University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law alumnus Ognian Gavrilov ‘08, winner of SCBA Nancy Sheehan Distinguished Attorney of the Year 2024, is currently representing plaintiff Duane Miller in a partnership dispute lawsuit. The lawsuit Miller v. Axline is seeking to reclaim lost shares from the law firm Miller, Axline and Sawyer.   

Back in 2022, Miller, one of the law firm's founders, became extremely ill and stepped away from the business. A day before being released from medical care, Miller’s business partner, Axline, cut Miller out of the business.   

On April 8, Attorney Gavrilov helped in securing a jury verdict exceeding $91 million, including $31 million in lost profits and general damages, plus more than $60 million in stock. Miller was “over the moon,” hearing the jury verdict.   

“His partner Axline had a board meeting without notice, in violation of the law, and basically took his [Miller] shares away,” Gavrilov said. “Changed the locks, told the employees not to talk to him, and so that’s what precipitated the case.”  

Gavrilov brought on experts estimating Miller’s stolen shares and potential profit “were worth as much as $120 million.”   

“I was relieved,” Gavrilov said after hearing the jury verdict. “I thought we were winning big, but at the same time, you just never know. Jurists can surprise you.”  

This is not Gavrilov’s first large verdict. Back in 2021, Gavrilov secured a $39 million verdict in a case dealing with defamation and cyberbullying. Again in 2025 he secured a $18.5 million jury award, the largest in U.S. history for a shin or knee injury without amputation. 

Recently, on April 22, the defendant Axline submitted a Notice of Intent to the Sacramento Superior Court, appealing for a new trial. As of publication, the case remains ongoing. 

Managing partner of Gavrilov & Brooks, with offices in Sacramento and Los Angeles, Gavrilov has tried both plaintiff and defense cases in the multiple different areas of law. Specifically, he practices bankruptcy litigation, civil litigation, corporate law, franchise law, intellectual property, and tax law.