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9th Circuit Revives Copyright Suit Against 'Shape of Water' Filmmakers

The ruling is a win for Alex Kozinski, the former chief judge of the Ninth Circuit who represents the son of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Zindel in the case.
3 minute read

'Berman Will Be Fine': Some Say Spat Might Actually Help Ex-US Attorney's Career Prospects

Recruiting a former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York is an attractive prospect for a lot of law firms, even if that lawyer just had a high-profile fight with the attorney general, several observers said.
5 minute read

Steptoe & Johnson Challenges Trump Administration's LGBTQ Health Care Protection Rollback

The complaint, filed by attorneys with Steptoe & Johnson and the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, argues the rule conflicts with the Supreme Court's recent opinion protecting employees from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
4 minute read

Munger Tolles Nabs Jonathan Kravis, Prosecutor Who Opposed Barr in Stone Case

For Kravis, the move to Munger Tolles, where he will be a partner in Washington, marks a return to private practice following a career spent largely as a prosecutor.
7 minute read
Commentary

Daily Dicta: Berman Bests Barr in SDNY Showdown

At the end of the day, what on earth did Bill Barr accomplish here, except to make himself look bad?
6 minute read

'Something Stinks': What Attorneys Are Saying About Barr's Move to Oust Berman

The ousting of Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman, and the resulting extraordinary but brief standoff that ensued, raised broad new questions and concerns among lawyers about U.S. Attorney General William Barr's leadership of the Justice Department.
8 minute read

'The Damage Is Done': Judge Lamberth Slams John Bolton, but Refuses to Block Book

"With hundreds of thousands of copies around the globe—many in newsrooms—the damage is done. There is no restoring the status quo," U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth said in Saturday's order.
3 minute read

Ex-Legal Assistant Brings Bias, Harassment Claims Against White & Case

Hannah Kim, who worked in the restructuring department in the firm's New York office, alleges she was the subject of an enduring harassment campaign by two supervisors after she returned from leave.
3 minute read

Judges Say That for Young Layers, At-Bats More Important Than Wins

Three district judges offered up tips last week for junior lawyers seeking more speaking opportunities in court. U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar urged them to seek out pro bono cases, without getting too hung up on the attractiveness of the case.
4 minute read

As Plaintiffs Seek MDL in Cases Demanding Refunds for COVID-19 Cancellations, Airlines Lawyer Up

Nicholas Coulson, of Liddle & Dubin, who claims to have 12 of the 38 class actions filed against airlines over their alleged failure to provide passenger refunds, is the latest attorney to ask the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation to coordinate cases relating to COVID-19.
3 minute read

Ending Long-Running Dispute, Settlement in Palm Steakhouse Lawsuit Will Total $12M to $18M

The Palm chain and its intellectual property were sold in a $45 million deal to the Houston-based company Landry's in March, just days before restaurants across the United States shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The timing was fortunate for the plaintiffs, Newman said.
3 minute read

And the LOTW Runners Up...

Honorable mention goes to lawyers from Jones Day; Weil Gotshal; Sidley Austin; Gibson Dunn; Davis Wright Tremaine; Quinn Emanuel; Skadden; Greenberg Traurig and Simpson Thacher.
4 minute read

COVID-19 Confusion Results in $6M Judgment Against Texas Lawyer

Trial lawyer B. Gregg Price will appeal a summary judgment that orders him to pay more than $6 million to Houston litigation funder Virage Master.
3 minute read
Q&A

Litigators of the Week: Kirkland's Hurst and Kassof Claim Massive Win for Albertsons

'The opinion is a watershed in FCA cases generally and discount prescription drugs specifically,' said Kirkland & Ellis partners Andrew Kassof and James Hurst.
9 minute read

Thwarting Trump, Justice Roberts Guards the Supreme Court's Reputation--and His Own

After ruling against the Trump administration's move to end DACA, the chief justice again found himself criticized by conservatives. The opinion followed one earlier this week where Roberts joined the majority in backing LGBT workplace protections.
7 minute read
News

David Lat Grits His Way Through COVID-19 Recovery, Now 'Open for Business'

In a recent interview, David Lat said he's back to full-time work and "open for business." But like many patients who are among the first to survive a severe COVID-19 infection, he said he'd wondered whether he'd ever be the same.
10 minute read
News

In Tax Case Against Yahoo Successor, IRS Goes After $1.5 Billion

The IRS told Altaba it owed $1.5 billion in unassessed income and employment tax liabilities after revising the claim once and then a second time after Altaba filed its 2019 income tax return in April.
4 minute read

Despite Democrats' Concerns, Justin Walker Confirmed to DC Circuit

Walker was confirmed by a 51-42 vote.
3 minute read

Former In-House Lawyer Files Gender, Age Discrimination Suit Against Con Edison

Upon information and belief, ConEd's explanation was pretext for age and sex discrimination and retaliation based on Goldzweig's protected complaints," former ConEd in-house attorney Sharon Goldzweig said in her complaint.
3 minute read

Judge Sets Hearing on Trump's Bid to Block Bolton Memoir

The Justice Department asked for a temporary restraining order to halt publication of the book on the grounds it contains classified information.
4 minute read
Commentary

Daily Dicta: Don't You Dare Tell These Law Prof Amici They Have 'No Special Insight'

The underlying case involves Arkansas' so-called "ag-gag" rule that would stymie undercover exposés of industrial agriculture--and it raises meaty First Amendment issues.
6 minute read

Amazon (and Fenwick) Win Patent Infringement MDL Appeal as Fee Motion Looms

Fenwick & West has led the charge for Amazon since PersonalWeb Technologies sued 80 of its customers. The Federal Circuit ruled Wednesday that a previous suit against Amazon, though voluntarily dismissed, precluded many of the new claims.
4 minute read

Ex-Federal Prosecutors Say Government's Argument in Bail Proceedings for Lawyers Accused of Molotov Cocktail Attack Contradicts Settled Law

Assistant U.S. Attorney David Kessler argued that Colinford Mattis and Urooj Rahman had to be detained because they might cause disorder amid ongoing protests against police brutality in Brooklyn.
4 minute read

Unresolved Questions Await Supreme Court After Landmark LGBT Rights Ruling

The pending cases raise questions involving the intersection of religion and anti-discrimination laws, an issue left unresolved by the justices' landmark decision extending workplace anti-bias protections to gay, lesbian and transgender employees.
8 minute read

As Noel Francisco Heads Out, DOJ's Jeffrey Wall to Be Acting US Solicitor

Speaking on a college campus last year, Jeffrey Wall lamented what he said was a shift in power toward the judiciary in recent years. "It's only going to get worse," he asserted, to the detriment of the executive branch.
6 minute read

Suit Against DLA Piper Claims Firm's Mistaken Email Revealed 'Double Dealing'

After client Ferrellgas Partners contacted the firm about the email, DLA said it conducted an internal investigation, the suit claims.
4 minute read
Commentary

Wait, Are We Actually Supposed to Care About a Government Taskforce?

Let's say the taskforce was composed of Ralph Nader, Elizabeth Warren, Letitia James, David Vladeck and I don't know, Gandhi. That still doesn't mean the current CFPB leadership would listen to anything they had to say.
5 minute read

Ex-Client Files $1.3M Fraud Suit Against Foley & Lardner, 2 Houston Lawyers

A former client of Foley & Lardner claims the firm and two of its lawyers fraudulently induced him to invest in another firm client that was having cash-flow problems.
3 minute read
Q&A

'I'm a Little Bit Exhausted': Sidley's Lisa Gilford on the Fight Against Police Brutality

Gilford, a partner at Sidley Austin in Los Angeles who works with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, said racism cuts across all African Americans. "We're not protected by our status as professionals," she said.
6 minute read

Read the Complaint: Trump Sues John Bolton Over His Memoir

"This is a civil action by the United States to prevent Defendant John R. Bolton, a former National Security Advisor, from compromising national security by publishing a book containing classified information," the Justice Department said in its complaint Tuesday in Washington.
4 minute read
Commentary

An 'Old White' Trial Lawyer Tries to Understand

"I'm an old white trial lawyer. I'm privileged and don't pretend to understand, at an emotional level, how African Americans feel about racial injustice, police brutality, Confederate flags and army bases named after Confederate generals. And yet I must try."
5 minute read
News

Apple Faces New Probes by Europe's Competition Watchdog

The investigations are preliminary in nature but significant for introducing a new focus of competition regulation: away from market dominance and toward a company's role as a "gatekeeper" to market access, lawyers said.
4 minute read

As Social Media Use Rises, What Does This Mean for Litigation?

With many Americans still spending most of their time at home amid the COVID-19 pandemic, most people are turning to social media to connect with others. Often, social media content can provide case-relevant intelligence that can be pivotal in defending litigation.
5 minute read
Commentary

Daily Dicta: Big Law Is on the Right Side of History in Landmark LGBT Decision

The case attracted a stellar crop of amicus briefs from many of the top law firms in the country—and across the board, every single one of them sided with the LGBT employees.
11 minute read

2nd Circuit Upholds Bed Bath & Beyond Win in Workers' Overtime Appeal

The ruling upheld a lower court's decision to toss the case on summary judgment, finding insufficient evidence to support the plaintiffs' claims regarding Bed Bath & Beyond's use of a "fluctuating workweek" formula to compensate employees for overtime hours.
4 minute read

In Oculus Rift Technology Dispute, Founder Palmer Luckey Likely Headed for Trial

A Ninth Circuit ruling reversing summary judgment in the case marks a win for Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan attorneys Robert Stone and Brian Cannon in Redwood City, California, who represented plaintiff-appellant Total Recall Technologies.
4 minute read

Justices Tangle Over Textualism in Major Win for LGBT Workers

Monday's landmark win for LGBT workers revealed intense disagreements within the court's conservative wing. Justice Samuel Alito called the majority decision, written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, "breathtaking" in its "arrogance." Added Kavanaugh: "The best way for judges to demonstrate that we are deciding cases based on the ordinary meaning of the law is to walk the walk."
7 minute read

Pillsbury Commits $11M Over 3 Years to Equal Justice Causes

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman's commitment, taken together, is the largest by far from Big Law in the recent efforts to promote racial justice and equity in America.
5 minute read
Commentary

What's Next for Litigation Funding in a COVID-19 World?

Litigants seeking outside funding must often share work product information with their potential funders, but if such materials were disclosed publicly or to an opponent, it could seriously undermine a client's case.
6 minute read

'No Contest': Gorsuch Leads SCOTUS Ruling That Protects LGBT Employees Against Firing

"When the express terms of a statute give us one answer and extratextual considerations suggest another, it's no contest," Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the majority. "Only the written word is the law, and all persons are entitled to its benefit."
6 minute read
Q&A

Litigation Leaders: Venable's Geoff Garinther on COVID Litigation, Client Service and the New Normal

'We love trying cases and believe we're sought after for our ability to litigate not just on paper but in the courtroom.'
10 minute read

At Boies Schiller, Uncertainty Looms After Dunn and Isaacson's Exit

The work generated by Bill Isaacson and Karen Dunn, and a group of departing West Coast partners, could be as much as $100 million in business—nearly a quarter of the firm's 2019 gross revenue.
7 minute read

And the LOTW Runners Up...

Honorable mention goes to lawyers from Foley Hoag; Amineddoleh & Associates; Husch Blackwell; Kirkland & Ellis; O'Melveny & Myers; Stris & Maher and Goodwin Procter.
4 minute read

SDNY Prosecutors Charge Art Dealer in Alleged $20M Fraud Scheme

Among the notable pieces connected to the alleged scheme were works by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Christopher Wool, as well as an untitled 2012 painting by Rudolf Stingel, depicting artist Pablo Picasso.
4 minute read

Ice Cube's Big3 Basketball League Ends Fraud, Malpractice Suit Against Quinn Emanuel

Big3's lawsuit, which Quinn Emanuel had derided as "fantasy-laden," lasted just 11 days.
3 minute read
News

Citing Pandemic, Avenatti Again Tries to Route Stormy Daniels Theft Charges to California Court

The embattled celebrity attorney, who was convicted in February of trying to extort Nike Inc., has renewed his bid to transfer the case charging him with stealing money from his former client, adult-film star Stormy Daniels, from New York to Los Angeles.
5 minute read

DC Circuit Doesn't Sound Eager to Force Dismissal of Case Against Michael Flynn

"I don't see why we don't observe regular order and allow him to rule," Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson said at one point during Friday's hearing in the D.C. Circuit. Flynn's lawyer, Sidney Powell, argued there was no longer any case or controversy, and the trial judge must dismiss the case against Flynn, at the request of the Trump Justice Department.
7 minute read
Commentary

Is It Time to Change How We Think About Bench Trials?

As the backlog of cases build, we write to start a dialogue and suggest that trial lawyers and trial judges, both of whom are understandably concerned about timely case resolution, need to give more thought and consideration to bench trials.
8 minute read
Q&A

Litigator of the Week: Sidley's Seitz Shuts Down Out-of-State Plaintiffs in Essure Mass Tort

The decision "recognizes that plaintiffs must bring their claims in a state that has real connections to those claims," Seitz said. "As a result, state courts will not expend their judicial and financial resources on cases that have no connection to that state or its citizens."
6 minute read

9th Circuit Certifies Question in Litigation Funding Suit to NY Court of Appeals

The certified question from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit asked the New York Court of Appeals to decide whether the arrangement qualified as a "loan" or "cover for usury" under a state statute, which caps the amount of interest that can be charged for lending.
3 minute read

'Wise Lawyers Keep Accurate Time Records': Calif. Court Denies Attorney's Bid for More Fees

Attorney Michael Traylor was seeking $308,000 for early work on a case that ultimately yielded a $7 million settlement. The Second District Court of Appeal found that Traylor hadn't handed over his file to lawyers who took over the case and had submitted three separate accounts of time spent on the matter.
4 minute read

'Gross Abuse of Executive Power': Trump Faces Second Lawsuit Over Forced Clearing of Lafayette Square Protesters

"This case concerns a day that will live in infamy. It's the day that our federal executive branch unleashed a military and paramilitary force on a band of peaceful protesters assembled in historic Lafayette Park across from the White House," the complaint reads.
3 minute read

Florida Chief Judge Is Clamping Down After Reports of Porn on Zoom, PDA and Attorneys With No Pants

One attorney appeared on the livestream wearing a business suit without any pants — a faux pas he inadvertently gave away by crossing his legs.
4 minute read

CNN's General Counsel Rejects Demand by Trump Campaign: 'That's How Free Speech Works'

"It is yet another bad faith attempt by the campaign to threaten litigation to muzzle speech it does not want voters to read or hear," wrote CNN general counsel David Vigilante.
5 minute read

Top Litigators Karen Dunn, Bill Isaacson Leave Boies Schiller for Paul Weiss

Paul Weiss is now planning to enter the Northern California market, aligning with its new partners' tech client base.
4 minute read
Commentary

Daily Dicta: Lowering the Barr

Bill Barr is gunning for a place in history as one of the worst attorneys general. What a disappointment he has turned out to be.
6 minute read
Q&A

'It's a Moral Issue': Plaintiffs Attorney Navan Ward Talks About George Floyd Protests

For Ward, a principal at Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles and African American, the issue of racial justice is personal.
5 minute read

Alston & Bird Takes on Trump as a Client by Adding Spears & Imes Litigation Partner

Joanna Hendon is representing President Donald Trump, three of his children, and his company, The Trump Organization, in a lawsuit alleging they defrauded investors by promoting doomed products and services.
3 minute read

Brian Benczkowski Stepping Down as Head of DOJ's Criminal Division

The former Kirkland & Ellis partner will be replaced by his top deputy, Brian Rabbitt, a former Trump White House lawyer who joined the criminal division earlier this year after serving as Barr's chief of staff.
4 minute read

From $111,000 to Zero? This Florida Ruling Shows How Insurance Litigation Can Go Wrong

The case resulted in a plaintiff's award that continually shrank until it amounted to nothing — plus attorney fees for the defense.
5 minute read

Federal Judiciary Group Releases Guidelines for Resuming Jury Trials

A subgroup of the federal judiciary's COVID-19 Judicial Task Force suggests having cleaning personnel continuously wipe down the handrails of courthouse stairwells due to limitations on elevator capacity. It also flags constitutional challenges criminal defendants might have due to remote testimony from witnesses.
3 minute read
Analysis

Bridgegate: Open Questions After SCOTUS Narrows Fraud Statutes

White-Collar Crime columnists Robert J. Anello and Richard F. Albert discuss the Supreme Court's recent reversal of the "Bridgegate"-related convictions and its implications, writing that the extent to which the principles articulated in that decision will have an impact on future federal fraud prosecutions is currently being tested in another high-profile case currently on appeal before the Second Circuit where the "right to control" theory is at issue.
12 minute read
Q&A

Litigators of the Week: Kirkland Trio Dances Off With a Win in Video Game Copyright Suits

Representing video game makers Epic Games and Take-Two Interactive, the Kirkland trio has fended off a series of 10 lawsuits, including the most recent—a claim by University of Maryland basketball players Jaylen Brantley and Jared Nickens.
14 minute read

Federal Judge Rules Neither Trump Nor Avenatti Gets Cut of Stormy Daniels' $450,000 Settlement

In an eight-page order, U.S. District Judge Michael Watson of the Southern District of Ohio denies Trump's notice of registered foreign judgment seeking $293,052 of Daniels' settlement and tosses aside Avenatti's attorney lien seeking allegedly unpaid attorney fees from unrelated representation of Daniels.
4 minute read

Ex-Judge Who Sued Dry Cleaner for $67M Over Lost Pants Hit With 90-Day Bar Suspension

The D.C. Court of Appeals said Roy Pearson Jr. had "chosen at every step of the disciplinary process, including as recently as his oral argument in this appeal, to levy accusations against disciplinary counsel, the board, the hearing committee, and this court."
4 minute read
News

Trump, Barr Sued for Use of Force Against Lafayette Square Demonstrators

The complaint centers on a Monday protest in Washington D.C.'s Lafayette Park, which was broken up by federal law enforcement with tear gas and pepper spray.
4 minute read

SDNY Judge Denies Bernie Madoff's Bid for Compassionate Release Following Terminal Diagnosis

"In my view, Mr. Madoff's crimes were 'extraordinarily evil,' and I sentenced him accordingly," U.S. District Judge Denny Chin wrote on Thursday.
4 minute read

In Ahmaud Arbery Murder Case, a Shocking Racial Slur in Court Hearing

"That's some devastating evidence, but we don't know if it's going to be admissible," criminal defense attorney Page Pate observed.
5 minute read

Whistleblower Receives Largest Award in SEC History

With the latest award, the SEC topped its previous record: a $39 million bounty issued in 2018.
3 minute read
Commentary

Daily Dicta: In $4B Apple Securities Class, Judge Moves to Bump Labaton for Robbins Geller

What's so unusual is how U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has handled competing claims by Labaton Sucharow and Robbins Geller to lead the nearly $4 billion case against Apple.
5 minute read

Federal Circuit Again Called on to Judge the 'Patent Dance'

Genentech is looking to block sales of Amgen's cancer biosimilar Mvasi, because Amgen failed to provide 180 days' notice when it shifted manufacturing plans from California to Rhode Island. Judge Kimberly Moore said Genentech is proposing "an extraordinarily broad view" of the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act.
4 minute read

As Criminal Investigation Looms, 2nd Circuit Nixes Subpoenas of Attorney Who Filed Sealed Info on Felix Sater

A three-judge panel of the Manhattan-based federal appeals court ruled that the subpoenas, which date back to 2017, were unenforceable because they had not been issued by sitting grand juries.
4 minute read

Texas Attorneys Offer Free Help to People Arrested During Protests Over George Floyd's Death

Texas attorneys in Austin, Dallas and San Antonio are joining a national trend in which criminal-defense lawyers are taking cases of protesters' cases for free. Other attorneys who have done the same hail from California, New York, Florida and other states.
4 minute read

Chicago Judge Refuses to Dismiss McDonald's Workers' Lawsuit Over COVID-19

McDonald's lawyer Jonathan Bunge, of Quinn Emanuel, admitted he was "incensed" that workers didn't raise their concerns with governmental agencies before filing a lawsuit.
6 minute read

Justice Sotomayor Is Leading Voice Against Alleged Police Abuses

A series of petitions at the court now urge the justices to reconsider, restrict or abolish the judge-made doctrine of qualified immunity.
6 minute read

'It Could Have Been Me': Black Lawyers Reflect on George Floyd's Death and What Comes Next

Black attorneys and legal industry leaders recounted their own experiences with racism and their hopes for the future.
11 minute read
Commentary

Daily Dicta: Sitting Pretty: Paul Hastings Client Off the Hook in Sephora Makeup Biometric Class

Rather than protecting privacy, the suits invoking the Illinois Biometric Privacy Act often feel more like attempts at "gotcha."
5 minute read

Mayer Brown Leads Legal Fight Against Trump's Executive Order Targeting Social Media Companies

The lawsuit claims the president's order violates the free speech protections of social media companies and its users.
3 minute read

Ex-Trump Campaign Staffer Files for Release from NDA in Proposed Class Action Suit

In the new filing, Jessica Denson, who is represented by Bowles & Johnson, Ballard Spahr and the advocacy group United to Protect Democracy, asked for a judgment declaring the NDA null, void and unenforceable.
3 minute read

New York-Based Cannabis Company Sued for Fraudulently Taking Lucrative License

The complaint accuses New York-based Columbia Care of tortious interference with contract, unjust enrichment, civil conspiracy, aiding and abetting fraud and aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty, among other offenses,
3 minute read

California Appeals Court Hears Arguments on $289M Roundup Verdict

In the first oral arguments over a Roundup verdict, a California appeals court raised numerous questions about Monsanto's defense of federal preemption but appeared hesitant to retain the $39 million in compensatory damages within the $289 million jury award.
5 minute read

Arbery, Floyd and Taylor Family Attorneys Call for National Justice

L. Chris Stewart, Ben Crump and S. Lee Merritt are calling for federal legislation to create a uniform process of holding police accountable for deadly force and United Nations representation for human rights and economic sanctions.
4 minute read
Commentary

Daily Dicta: Defending the Indefensible (Or Not)

Our justice system is premised on the notion that even the most awful human beings accused of the most heinous crimes are entitled to a legal defense. Whoever defends Chauvin is sure to be threatened and vilified. But that lawyer will also be brave—braver (ahem) than certain Am Law 100 firms.
5 minute read

2nd Circuit in Lawsuit Over Police Shooting of Mentally Ill Man Rejects Qualified Immunity

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled Monday that former officers from the White Plains Police Department were not entitled to qualified immunity on a motion to dismiss civil claims stemming from the 2011 killing of an elderly, mentally ill black man alone in his city-owned apartment.
6 minute read

Citing George Floyd's Death, Prosecutors Ask California State Bar to Block Police Endorsements

A spokeswoman for the California state bar said "it would be premature" for leaders of the agency to comment on a proposal for new ethics rules.
3 minute read

Judge Emmet Sullivan Tells DC Circuit Not to 'Short-Circuit' Flynn Proceedings

"Given the serious allegations in Mr. Flynn's most recent sworn statement, further proceedings in the district court will ensure the integrity of the judicial process and serve the public interest," lawyers from Wilkinson Walsh, representing U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan, told the D.C. Circuit on Monday.
7 minute read

Baseball's 'A-Rod' Faces Punitive Damages Over Real Estate Venture With Ex-In-Law

Rodriguez's ex-brother-in-law alleges the former baseball star squeezed him out of profits in their real estate partnership, while Rodriguez counters it's Scurtis who took unauthorized funds from the joint venture.
4 minute read

'I Need to Protect This Prosecution': Minnesota AG Will Lead George Floyd Case

Ellison, a former congressman who is Minnesota's first African American attorney general, has a background in civil rights law and previously led the Legal Rights Center in Minneapolis.
6 minute read

Justices Decline to Take Up Constitutional Challenge to Mandatory Bar Dues

Justice Clarence Thomas, joined by Justice Neil Gorsuch, said the court should have taken up the bar fee case.
5 minute read
Commentary

Daily Dicta: Cooley Takes Aim at Latham in Fierce DQ Fight

Motions to disqualify strike at perhaps the most sacred duties a lawyer owes a client—loyalty and confidentiality. It's not nice to have either one questioned. It's also not nice to get bounced off a case—especially if it's a juicy $250 million lawsuit.
7 minute read

Pryor Cashman Associate Charged With Damaging NYPD Vehicle With Molotov Cocktail During Protest

Colinford Mattis, a corporate lawyer, was accused of driving a van from which an occupant emerged to throw an incendiary device at an unoccupied NYPD vehicle in an act that was caught on camera, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
2 minute read
News

Georgia State Bar Windows Smashed as Lawyers Weigh Atlanta Riots, Causes

Atlanta's mayor, a practicing lawyer before she entered public service, showed how black mothers fear for their sons while railing against the "chaos' that disgraced the legacy of hometown hero Martin Luther King Jr. A former chief justice of the state Supreme Court expressed via social media African Americans' exhaustion and frustration with racism.
9 minute read

King & Spalding Fights WhatsApp's 'Drastic' Disqualification Bid in Cyber Case

A team from King & Spalding, including former partner and now FBI Director Christopher Wray, provided legal services to WhatsApp in a sealed matter four years ago. WhatsApp's counsel at Cooley says the firm acquired confidential information relevant to a pending case where King & Spalding represents a WhatsApp adversary.
6 minute read

In 5-4 Split, Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to California's COVID-19 Restrictions on Religious Services

"Similar or more severe restrictions apply to comparable secular gatherings, including lectures, concerts, movie showings, spectator sports, and theatrical performances, where large groups of people gather in close proximity for extended periods of time." wrote Chief Justice John Roberts.
3 minute read

In New Stance, DOJ Asks SCOTUS to Shield Domestic Companies From 'Alien Tort' Liability

The U.S. Justice Department had argued twice before that corporations—whether domestic or foreign—were liable under the Alien Tort Statute.
4 minute read

'Nasty, Nasty Jerks': Plaintiffs Lawyers Say Insurers Are Exploiting COVID-19-Related Delays

,
4 minute read

And the LOTW Runners Up...

Honorable mention goes to litigators from Latham & Watkins; Covington & Burling; Sidley Austin; Quinn Emanuel and Winston & Strawn.
3 minute read
Q&A

Litigators of the Week: Shearman Trio Stands Up for Open Source Software

'We wanted to set an example and deter future assertions of (in our view) weak patents against nonprofit entities promoting open source. To that end, we refused to simply settle on a walk-away,' said Shearman & Sterling's Matt Berkowitz, Kieran Kieckhefer and Joy Wang.
7 minute read

Ice Cube's Big3 Sues Quinn Emanuel Over Alleged Conflicts; Firm Says Client Just Doesn't Want to Pay

The Big3, a three-on-three league featuring former NBA talent, says that the firm inserted itself into a dispute with the former commissioner at the behest of its deep-pocketed Middle Eastern client. Quinn called the allegations a "fantasy."
5 minute read

New Study Shows Only Slight Improvement in Women's Representation in NY Courtrooms

NYSBA President Henry "Hank" Greenberg called the lack of change "unacceptable and disturbing," emphasizing that the 2017 report included concrete steps that law firms, clients and judges could take to improve matters.
5 minute read

BitClave in SEC Settlement to Refund Investors $25.5M

The agency said the San Jose cryptocurrency firm led an unregistered initial coin offering of its Consumer Activity Tokens.
2 minute read

Miami Attorney Stages Fee Fight Against Big Tobacco — And Wins $2.4 Million

"I think this now has motivated a lot of plaintiff's lawyers to stop settling these fee claims and start fighting them because they're realizing that they're leaving half a million to a million dollars on the table every time," the attorney said.
5 minute read

Fired Miami Heat Lawyer Forced Into Arbitration

Vered Yakovee, who worked for the NBA team for about four years, alleges that she was fired for requesting maternity leave after she adopted a baby. She argued, unsuccessfully, that she was rushed into signing an arbitration agreement when she was hired.
4 minute read
Expert Opinion

Buyer's Remorse or Material Adverse Effect? A New Wave of Litigation in the COVID-19 World

'As the COVID-19 crisis continues, more parties will likely continue to look to MAE clauses to attempt to exit deals,' write Sidley Austin partners Frank Favia, Angela Zambrano and Rob Velevis.
12 minute read

'Unlawful and Unenforceable': Legal Experts Slam Trump's Attempt to Target Social Media Companies

A draft version of the executive order calls to clarify the current protections given to online publishers, a move that could open up platforms to legal challenges.
5 minute read
Commentary

Daily Dicta: Why Is Quinn Emanuel's Alex Spiro Bringing a Books and Records Suit? Hint: Jay-Z

"Forty inmates dying in the last few months at Parchman alone is neither outstanding nor innovative," Spiro said "And it's definitely nothing to be proud of."
5 minute read
News

Wilmer, Dechert Among Firms Awarded $6.8M in Texas Voter ID Litigation

The judge cut Wilmer's fee request by 60% after finding the firm failed to provide detailed billing rates.
4 minute read

Non-Practicing Entity Buys Patents From IBM, Turns Them Against Oracle

After paying a reported $9 million for part of Big Blue's portfolio last fall, NPE Daedalus Blue has now enlisted Bunsow De Mory to assert five of the patents against the database giant.
3 minute read
Expert Opinion

Zoom Trials: Same Dog, New Tricks

Blank Rome business litigation partner William Dorsey shares what he learned from a recent, two-day contested evidentiary hearing--including the need to wear pants.
5 minute read

SCOTUS Conference Watch: Qualified Immunity, State Bar Fees and Firearms

A growing and ideologically diverse chorus of individuals and organizations have been asking the Supreme Court to reconsider the doctrine of qualified immunity.
6 minute read

More Churn at Williams & Connolly as Patent Litigation Co-Chair Decamps for Quinn Emanuel

Kevin Hardy was named to the role at Williams & Connolly less than six months ago, after previous co-chair Adam Perlman decamped for Latham & Watkins.
3 minute read

Drawn to Niche Practices, Group of 5 Litigators Leaves Akin Gump for Cozen O'Connor

Two of the partners will co-chair Cozen O'Connor's national class actions practice group, making their move less than two years after joining Akin Gump.
3 minute read

Masks, Sanitizer and Measuring Tape: What Post-Pandemic Jury Trials May Look Like

Constitutional mandates must be balanced with juror safety, which all court leaders identified as the top priority.
8 minute read
Commentary

Daily Dicta: Insurance Defense Has Never Been So Sexy

The industry's latest champion? O'Melveny & Myers trial practice chair Daniel Petrocelli, who is representing Chubb Group in a fight with the Simon Wiesenthal Center over lost income from cancelled events including a dinner honoring George and Amal Clooney.
6 minute read

Take a Bow: The 2020 D.C. Litigation Departments of the Year

Our special report recognizes top litigation practices at leading firms in our nation's capital.
4 minute read

Surge of New Suits Filed in New York City as E-Filing Reopens to All Cases

While most court proceedings are still taking place virtually, and litigators in the city are not yet sure when they will be able to argue before a jury or even take an in-person deposition, they praised the state court system for its ability to adapt and carry on amid the pandemic.
2 minute read

US Judge: It's the Right Call to Delay Finjan/Cisco Patent Jury Trial

The judge told Finjan and Cisco that juror resentment could have been a problem if they had gone forward with a June 22 trial date. With the trial now postponed to October, Freeman began looking ahead to how to handle jury questionnaires.
4 minute read

Plaintiffs Move to Consolidate Litigation Against BofA, Chase Bank Over Agents' PPP Loan Fees

The lawsuit was brought against several major banks, including Bank of America and Chase Bank, along with regional bank Mountain America Federal Credit Union.
4 minute read

Legal Malpractice Payouts Rise, and With COVID-19, No Crest in Sight

The 2008 recession caused claims to skyrocket. Expect the same to follow for the next few years.
4 minute read
Q&A

Litigation Leaders: Willkie's Tariq Mundiya on New Offices, Nimble Staffing and Litigating With a Single Purpose

'Sometimes litigation is like a game of chess, and sometimes it's just good old-fashioned hand-to-hand combat. Regardless of where any particular case falls on that spectrum, Willkie litigators really enjoy what they do and the results demonstrate it. '
14 minute read

Flynn Judge Emmet Sullivan Hires Litigation Ace Beth Wilkinson

Wilkinson has long been in the spotlight in Washington legal circles and beyond as a successful defense-side trial lawyer advocating for major U.S. companies. Her more notable advocacy for individual clients including representing Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing for the U.S. Supreme Court.
4 minute read

Gibson Dunn Helps Rachel Maddow Beat Defamation Suit by One America News Network

"For her to exaggerate the facts and call OAN Russian propaganda was consistent with her tone up to that point, and the Court finds a reasonable viewer would not take the statement as factual given this context," U.S. District Judge Cynthia Bashant of the Southern District of California.
2 minute read

Lawyers Say Expert Ruling Was 'Tipping Point' for J&J's Talc Withdrawal

Johnson & Johnson attributed its decision this week to discontinue sales of talc-based baby powder to COVID-19 and declining demand, but lawyers and law professors point instead to an April 27 ruling allowing plaintiffs' experts to testify in trials.
6 minute read

Georgia Appeals Court Revives $1.7M of Legal Malpractice Verdict Against Alston & Bird

The appeals court found the trial judge inappropriately apportioned the award to a nonparty.
6 minute read

Rep. Devin Nunes' Defamation Case Against CNN Transferred to Manhattan Federal Court

U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne of the Eastern District of Virginia said it would be more convenient for the parties and witnesses to appear in Manhattan, where CNN is headquartered; he also said the California congressman has no clear ties to Richmond.
3 minute read

And the LOTW Runners Up...

Honorable mention goes to lawyers from Winston & Strawn; Hagens Berman; Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and Kirkland & Ellis
2 minute read

Decrying 'Double Standard' in Coverage, Wigdor Drops Biden Accuser Tara Reade as a Client

Wigdor said the decision did not reflect any change in his view of the truthfulness of Reade's claims. Instead, he cited a "double standard" in the media coverage his former client had received.
4 minute read
Q&A

Litigator of the Week: Weil's Jonathan Polkes Carves Out a Win for Carlyle in Delaware

'The case directly presents some of the most pressing issues regarding material adverse effect clauses and the pandemic,' said Polkes, the global co-chair of Weil's litigation practice.
11 minute read

Return of E-Filing Will Start Crowded Period for New York Courts, Lawyers Say

Attorneys said it will be important to pay close attention to judges' practices and rules, some of which have been amended due to the pandemic.
4 minute read

In Flynn Case, Judge Sullivan Will Brief DC Circuit About Power of Trial Judges

The Michael Flynn dispute in the D.C. Circuit tees up a fresh clash over the role federal trial judges play in presiding over criminal prosecutions.
7 minute read
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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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