Faris

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

We set forth the facts consistent with the judgment. (Tyler v. Children’s Home Society (1994) 29 Cal.App.4th 511, 522, fn. 3.)

A. Faris’s Brokerage Business Faris worked for a company that brokered the sale of businesses, V.R. Business Brokers. He started brokering the sale of small businesses for V.R. Business Brokers and then began brokering businesses on his own. Faris’s company, The Faris Company, provided the brokerage services. Faris would find companies interested in selling, and then would look for buyers. He had one client, H.I.G. Group (H.I.G.). H.I.G. paid Faris a $1,000 a month retainer and was interested in purchasing architectural and engineering design companies. Faris would go to the library and scan reference books looking for potential businesses to sell. He would then call the businesses and inquire whether the owner was interested in selling. If H.I.G. bought the business, H.I.G. would pay Faris a finder’s fee based on the purchase price. Faris ran his company brokering the sale of businesses while he worked his other job at Bechtel as a regional site acquisition manager. He continued to run his brokerage business after being…