HOUSTON – Two prominent Houston attorneys behind the “We Push, You Win” billboards are in a legal battle against each other.
Anthony Pusch, one of the two lawyers responsible for the creation of the Pusch and Nguyen Law Firm, is now suing his business partner, Chi-Hung “David” Nguyen, accusing him of breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and other allegations.
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EDIT NOTE: Update to this article: Pusch & Nguyen ended battle with each other
In a lawsuit filed in Houston, Pusch explained he and Nguyen started the law firm in 2018 as 50-50 partners. In 2021, Anthony Pusch’s father, Gerard Pusch, acquired a 10% membership and ownership interest in the law firm with the other two’s shares being reduced to 45%.
At some point after the firm’s founding, Pusch and Nguyen hired a company called Prosper, operated by Nguyen’s brother Chi-Dung “John” Nguyen, to manage the law firm’s client intake and case docketing matters.
According to the lawsuit, in late 2023 and early 2024, Anthony and Gerard Pusch discovered Prosper and John Nguyen began receiving disproportionally large compensation directly from Pusch and Nguyen’s revenues. They also learned that David Nguyen had allegedly been routinely disparaging Anthony Pusch to employees, professional colleagues, and third-party business partners since at least summer 2023.
An internal audit revealed the outlier with the large payments to Prosper. When confronted about this, David Nguyen was unable to provide Pusch and Nguyen membership with satisfactory answers, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges on July 8, 2024, Anthony and Gerard Pusch discovered David Nguyen recently withdrew $1 million from the law firm’s bank account without authorization despite the fact that Pusch and Nguyen had been in negotiations to terminate their professional relationship. They also alleged they discovered on January 11, 2022, David Nguyen had filed to register the Pusch and Nguyen trademark “WE PUSH YOU WIN” with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. David allegedly filed it in his own name claiming he was the sole owner. The trademark was registered on Oct.10, 2023 identifying Nguyen as the only owner. The trademark allegedly does not refer to Pusch and Nguyen law firm in any context.
The lawsuit also alleges in late July 2024, the Pusch’s learned Nguyen had been soliciting Pusch and Nguyen employees to leave and start a new firm with him, violating the company agreement.
In a counterclaim, Nguyen denied the allegations and said Anthony Pusch manages the firm’s commercial litigation docket, while he oversees the firm’s operations, marketing and branding.
In the counterclaim, Nguyen claims in 2023, he became concerned with significant and unexplained expenses allegedly related to lawsuits on which Pusch was working. He says he voiced these concerns and claims and Pusch ignored them which led to the law firm experiencing serious cash flow issues.
The counterclaim alleges despite the cash flow issues, the Pusch’s continued to take their distributions from the firm’s operating account while Nguyen didn’t take them for several months.
Nguyen claims after Pusch and his father repeatedly ignored his concerns, he asked for a firm-wide audit, to which he claims Pusch and his father ignored and refused.
After a large settlement in November 2023, Pusch and Nguyen both agreed to a million dollar distribution from the case, according to Nguyen, but neither of them withdrew the money. Nguyen claims that million dollar distribution is the source of one of Pusch’s allegations in his lawsuit.
In June 2024, Nguyen alleges he said to Pusch that it seemed best to wind up the business of the firm and go their separate ways. Nguyen alleges that Anthony Pusch then filed his lawsuit without informing any employees or staff at the firm.
Addressing the alleged million dollar withdrawal, Nguyen claims it had been agreed upon as part of the dissolution of the business as well as for the months in 2023 he didn’t take his distributions.
As for the trademark accusations and that of soliciting employees, Nguyen said they were “not just misleading. They are untrue.”
In the lawsuit, the Pusch’s are seeking the repayment of the alleged $1 million withdrawal from Nguyen. They are also asking for a temporary restraining order to prevent Nguyen from accessing any of the firm’s corporate assets. Finally, the lawsuit asks a judge to order the dissolution of the law firm.
A hearing in the case has been set for August 5.