Cayuga’s Litigation Support Services Group offers consulting and expert witness services to clients and their counsel in all areas of the hospitality industry. As experienced consultants, and current and former owners and operators of hotels, resorts, foodservice operations, casinos, clubs, golf courses, convention centers, health clubs and spas, Cayuga Members offer many years of hands-on experience in the areas of market research, feasibility, development, franchising, management, operations, human resources, contract negotiation, accounting, marketing, valuations, brokerage and more.
Our Members’ research capabilities and knowledge of industry standards and trends make them uniquely qualified to provide litigation support to all types of hospitality industry clients. Cayuga Members offer years of experience as expert witnesses in a wide variety of cases, including: ownership/management disputes; franchisor/franchisee disputes; brand defense disputes; disputes involving market feasibility studies, economic impact analyses, appraisals; valuations; security issues resulting in theft, personal injury and/or wrongful death; contract interpretation and negotiation disputes; eminent domain takings, bankruptcy and/or foreclosure issues; real estate tax appeals and zoning issues; and more.
Cayuga’s Litigation Support Services
- Pre-trial research and investigatory analysis
- Expert witness analysis
- Evaluation of opponent position
- Damages assessment
- Lost profit estimations
- Financial analysis
- Operational analysis
- Expert witness testimony
Advisory Members
The following members are available through Cayuga to provide a full range of consulting services.
Scott Brush (Miami, FL)
President, Brush & Company, providing a variety of services to all facets of the hospitality industry, with a focus on hotel and resort operations. With more than 35 years experience, both in operations and consultancy, Mr. Brush has the education and recognized expertise to provide high-quality, principal-involved consulting services, including hotel market surveys, operational diagnostics, comprehensive property reviews, litigation support, independent impact surveys, and asset management. Litigation support services range from pretrial investigatory work to microeconomic studies to expert witness analysis and testimony as needed.
Chekitan Dev (Ithaca, NY)
Associate professor of marketing and brand management at Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration. An active consultant, seminar leader, keynote speaker and expert witness, Dr. Dev has worked with brands in over 35 countries on 5 continents including Disney, Rosewood, Westin, Marriott, InterContinental, Holiday Inn, Hilton, Crystal Cruise Lines, DeVere, Moevenpick, Peninsula, Jumeirah, Taj, Ritz-Carlton Bali, Four Seasons Mumbai, and Posadas. Dr. Dev has presented at events organized by several international organizations and been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, TIME, USA Today, on NBC Nightly News and National Public Radio. He has provided litigation support services in the area of market studies, marketing plans and activities, brand standards and compliance, brand rights infringement (please click on this link for more detail...include hot link to the Ritz-Carlton article here).
Carroll “Duke” Dubuc (Falls Church, VA)
President of Carroll Dubuc & Associates, P.C.; an attorney offering services in mediation and arbitration of disputes, facilitation for training in mediation and/or strategic planning as well as legal consultation, investigation, jury selection and expert witness testimony. Forty years of experience as a civil trial lawyer in NY, DC and VA representing airlines, aircraft manufactureres/component manufactures, insurance companies, hotel chains, banks and other lawyers. Served as Outside Counsel to three international airlines in litigation, and corporate and regulatory matters. Also served as an Outside Director and Corporate Secretary to U.S. Aviation Underwriter’s (USAIG) for several years.
Charles Ilvento (Miami, FL)
CPA, CHA, CHAE, Real Estate Broker and member of the AH&LA’s Committee on Financial Management; Founding Professor of Florida International University’s School of Hotel Management; owner of a CPA practice specializing in the hospitality industry; and third-generation hospitality industry professional. Has provided seminars for the CMAA since 1974. Charles is a court-qualified expert, mediator, arbitrator consultant. He conducts club reviews and evaluations from the member, owner and guest viewpoints.
Shelly La Motte (Frederick, MD)
With over 20 years of diverse hospitality experience, including positions with two international CPA firms, Shelly’s expertise includes: development and acquisition-related market and financial analysis; valuation; strategic planning; operations analysis; impact analysis; quality assurance evaluation; litigation support; hotel operator selection; management contract/franchise negotiations; financial analysis including market repositioning and other value enhancement strategies; acquisitions and dispositions; financing; and, asset management. Her experience includes assignments in Brazil, Chile, Mexico, the Caribbean, Bermuda and Australia, as well as throughout the U.S. She has provided expert testimony with regard to major lodging and mixed-use projects.
Tom Lattin (Houston, TX)
CPA and Managing Director of his consultancy, Lattin & Associates and a Professor at the Conrad N. Hilton College in Houston, teaching accounting, finance and advanced lodging management courses. Background includes positions with: PricewaterhouseCoopers, Patriot American Hospitality, Paine Webber, Coopers & Lybrand, and Laventhol & Horwath. Specializing in: litigation support and expert witness testimony dealing with hospitality industry financial issues and management contracts; procurement of debt and equity and other investment banking services including merger and acquisition; operational studies and reviews, management audits and profit improvements; and, asset management services.
Chris LeSourd (Seattle, WA)
President, LeSourd
Associates, Inc., offering 35 years experience as a manager and executive in foodservice and restaurants, chains and independents. Consulting services include feasibility and financial evaluations, market and operational analyses, valuations, concept and project development or strategic repositioning, litigation support and expert witness testimony.
Bill Melvin (Cincinnati, OH)
Twenty-three years service as a Magistrate for the Hamilton County Juvenile Court in Cincinnati; an Attorney licensed in Ohio and the District of Columbia. Bill’s background in food & beverage operations includes: owning and operating The Catering Kitchens, which catered events of up to 1000 people; managing multiple Magic Pan Creperie locations; and, F&B comptroller training with the Washington Hilton Hotel. He offers consulting services in operations analysis of F&B properties, including multi-property situations, as well as mystery guest ratings, quality service assurance, total quality management, litigation support and mediation.
Giuseppe Pezzotti (Ithaca, NY)
A Senior Lecturer at the Cornell Hotel School since 1984, teaching courses in foodservice management, etiquette and protocol. Regularly conducts executive education seminars around the world. After being awarded first prize at the Italian Hotel School, held foodservice positions on luxury liners of the Italian Line and the Swedish American Line, and at hotels and restaurants in Europe and the US. Consulting services include providing litigation support and expert witness testimony to the foodservice industries.
Theo Seale (Bethesda, MD)
President, THEO Consultants,
LLC: assists financial institutions, investors, owners, operators, attorneys and accountants in the evaluation of hospitality real estate assets. THEO offers consulting services to corporate, REIT and individual owners and operators of hotels, motels, resorts, inns, bed and breakfasts, country and city clubs, restaurants and health clubs. Services include market and economic research, appraisals and valuations, litigation support/expert witness testimony, financial analyses and property asset management.
Steve Sherf (Minneapolis, MN)
Vice President of the Colliers Hospitality Services Group with Colliers Turley Martin Tucker in their Minneapolis office. This specialty practice provides feasibility studies, brokerage services, appraisal and valuation services, financing and capital market services, and facility and engineering services to clients within the hospitality industry. With over 30 years of consulting and market study experience, his areas of expertise include hotels, resorts, casinos, conference centers, golf courses and marinas. Most recently, Steve was a senior vice president with GVA Marquette Advisors where he was actively involved in preparing market studies for casinos and casino amenities throughout the US. He has studied well over 100 hotel projects and over 200 casino projects. Steve has a broad background of consulting assignments for income producing real estate developments including market studies, valuations, appraisals, acquisitions and sales. He is a Certified Public Accountant and has provided expert witness testimony relating to the valuation of hotels, resorts and casinos.
Derek Sylvester (Philadelphia, PA)
President, Sylvester Consulting
Group, assisting restaurant owners and investors in assessing development opportunities and implementing cost-effective improvements. Services include: hotel F&B utilization, expansion and profitability studies; F&B marketing plans and promotions; F&B staff training and management initiatives; management company selection, contract review and negotiation; restaurant brokerage; and, litigation and lending institution support. Prior to forming Sylvester Consulting Group, acted as a principal of Restaurant Advisory Services, the foremost restaurant consulting firm in the nation and a senior consultant with Pannell Kerr, Forster, one of the largest hospitality consulting firms in the world.
Dave Theophilus (Orlando, FL)
President, DMT Hospitality Advisors, Inc., providing professional services for hotels, resorts, condominiums and apartments. Thirty years of experience in the hospitality field. Specializing in asset management and litigation support including expert witness testimony. Litigation Support Services Group Leader.Visit his web site at www.dmthosp.com. Cayuga’s Litigation Support Group Leader.
John Todia (Tampa, FL)
Founder, Hospitality Solutions Group, with over 35 years of operations and senior hospitality management experience. Consulting services include: hotel operations & multi-unit management; hotel property repositioning including franchise selection and contract negotiation; new hotel development including site selection, brand, market analysis, and all pre-opening activities; litigation and financial institution support; market studies and valuations; asset management; and interim management.
Ralph Woodworth (Los Angeles, CA)
CEO of Gray-Wood and Associates, a Los Angeles-based management consultancy for hotels, restaurants and clubs, offering interim management, reengineering and expert witness services. Extraordinary operations experience including: COO of Chasen’s Restaurant, a renowned Los Angeles landmark; GM of the Tucson National Resort & Spa, with full responsibility for this Four-Star golf resort; EVP of Somerset Hotels in Beverly Hills, in which he ran all operations for seven hotels in the West & Southwest, including Sante Fe and Jackson Hole; EVP of the Bel Air Sands Hotel in Los Angeles; VP of Universal Studios' Recreational Services; GM of the Santa Barbara Biltmore and Clift Hotel, both Five-Star operations; and, COO of Westin's inplant dining at Boeing Aircraft, feeding 40,000 daily.
