Millions Of Dollars Recovered For Our Clients.
Dedicated & Tenacious Litigation Lawyers in Indianapolis
A contract is only as good as the parties’ willingness to honor it, and when one side fails to perform, the other side needs a clear path to enforce its rights. Breach of contract claims arise when a party to a valid agreement fails to fulfill its obligations, whether that means missing a payment, failing to deliver goods or services, violating a non-compete provision, or ignoring specific terms spelled out in the agreement. In Indiana, a breach of contract claim generally requires proving that a valid contract existed, that you performed your own obligations under it, that the other party failed to perform theirs, and that their failure caused you measurable damages.
Indiana courts generally give parties to a contract wide latitude to set their own terms, which means the language of the agreement itself usually controls how a dispute gets resolved. That makes careful contract drafting on the front end and thorough documentation on the back end critical to a strong breach claim. Indiana also applies a statute of limitations to contract disputes. Written contracts generally allow up to ten years to file suit, while oral contracts are typically limited to six years, though the specific facts of your agreement can affect which deadline applies.
The breach of contract disputes we see most often involve vendors and suppliers who fail to deliver as agreed, customers who refuse to pay for goods or services rendered, partners who violate the terms of an operating or partnership agreement, and former employees or business partners who breach non-compete or non-solicitation clauses. Some breaches are total, where a party abandons the contract altogether, and some are partial, where a party performs but falls short of what the agreement requires. The remedy available to you often depends on which type of breach you’re dealing with, along with what the contract itself says about damages, termination rights, and dispute resolution.
At RileyCate, we handle breach of contract matters for businesses of all sizes, from small, closely held companies to larger commercial enterprises. We start by reviewing the contract language itself, the course of dealing between the parties, and the financial impact of the breach, then we build a strategy aimed at resolution, whether that comes through negotiation, mediation, or litigation. We represent both businesses seeking to enforce an agreement and businesses defending against a breach claim they believe is unfounded.
Business disputes over contracts can move quickly from a disagreement between two parties to a full litigation matter, and having attorneys who are comfortable in a courtroom changes how the other side responds. Will Riley and Russell Cate lead our breach of contract team. Russell Cate’s civil litigation practice covers business disputes, shareholder disputes, and contract matters, bringing extensive trial experience along with appellate arguments alongside Will Riley before the Indiana Court of Appeals and the Indiana Supreme Court. That appellate depth matters in contract litigation more than people realize, because a trial court’s interpretation of ambiguous contract language is often exactly the kind of issue that gets challenged on appeal, and having that experience in house from the start shapes how we build your case at the trial level.
Will Riley’s trial record, reflected in his Super Lawyers, Top 100 Trial Lawyers, and AV Preeminent recognition, gives our business clients the same courtroom credibility on the litigation side that we bring to personal injury work. Will and Russell personally oversee every matter we take, staffing it with the attorneys, associates, and staff the case calls for based on its size and complexity, so your matter gets consistent attention throughout. We also offer alternatives to the standard billable hour for qualifying matters, including fixed fee and blended fee arrangements, so you can pursue or defend a breach of contract claim without an open-ended cost structure.
Nobody plans to need a lawyer. When something goes wrong, what you need first is someone who will listen, tell you honestly where you stand, and take the next steps off your plate. That is how every case at RileyCate, LLC begins.
We represent individuals, families, and small businesses across Fishers, Indianapolis, and surrounding counties in personal injury and complex litigation, business and real estate disputes, criminal defense, and appeals.
Will Riley and Russell Cate personally oversee every matter, staffing each case to its size and complexity. Both are recognized as Super Lawyers and have argued before the Indiana Court of Appeals and Supreme Court. Will also holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell and a Top 100 Trial Lawyer designation.
We are trial-tested, not just settlement-focused. We have tried hundreds of cases, because insurance companies, opposing businesses, and prosecutors negotiate differently with a firm willing to go the distance.
If a vendor, customer, partner, or another business failed to hold up its end of an agreement, or if you’ve been accused of breaching a contract you believe you honored, we can help you understand your options. We offer a consultation to review your contract and the circumstances of the dispute before you decide how to proceed. Reach out to RileyCate today to speak with a breach of contract attorney about your situation.
