Napa Vintner Murder/Suicide’s Gnarled Legal Knot Tangles Tighter

The Napa Valley murder/suicide precipitated by a long, tangled series of lawsuits has been further snarled in new court actions that promise to further complicate an already hard-to-decipher gnarl of litigation.

The Simplified Tangle Up Until The Murder/Suicide

As previously reported in six articles by WII covering the court case and deaths, vintner Robert Dahl — facing 18 contempt citations in Napa Superior Court — murdered investor Emad Tawfilis on March 16, 2015. Shortly afterwards, Dahl committed suicide as police closed in.

The contempt of court sanctions came after Dahl refused to comply with orders in a lawsuit Tawfilis had brought in the name of Lexington Street Investments LLC against Dahl for fraud and other felonies.

Also tangled with that lawsuit was a separate action that Dahl filed against Tawfilis in Santa Clara Superior Court.

Dahl lost that suit allowing Tawfilis to oust Dahl from Patio Wine Company LLC  — an entity that Tawfilis had loaned $1.2 million to. That case was subsequently transferred to Napa Superior Court.

In addition to Patio Wine Company, the litigation involved three more LLCs that Dahl used to shuttle assets and money around in an indiscriminate shell game. The four LLCs involved up until March 16 were:

• Patio Wine Company, LLC
• Vitis Vinifera Voodoo, LLC (dba California Shiners)
• Napa Point Winery, LLC
• Napa Point Brewing, LLC

Dahl’s role in the ownership of Two Kings Wine Company LLC  — which owns Healdsburg’s Christopher Creek Winery — remains unresolved because the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control has been unable to reconcile discrepancies in the winery’s licensing and ownership data that were discovered this week by Wine Industry Insight.

More on that in a separate article currently in the drafting stage.

April 1, 2015 – Napa Valley Grower Sues For Non-Payment Of Grapes

On April 1, 2015, Napa-based grower Oscar Renteria sued Napa Point Winery and Robert Dahl’s Estate to recover more than $35,000 owed to him for wine grapes sold to Dahl.

Renteria brought the lawsuit on behalf of IMGOD, LLC . The legal papers lists Renteria as president of the LLC (whose legal name seems to be in all capital letters). Renteria’s lawsuit included grapes from Chiarello Family Vineyards, stating that IMGOD had been assigned all rights to the fruit.

Wine Executive News premium subscribers can access IMGOD’s legal filing here.

An Avoidable Grape Sale & Need For Lawsuit

Significantly, Dahl’s non-payment for wine grapes would have been avoided had either Renteria or Chiarello exercised a small bit of caution because neither Dahl nor Napa Point Winery had a processor’s license. That license is required by the Processors Law and Produce Dealers Act in order to legally purchase wine grapes or other farm products in California.

A readily available list of those with licenses is  available from the California Department of Food and Agriculture and posted on this Market Enforcement Branch (MEB) web page.

While having a processor’s license is no guarantee of payment, it provides an indication of the creditworthiness of the buyer and offers the opportunity to get help from the MEB.

May 7, 2015 Court Receiver Appointed For Dahl, Napa Point Winery, Napa Point Brewing Lawsuits

On May 7, the Napa Superior Court approved Terence Long as the receiver to manage the affairs and assets in the litigation involving Robert Dahl, Napa Point Winery and Napa Point Brewing.

The need for a court-appointed receiver was emphasized in a declaration which detailed growing disputes and claims on assets by vendors, investors and debtors of Dahl’s various businesses. That declaration is part of select legal documents involving that process and the potential controversies. Those documents can be accessed at this link by Wine Executive News premium subscribers.

Courts appoint receivers in cases where the judge determines that none of the parties involved can adequately manage the affairs of a disputed business or its assets. In cases like this one, the receiver must inventory assets and liabilities and make sense out of competing claims. The receiver then makes recommendations to the court regarding the disposition of the assets.

May 14, 2015 – Dahl’s Estate And Wife Janelle Sued

As WII reported  on May 18, the family of Emad Tawfilis is suing Dahl, his wife Janelle and Napa Point Winery for unspecified punitive and compensatory damages connected with Emad’s death.

According to the complaint, Janelle Dahl is sued as the executor of Robert’s will and because, she “is personally liable for the tort damages caused by her husband….”

The complaint filed with the court adds a few additional details that have not already been covered by this and numerous publications.

Notable among those details are a blow-by-blow narrative paraphrasing the entire terrified 911 call Emad made after being shot and up to the point of his execution by Dahl. Also noted is the contention that Dahl obtained the murder weapon and silencer on a trip to Idaho.

The full complaint in that case is available at this link to Wine Executive News premium subscribers.

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