U.S. District Judge William Orrick of the Northern District of California. Photo by S. Todd Rogers. 'Courts Have to Do Better': Juul MDL Judge Dings Diversity Deficits at Plaintiffs Firms
At a Monday hearing, U.S. District Judge William Orrick, in the Northern District of California, allowed up to $150 million in attorney fees to move forward but questioned the lack of diversity among the 62 plaintiffs firms in the Juul multidistrict litigation.
December 18, 2023 at 03:23 PM
5 minute read
The original version of this story was published on The Recorder
What You Need to Know
- U.S. District Judge William Orrick, who has spoken publicly about diversity in MDLs, required plaintiffs lawyers to provide a demographic report.
- Co-lead plaintiffs counsel Sarah London shared the judge's diversity concerns. 'It is a categorical problem in our bar,' she told him.
- Two objectors had challenged the fees, which included $76.5 million in a class action settlement and common benefit fees in three other Juul agreements.
A federal judge allowed plaintiffs lawyers in Juul Labs Inc. settlements to move forward on up to $150 million in attorney fees but said it was "troubling" that not a single lawyer among the 62 firms in the litigation was Black or Latino.
"It is stark to me that here you had 62 great firms, and apparently almost no Blacks or Latinos who either are lawyers there, or that the firms put up," U.S. District Judge William Orrick, of the Northern District of California, said at a hearing Monday. "There are excellent lawyers throughout this country who are not being involved in these MDLs, and when it has such a huge percentage of the caseload, you have to do better. The courts have to do better."
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Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
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