Orrick is out and Skadden is in as counsel to MGA Entertainment Inc. in its legal dispute with an artist who claims he inspired the popular Bratz doll line. Problems between Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe and MGA went public in May, when the firm filed a motion to withdraw from representing MGA against a copyright infringement suit brought in New York by artist Bernard Belair (NYLJ, June 6). Orrick claimed the company owed it more than $1.2 million in attorney fees. Now, MGA has replaced Orrick with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in the New York matter.
Skadden is no stranger to the Bratz litigation. The firm represented MGA in a high-profile lawsuit brought in 2004 by Mattel Inc., which ended with a jury verdict awarding Mattel $100 million. MGA tapped Orrick to take the lead in appealing that verdict. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit eventually threw out the award and ordered a new trial. Orrick supported lead trial counsel Jennifer Keller of Keller Rauckakas of Irvine, Calif., during the second trial, which culminated on April 21 when a jury awarded MGA $88.5 million. Orrick attorneys were back in court in late May, arguing that they should be awarded more than $129 million in attorney fees in the Mattel case.
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