Stiller Law Firm Wins Appeal in Shareholder Business Dispute

Stiller Law Firm secured a major appellate victory for client Khalil Zaghian in a business dispute between the co-founders of Glamlite, Inc., a successful cosmetics company.

Zaghian and his former business partner, Gisselle Hernandez, owned Glamlite together but had a falling out over control of the company’s finances. They began litigation but reached a settlement. The settlement agreement required Zaghian to give up his shares in exchange for two payments: an initial, fixed payment plus a second, additional amount tied to the funds that Hernandez had taken in to a personal bank account while she served as the company’s president. Glamlite failed to make the second payment. Zaghian moved to enforce the settlement agreement, but the trial court read the settlement not to require a second payment at all, and it ordered Zaghian to pay the company's attorneys’ fees.

On August 14, 2026, the California Court of Appeal reversed. It agreed with Stiller Law Firm’s argument that the trial court's interpretation ignored key language in the settlement agreement and failed to give effect to the parties' intent. It remanded the case with instructions for a neutral third-party accountant to determine what Zaghian is actually owed under the contract's terms. The court also reversed the fee award.

This decision underscores Stiller Law Firm’s strength in high-stakes business and shareholder disputes and its ability to win precise, technical arguments about contract interpretation on behalf of business owners.