Monica Owens

Education

• Georgia State University College of Law J.D.
• Spelman College B.A.

Admissions

• Georgia

Involvement

• Member, American Inns of Court (Bleckley Inn)
• Former Board of Directors, American Bar Association, Court of Appeals Staff Attorneys (CASA) (2020-2021)
• Former Member, Real Property and Trust & Estate Law Section,
  American Bar Association
• Former Board of Directors Member, Atlanta Bar Association
• Former Board of Directors Member, Treasurer, Chair of the Hall of Fame Inductee Selection Committee and Co-Chair of the Hall of Fame Gala, Gate City Bar Association
• Member, Judicial and Public Office Academy Class of 2011, Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys
• Past Member, International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
• Former Hearing Officer, City of Atlanta Board of Taxicabs & Vehicles for Hire
• Volunteer, United Way Volunteer Initiative Program
• Volunteer, Everybody Wins! Literacy Program
• Member, Literacy Volunteers of America, Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter

Experience

• Obtained a defense judgment in favor of a commercial tenant against a landlord’s dispossessory action, preventing the issuance of a writ of possession and collection of miscalculated back rent.
• Obtained a defense judgment in favor of a dentist against breach of contract and medical malpractice claims.
• Obtained the grant of a discretionary appeal in the Georgia Court of Appeals to review an attorneys’ fees dispute.
• Negotiated a favorable settlement that saved a defendant client at least $144,000.00 in a claim for attorneys’ fees.
• Negotiated a favorable settlement allowing business owners to retain ownership of corporate assets in a lawsuit involving corporate dissolution and intellectual property claims.
• Obtained pre-answer voluntary dismissals of all claims against a landlord in premises liability lawsuits. The landlord client was completely absolved of liability and avoided expenses associated with litigation.
• Collected $1.25 million against a deceased debtor’s estate in a pre-judgment settlement.
• Collected $1.65 million against debtors of a promissory note to a failed bank after aggressively pursuing post-judgment discovery.
• Obtained a judgment modification in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, which resulted in a total award of $4.5 million in favor of the creditor client.
• Obtained summary judgment in favor of a property owner defending against a quiet title action and challenge to a foreclosure sale. Also obtained a judgment for back rent and a writ of possession in the related dispossessory proceeding, which led to the holdover tenant’s eviction from the premises.
• Obtained the eviction of tenants from a landlord’s commercial office building, after defending against the tenants’ multiple bankruptcy filings and court motions seeking to prevent the scheduled evictions.
• Obtained a judgment in the approximate amount of $1.1 million in favor of a landlord against a defaulting tenant and a guarantor of a retail lease.
• Obtained an order compelling pre-trial discovery and awarding attorneys’ fees in favor of a landlord defending against a tenant’s breach of contract lawsuit.
• Obtained a favorable defense verdict for a pest control company following a jury trial addressing property claims for alleged termite damage, and successfully defended against the plaintiff’s motion for a new trial.
• Obtained an involuntary dismissal with prejudice in favor of an apartment complex owner during the discovery phase of a tenant’s premises liability lawsuit.
• Obtained voluntary dismissals in favor of a manufacturer defending against toxic tort claims in a class action.
• Obtained a judgment in favor of a plaintiff asserting fraud and conversion claims; also obtained the dismissal of a related bankruptcy action filed by the defendant.
• Obtained a judgment in favor of a plaintiff interior designer in a breach of contract action.
• Successfully resolved more than 100 cases as lead counsel on behalf of the Federal Aviation Administration in pretrial settlements, trials and hearings before the Department of Transportation, the National Transportation Safety Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Merit Systems Protection Board.