CHARLOTTE, NC — In a significant victory led by Shumaker, the Charlotte-based law firm successfully represented Dr. Joshua Kollmann of Carolina Sports Clinic in a private arbitration that awarded him a permanent injunction and monetary damages for trademark infringement. The arbitration stemmed from claims brought by Dr. Kollmann against his former business partner for trademark infringement and breach of corporate governance documents.

Following a four-day hearing, the arbitrator determined that the former business partner and his competing chiropractic clinic “committed trademark infringement when they failed and refused to cease us[e]” of Dr. Kollmann’s federally registered trademarks. The ruling mandates the competitor to “immediately and permanently cease and desist from all use” of Dr. Kollmann’s trademarks, business names, websites, and domains. In addition, the arbitrator awarded Dr. Kollmann monetary damages, including a five percent royalty exceeding $60,000.

This arbitration award concludes a years-long legal battle between the two former business partners, which originated in the District Court of South Carolina in 2021. After initial proceedings, the district court referred the dispute to arbitration, where Shumaker played a pivotal role in securing this favorable outcome for Dr. Kollmann.

Dr. Kollmann is represented in the arbitration and the related federal district court action by Christian Staples, Christina Davidson Trimmer, and Jack Santaniello of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP. The case is Kollmann v. Carolina Sports Clinic – Fort Mill LLC et al., 0:21-cv-03015-DCC (D.S.C.).