For any class action plaintiffs lawyer, winning tens of millions of dollars in fees is a big deal. But the litigation Robert Abrams of Baker & Hostetler spearheaded for a group of southeast U.S. dairy farmers isn't your average case--not for Abrams, his firm, or the bankruptcy trustee and creditors of Howrey LLP.

For the second time in a month, Manhattan federal district court judge Lewis Kaplan has ruled that a shareholder case against a Parmalat auditor can proceed, despite the auditor's claims that it should not be held responsible for the failings of one affiliated office. This time, the firm getting the bad news is Grant Thornton.

It certainly wasn't good news for Mayer Brown when partner Joseph Collins was convicted in July of conspiracy, securities fraud, and wire fraud arising from his work as an outside lawyer for the fraudulent brokerage firm Refco Inc. But, as far as the firm is concerned, things could be worse. So far, Mayer Brown has succeeded in beating back nearly every attempt to hold it liable in civil suits for the damage caused by Refco's collapse in 2005. In the latest victory, a federal judge this week dismissed a suit brought on behalf of some of Refco's former brokerage customers who claimed to have lost more than a half billion dollars.

Cite as: Pelman, et al. v. McDonald's Corp., 02 Civ. 07821, NYLJ 1202474231493, at *1 (SDNY, Decided October 27, 2010)Judge Donald C. Poguep class="decided