, including contract, insurance, tort, products liability, foreclosure, bankruptcy, land use, appellate, and employment law matters. His reported cases include: Valvanis v. Milgroom, 529 F. Supp.2d 1206 (D. Haw. 2007) (defeated motion to expunge lis pendens in which federal court held as matter of first impression in Hawaii that a lis pendens is proper in a fraudulent transfer action); Valvanis v. Milgroom, 529 F. Supp.2d 1190 (D. Haw. 2007) (defeated motion for summary judgment in federal court fraudulent transfer case); Mikelson v. United Services Automobile Association, 111 P.3d 601 (2005) (successfully defended insurance coverage appeal before Hawaii Supreme Court involving issues of first impression in Hawaii); OWBR LLC v. Clear Channel Communications, Inc., 266 F. Supp.2d 1214 (D. Haw. 2003) (obtained summary judgment in federal court on behalf of fortune 500 company in breach of contract case).
In a case of first impression that made national headlines, Mr. Valencia is counsel for a former high school student-athlete who alleged that the University of Hawaii athletic department improperly withdrew a verbal scholarship commitment made by a former football coach a few weeks before the "national signing" day when recruits formally sign their scholarship commitments. The suit alleged that the student was instructed not to speak with any schools during the recruiting process. The student also turned down a scholarship commitment from another university in reliance on the University of Hawaii’s offer. By withdrawing the scholarship offer at the eleventh hour, Mr. Valencia’s client was severely disadvantaged as the student could not obtain scholarship commitments from other colleges and universities. The suit resulted in a monetary settlement.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/andy_staples/02/29/hawaii.recruit/index.html
An American Council on Exercise Certified Personal Trainer, Mr. Valencia also researches, writes, and lectures on legal issues affecting the health and fitness industry, including issues involving personal trainers, health and fitness organizations, and health and nutrition stores.
He is also one of a handful of National Physique Committee judges in the State of Hawaii qualified to judge bodybuilding, fitness, and figure competitions.
In addition, Mr. Valencia has taught law as an adjunct professor at both the University of Hawaii at Manoa William S. Richardson School of Law and Hawaii Pacific University. He is active in the community, serving as a longtime member of the Kuakini Medical Center Ethics Committee, a volunteer read with the Read Aloud America Program, and has volunteered with the Hawaii State Bar Association’s Professionals for Drug Free Kids Project and Junior Judges Program.
In 2009, he was selected to participate in the Hawaii State Bar Association’s inaugural Leadership Institute, which trains members of the Bar for leadership roles in both the Bar Association and the community.
In 2007 and 2009, Mr. Valencia was appointed by Governor Linda Lingle and unanimously confirmed by the Hawaii State Senate to serve as a Commissioner on the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission.
In 2010, he was elected Vice Chair of the Hawaii State Bar Association’s inaugural Litigation Section. He was also commissioned as an officer in the United States Army Judge Advocate General Corps Reserves.
Before joining Case Lombardi & Pettit in 2005, Mr. Valencia served as a policy analyst for Governor Linda Lingle, an attorney in private practice, a law clerk for former Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals Judge Walter Kirimitsu, and as a Sergeant in the United States Army.
