Mid-June 2009
Jordan Vance was many things—calculating, relentless, dangerous—but above all, he was prideful.
And when Phoenix Fund humiliated him in front of his investors, peers, and potential partners, he didn't retaliate with another smear campaign or a new shell company.
He came at them through the courts.
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The Lawsuit
The letter arrived in a thick, cream-colored envelope marked "Confidential – Legal Notice."
Inside: Vance v. Phoenix Fund, Keller, Cho, & Montgomery
Filed in Clark County Civil Court
Allegations:
1. Defamation & Public Misrepresentation:
Claim: Phoenix Fund engaged in a coordinated campaign to discredit Jordan Vance's professional standing, directly leading to financial losses and reputational damage.
Evidence: The leaked email threads, podcasts, and media reports allegedly "targeted" at Vance personally, despite not naming him in some cases.
2. Tortious Interference with Business Relations:
Claim: Phoenix Fund knowingly contacted LPs and business partners of Vance with the intent to disrupt contractual obligations, leading to the early withdrawal of investor capital from NorthArc Partners.
3. Civil Conspiracy:
Claim: The three founders "colluded" to inflict reputational harm, financial injury, and undermine competitive market operations through an informal "blacklist" campaign.
4. Damages Requested:
$12 million in compensatory damages
$20 million in punitive damages
A public retraction and formal apology
Ryan Keller read it aloud with a blank expression, his jaw clenched.
Dylan Cho:
"He wants an apology? From us?"
Leah Montgomery (dryly):
"He'd have better luck asking for a Nobel Prize."
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The Lawyer Hunt
They needed the best—and fast.
Through a quiet but urgent chain of calls, they were referred to Cameron Parrish, a high-profile civil litigation attorney known for embarrassing tech giants and dismantling baseless lawsuits with surgical precision.
Cameron's Office – Downtown Las Vegas
Tall, silver-haired, with a calm voice that carried courtroom steel, Cameron flipped through the lawsuit page by page without speaking.
Cameron Parrish:
"This is aggressive. Sloppy, but aggressive. He's betting you'll panic and settle before discovery. Standard narcissist move."
Ryan:
"What's your plan?"
Cameron set the papers down and steepled his fingers.
Cameron:
"Step one: We go on offense. I'm filing a countersuit—malicious prosecution and abuse of process. Your counterclaim will not only ask for dismissal but request full discovery access into NorthArc's capital deployment records, shell company disclosures, and email correspondence."
Dylan (grinning):
"That'll go over well with his LPs."
Cameron:
"Exactly. Step two: I'll subpoena every financial transaction tied to those properties he tried to push on you. If he misused investor capital—or failed to disclose material risks to NorthArc's board—we'll expose it."
Leah:
"And if there's nothing solid?"
Cameron (with a thin smile):
"Then we bury him in legal fees and public depositions until he begs for a private settlement. Either way, you win."
Ryan shook his hand.
Ryan:
"Do whatever you have to. Just make sure he regrets trying to ruin what we built."
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A Hard Look in the Mirror
That night, back at Phoenix HQ, the three founders stood on the rooftop, the lights of Vegas blinking like data points below.
Leah:
"We're fighting lawsuits. Planning counter-litigation. Vetting lawyers. This isn't a startup anymore."
Dylan:
"Yeah. We're operating like three people trying to juggle a city. And one bad hit could throw us off balance."
Ryan (quietly):
"Then we stop acting like a side project. We build an actual company."
He turned to face them, conviction burning in his voice.
Ryan:
"No more temporary contractors. No more five-person task forces. I'm talking departments. Real leadership structure. HR. Legal. Finance. A strategy division. Community liaisons. Tech. PR."
Leah (nodding):
"And employees. Salaried. Supported. Scalable. We've outgrown our shell."
Dylan (half-smiling):
"Think we can pull that off before Jordan files another lawsuit?"
Ryan:
"We do it in three years—or less. Two hundred employees. Fully structured. Durable. Unshakable."
He turned back to the skyline.
Ryan:
"He came to break us. Instead, he's going to make us the biggest thing this city's seen since it rose out of the sand."
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