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Caroline  Harris Crowne

Caroline Harris Crowne

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503.802.2056
caroline.harris.crowne@tonkon.com
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Overview

In her 17 years at Tonkon Torp, Caroline has taken more than thirty cases to trial or final hearing and has resolved many more through motions and settlement. Caroline excels at presenting complex concepts in a way that makes sense to judges, juries, arbitrators, and other decision makers. She regularly handles matters in state and federal courts, in private arbitration, and in regulatory proceedings.

Caroline's litigation practice focuses on disputes over business transactions and relationships. She is well versed in commercial contracts and accounting concepts. She has a special interest in matters relating to the ownership, governance, and sale of businesses. She has handled numerous cases involving claims for breaches of fiduciary duty, disputes over stock and asset purchase agreements, and indemnification claims. She also regularly represents clients in federal and state administrative proceedings, involving the regulation of utilities, financial institutions, and the practice of accounting.
                                                     
Through the course of her career, Caroline has developed deep expertise in arbitration and mediation procedure. She trained in mediation while a college student in Houston and then volunteered as a mediator during law school in New York, resolving dozens of cases in civil court, in small claims court, and at a neighborhood mediation center. She has published several articles and given presentations on topics of arbitration procedure under federal and state law.

Before joining Tonkon Torp, Caroline clerked for the Honorable Charles S. Haight in the Southern District of New York.

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Get To Know

Caroline and her husband, Adrian, are parents of two teenagers. As a family, they enjoy all kinds of outdoor activities—camping, hiking, skiing, and biking. Caroline and Adrian also enjoy going out dancing. They both started with East Coast Swing, learned how to do the Texas Two Step when they were in college together at Rice University, and then studied the tango in New York. Now, after more than twenty-five years as dance partners, they don't follow any rules and everything blends together. 
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Featured Representative Matters

Accountant Discipline

Represented accountant in responding to charges before the Oregon Board of Accountancy, resulting in complete dismissal of charges with no finding of misconduct.

Accountant Malpractice

Represented accounting firm in defense of claims of malpractice and assisting tortious conduct by firm's client, resulting in favorable settlement prior to trial.

Bank Regulatory Enforcement

Represented bank directors in responding to notice of potential enforcement actions by federal banking regulator, resulting in determination not to proceed with any enforcement action or sanction.

Liquidating Trustee Representation

Pursued litigation in multiple venues on behalf of liquidating trustee for bankrupt company whose principals were convicted of felonies. Recovered millions of dollars for distribution to the company's customers through litigation and settlement of claims against company insurers, officers, professionals, and beneficiaries of improper transfers.

Claims from Sale of Business

Obtained multi-million dollar arbitration award in favor of clients, who sold their successful family business to a large national corporation. Defeated buyer's justifications for not paying the full purchase price, involving contractual indemnities and accounting issues.

Minority Shareholder Oppression

Won verdict in jury trial on breach of fiduciary duty claim on behalf of clients who were minority owners in a professional services business.

Contract Dispute

Obtained summary judgment dismissing contract and tort claims brought against client in connection with franchise agreement.
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Featured Work

Tonkon Torp Wins Arbitration Victory for Technology Company and Patent Law Firm

Tonkon Torp achieved a significant arbitration win involving two clients, a California-based technology company and its patent litigation law firm. Tonkon Torp was originally retained to represent the tech company in obtaining declaratory and injunctive relief against a litigation finance company that had been engaged to fund the client’s patent enforcement litigation.

Tonkon Torp Leads Moda Health Through Corporate Restructure and $155 Million Sale

Tonkon Torp led client Moda Health through its high-profile corporate restructure and $155 million stock sale to Delta Dental of California.

Tonkon Torp Guides Unique Renewable Energy Project Through Key Phases

Tonkon Torp has worked on the project at key stages throughout its lifespan. Led by David Petersen, the firm first helped the original developer obtain land rights and evaluate title issues. In 2013, the developer and Tonkon Torp began a four-year process to secure the project’s site certificate from the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council.

Tonkon Torp Completes Successful Arbitration for Owners of Closely Held Business

In December 2015, Tonkon Torp closed a swift and successful arbitration to enforce payment owed to its clients, family members who founded and grew a successful business in the Northwest. In 2012, the clients had worked with Tonkon Torp to sell the company to a large, billion-dollar national entity.

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Community Involvement & Activities


Multnomah Bar Association
Board of Directors, 2018-Present

Court Liaison Committee
2015-2018, Member

CLE Committee
2009-2012, Member
2011-2012, Chair

City Club of Portland
2017-Present, Board of Governors
2005-2008, Chair of Research Committee on Partisanship
2009-2010, Advocacy Committee for Report on Partisanship
2010-2012, Chair of Agora Steering Committee
2010-2011, Member of the Year Award
2013-2016, Research Board Member
2015-2016, Research Award

Suite Talkers Toastmasters Club
2010-Present, Member
2010, Founder
2010-2011, President
2011-2012, Treasurer

Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
Multnomah Monthly Meeting
2014-Present, Nominating Committee
2004-2005, Nursery Committee
2005-2007, Nursery Clerk
2007-2010, Personnel Clerk
2010-2012, Middle School Friends Committee

Oregon Food Bank
2013-2017, Firm Campaign Chair

Legal Aid Domestic Violence Project
2004-2011, Volunteer Attorney

Southeast Legal Clinic
2003-2011, Volunteer Attorney

Portland Business Alliance
Leadership Portland, Class of 2009
Program Day Co-Chair for Class of 2010 and Class of 2011

The Lawyer's Campaign for Equal Justice
2004-2007, Associates Committee
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Professional Memberships

American Bar Association
Federal Bar Association
Multnomah Bar Association
Oregon Women Lawyers
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Awards & Recognition

The Best Lawyers in America

The Best Lawyers in America

2013-2021, Commercial Litigation

Daily Journal of Commerce

2010, Up and Coming Lawyer of the Year, Portland, Oregon
Super Lawyers

Super Lawyers

2015-2020, Oregon Super Lawyer – Business Litigation
2009-2014, Oregon Rising Star – Business Litigation
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Recent News

8.20.2020

Best Lawyers in America® Includes 49 Tonkon Torp Attorneys on 2021 List

Forty-nine Tonkon Torp lawyers representing 36 practice areas have been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2021. A majority of attorneys have been named to the peer-review list in past years, and most have been recognized for more…
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7.7.2020

26 Tonkon Torp Attorneys Honored on 2020 Super Lawyers Lists

Twenty-six Tonkon Torp attorneys in nine practice areas have been included in the 2020 Oregon Super Lawyers or Rising Stars lists. Tonkon Torp partner and bankruptcy authority Albert N. Kennedy has been once again recognized on the Top 50 list of…
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3.31.2020

Caroline Harris Crowne Looks at Mediation Clauses in Contracts for OSB Program

On March 13, Tonkon Torp partner Caroline Harris Crowne led a session on the inclusion of mediation clauses in contracts during an Oregon State Bar program on Controversial Issues in Mediation. She described the unintended consequences that can…
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8.15.2019

2020 List for Best Lawyers in America® Includes 48 Tonkon Torp Attorneys

Forty-eight Tonkon Torp lawyers representing 39 practice areas have been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2020. A majority of attorneys have been named to the list in past years, and most have been recognized for more than five…
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7.16.2019

31 Tonkon Torp Attorneys Honored on 2019 Super Lawyers Lists

Thirty-one Tonkon Torp attorneys in nine practice areas have been included in the 2019 Oregon Super Lawyers or Rising Stars lists.
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11.27.2018

Caroline Harris Crowne Shares Complex Trial Experience at OSB CLE

On November 14, Tonkon Torp partner Caroline Harris Crowne spoke on a panel that offered an in-depth look into the complex proceedings of a seven-week federal criminal jury trial involving executives from the former Bank of Oswego. Caroline served as…
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8.17.2018

Best Lawyers in America® Names 51 Tonkon Torp Attorneys to 2019 List

Fifty-one Tonkon Torp lawyers representing 41 practice areas have been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2019. Nearly all attorneys have been named to the list in past years, and have been recognized for more than five years
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7.24.2018

31 Tonkon Torp Attorneys Honored on 2018 Super Lawyers Lists

Thirty-one Tonkon Torp attorneys in 11 practice areas have been included in the 2018 Oregon Super Lawyers or Rising Stars lists. Tonkon Torp partner and bankruptcy authority Albert Kennedy has been once again recognized on the Top 50 list of Oregon…
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6.13.2018

Tom Palmer and Caroline Harris Crowne Speak at ACC Meeting

Tonkon Torp partners were featured panelists at the May 21 Oregon Chapter of the Association for Corporate Counsel meeting held at NIKE World Headquarters. Tom Palmer moderated the panel, which explored how to communicate uncertainty while…
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5.25.2018

Caroline Harris Crowne Provides Guidance on Expert Witnesses to Young Lawyers

On May 10, Tonkon Torp attorney Caroline Harris Crowne led a CLE session on expert witnesses for the Multnomah Bar Association Young Lawyers Section series on Advanced Litigation. Caroline shared lessons she’s learned in her litigation practice and…
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Publications & Presentations

"Drafting Mediation Provisions in Transaction Documents," Oregon State Bar CLE, March 2020

Panelist, "An Insiders Look at the Bank of Oswego Fraud/Conspiracy Trial," Oregon State Bar CLE, November 2018

Panelist, "Expect the Unexpected – How to Communicate Uncertainty While Maintaining Credibility," Oregon Association of Corporate Counsel, May 2018

"Expert Witnesses," Multnomah Bar Association Young Lawyers Section, Advanced Litigation Series, May 2018

Panelist, “Mississippi Burning: Pro Bono Service – Then and Now,” Oregon State Bar’s 25th Annual Litigation Institute & Retreat Meeting, March 2018

"Keep Your Arbitration Clause Clean: Three Easy Steps to Avoid Making a Big Mess," Association of Corporate Counsel of Oregon Newsletter, July 2017

"Practice Note – Enforcing Arbitration Awards in Oregon," Practical Law, April 2017

"Discovery for New Attorneys," Multnomah Bar Association, Young Litigators Forum, February 2017

"Dispute Resolution for Startups," January 2016

"Commercial Litigation," SuperSaturday CLE, Oregon State Bar New Lawyers Division, October 2014

"Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire? Forum Selection and its Consequences," OSB Debtor-Creditor Section, Annual Meeting, September 2013

"Forensic Accounting in Litigation," Portland State University, School of Business Administration, February 2012

"Intake and Case Management: The Complaint is Not the Beginning of the Case," Multnomah Bar Association, Young Litigators CLE Series, February 2011

Co-Presenter, "Getting in Front of the Jury," American College of Trial Lawyers Northwest Regional Conference, July 2010

Co-Presenter, "Fewer and Fewer Civil Trials: Why, What Does it Mean, and What Can Be Done?" Oregon Association of Defense Counsel Annual Convention, June 2010

"Are Mandatory Mediation Clauses Enforceable?" Litigation Journal, Oregon State Bar, Summer 2010

"Arbitration and Federalism: Conflicts in Federal and State Substantive and Procedural Law," Arbitration and Mediation, Oregon State Bar, 2008

"Federal Arbitration Act Preempts Oregon Legislature's 2007 Amendment to Oregon Arbitration Act," Litigation Journal, Oregon State Bar, Summer 2008

Co-Presenter, "Arbitration Clauses in Contracts: Drafting, Enforcing, and Challenging Them," Multnomah Bar Association, November 2007

"The Alternative Dispute Resolution Act of 1998: Implementing a New Paradigm of Justice," 76 N.Y.U. L. Rev.1768, 2001
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Services

Accountant & Professional Liability Contract & Commercial Disputes Corporate & Business Owner Disputes Administrative & Regulatory Law Government Solutions
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Education

J.D., magna cum laude, New York University School of Law, 2001, Order of the Coif

B.A., summa cum laude, Rice University, 1997
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Bar & Court Admissions

Oregon State Bar
Washington State Bar Association
U.S. District Court, District of Oregon
U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington
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