Simmons Lawyer Caught Describing Claimant as "Obviously Lying" in £1.6B Virtual Courtroom Dispute
The unintentional broadcast of the comments demonstrates the difficulties of virtual trials.
June 15, 2020 at 06:16 AM
2 minute read
Simmons & Simmons has issued an apology after one of its lawyers was heard accusing the other side of "obviously lying" during a live court case via Zoom.
The unintentional broadcast demonstrates one of numerous difficulties with virtual trials which have become commonplace in the U.K. during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Simmons lawyer was heard describing PCP Capital Partners' Amanda Staveley as "obviously lying" and that she was "crashing and burning" on a private Zoom call which was accidentally broadcast into the court feed.
The comments came at the end of Staveley's first day of testimony last week in a trial centering around private equity firm PCP Capital Partners on its dispute with Barclays regarding a $3bn capital-raising exercise by the bank at the height of the 2008 financial crisis.
The firm's London senior partner Colin Passmore issued a letter of apology which was read out by the judge on Friday. Simmons & Simmons is acting for Barclays with a team led by Passmore.
In a separate statement, a Simmons & Simmons spokesperson said: "Comments were made by a member of the Simmons legal team on a private Zoom call, which was overheard in the courtroom after the day's session had adjourned.
"This should not have happened and is very regrettable. We apologise to Ms Staveley and to the court."
The trial, which began virtually on June 8, expected to continue for nine weeks, a person close to the situation said.
|Read More:
Quinn Emanuel takes lead role on closely watched Barclays dispute over 2008 capital raising
Have a few minutes to spare? Take the Legal Week job satisfaction survey and tell us your thoughts on working life at your firm. Click here to take the questionnaire and enter the prize draw, all submissions are strictly anonymous.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllGibson Dunn Sued by Crypto Client After Lateral Hire Causes Conflict of Interest
Australian Corporations More Concerned About Class Actions Risk, HSF Report Finds
3 minute readSingapore Oil Tycoon Appeals 17.5 Year Prison Sentence In Fraudulent Trading Case
Charles Russell Speechlys Opens in Milan to Focus on Ultra-High Net Worth Clients
Law Firms Mentioned
Trending Stories
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250