Late July 2009 – March 2010
"This won't end quickly. But it will end." – Cameron Parrish
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The countersuit landed like a thunderclap.
Filed by Cameron Parrish and his team, Phoenix Fund's response to Vance's lawsuit was aggressive and surgical—requesting full discovery into his venture capital dealings, shell companies, and communications with LPs and media outlets.
The subpoena requests alone ran over 400 pages.
Jordan Vance—pacing in a private high-rise office in San Francisco—read the email three times before speaking.
Jordan:
"They're bluffing."
His lawyer, Daniel Korman, a seasoned but conservative litigator, shook his head slowly.
Korman:
"No. They're not. This Parrish guy? He doesn't bluff. You poked a bear."
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Month 1 – Unearthed: Shell Games
The first discovery: proof that Jordan funneled LP capital through three shell companies to acquire distressed properties, several of which were transferred to personal trusts in his name.
Internal Email, Feb 2009 (discovered):
> "If Phoenix bites, we can bury them in legal fees before they realize it's toxic. If not, we offload the worst of it to WhiteForge or scrap it and claim market failure."
Jordan's Reaction:
He kicked a coffee table through his office wall.
Korman's Advice:
"This email alone could breach your fiduciary duty to investors. If this hits arbitration, they'll seek damages. You need to settle."
Jordan (coldly):
"Not yet."
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Month 2 – LP Pressure Mounts
Phoenix Fund's team tracked down three LPs who'd unknowingly backed Jordan's real estate trap. Two threatened lawsuits of their own. One filed a formal complaint with the SEC.
Cameron forwarded copies of those complaints to Jordan's team with a one-line message:
> "Just keeping you updated."
Jordan's Internal Monologue:
> "They're playing chess. I'm bleeding pawns. But I still have the king."
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Month 3 – Personal Asset Linkages
A forensic accountant traced funds from one of Jordan's shell companies to his personal mortgage payment on a Napa Valley villa.
It was enough to bring criminal charges if paired with intent.
Korman's Warning:
"You are walking into wire fraud territory. We need to talk immunity negotiations."
Jordan (angrily):
"No immunity. No admission. We bury them in discovery instead."
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Month 4 – Public Leak
A journalist following the case independently published excerpts from discovery documents—email quotes, shell company disclosures, and contractor bribery leads. It was clear the leak came from someone close to the investigation.
Headline: "The Vulture's Blueprint"
Jordan's name trended on Twitter for two days. Job offers dried up. Speaking engagements vanished.
Jordan's Reaction:
A bottle of Scotch. Then silence. Then rage.
Korman (exasperated):
"You are not invincible. They've locked you in a corner and they haven't even started depositions yet."
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Month 5 – The Deposition Trap
During a routine deposition, Cameron introduced a set of never-before-seen internal memos showing Jordan had edited pitch decks to LPs post-submission—shifting risk classifications without board approval.
Korman's Verdict:
"That's document tampering. You're staring down liability in civil and regulatory court."
Jordan (finally shaken):
"What do they want?"
Korman:
"Not your blood. Just your surrender."
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Months 6-7 – Silence, then Strategy
Jordan's team went quiet. They cut staffing at NorthArc. They started liquidating smaller positions. Rumors swirled that the firm was entering "operational wind-down mode."
Phoenix Fund never blinked.
Inside their growing offices, departments were forming—compliance, finance, operations, tenant relations, legal. Over 60 employees now filled the once-empty floor.
Ryan Keller, Leah Montgomery, and Dylan Cho were preparing for scale while Jordan crumbled under the weight of his own hubris.
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Month 8 – Settlement
Early March 2010
A private conference room in downtown Las Vegas.
Jordan, gaunt and tense, sat across from Cameron and the Phoenix team.
Korman (reading terms aloud):
Full withdrawal of Vance's claims with prejudice.
Formal retraction of all defamatory statements.
Public statement acknowledging Phoenix Fund's ethical conduct.
Settlement payment of $3.6 million covering legal fees and reputational damages.
18-month non-compete clause in Nevada commercial real estate.
Jordan Vance (slowly):
"I'll sign it."
Korman (under his breath):
"You're lucky that's all they asked for."
Jordan looked at Ryan across the table.
Jordan:
"This doesn't make you clean. It just makes you clever."
Ryan (calmly):
"We're not here to be clean. We're here to outlast."
Jordan signed.
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