Bank of America's acquisition of Merrill Lynch has sparked 160 shareholder lawsuits. Not surprisingly, the competition for lead plaintiff and lead counsel positions is attracting some heavy hitters.

Not only was a high-stakes case against Panasonic, Toshiba, and SanDisk dismissed with prejudice, but the judge rejected an interpretation of time limits for antitrust claims that spelled trouble for defendants in other consumer class actions.

A federal judge in Philadelphia allowed class antitrust claims against some of the country's top egg producers to move forward, though she granted motions to dismiss by one producer and an industry trade group.

So who won a coveted role on the plaintiffs committee that will oversee litigation resulting from the Gulf oil spill? We've got the whole list.