Commentary

Daily Dicta: Feeling Insecure

Jenna Greene | May 24, 2018

Jared Kushner has been granted a permanent security clearance—and it’s an affront to every government worker and contractor held to a far stricter standard than the president’s son-in-law.

News

Seeger Weiss Awarded $51M in Fees for 'Landmark' NFL Concussion Settlement

Max Mitchell | May 24, 2018

Most of the attorney fees a federal judge has allocated to the lawyers who hammered out the NFL concussion settlement are set to go to one firm: New York-based Seeger Weiss.

News

In Climate Change Case, Alsup Critiques Oil Companies' 'Trench Warfare' Approach

Ross Todd | May 24, 2018

Although U.S. District Judge William Alsup appeared to lean the way of the six oil companies defendants on the merits at a hearing Thursday, he said he'll hold off ruling until he clears up jurisdictional issues that five of them have raised.

News

Samsung Hit With Half-Billion-Dollar Verdict in Latest Apple Patent Trial

Scott Graham | May 24, 2018

A San Jose jury has awarded Apple Inc. $538 million in its latest retrial with Samsung over infringing smartphones.

News

Apportionment Ruling Slashes Alston & Bird's $2M Legal-Mal Award to $700K

Greg Land | May 24, 2018

The jury split liability three ways, finding the law firm liable for 32 percent of the damages, interests and attorney fees in the underlying case.

News

J&J Hit With $25.75M Verdict Over Baby Powder's Link to Mesothelioma

Amanda Bronstad | May 24, 2018

A California jury has awarded $25.75 million to a woman diagnosed with mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure from using Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder thousands of times.

News

Legal Secretary Sues All-Republican Court, Alleging She Was Fired For Anti-Trump Facebook Posts

John Council | May 24, 2018

A former legal secretary claiming she was fired from her job after posting Facebook messages critical of President Donald Trump has sued the all-Republican Court of Criminal Appeals and Judge Kevin Yeary.

News

Proskauer Says Partner in $50M Gender Bias Suit 'Cherry-Picked' Pay Data

Scott Flaherty | May 24, 2018

Responding to an amended gender discrimination complaint from partner Connie Bertram, Proskauer Rose disputes the size of her business and her claims of unfair compensation.

News

Parkland Families Seek Clearance to Sue Gun Maker, Seller

Catherine Wilson | May 24, 2018

Two families file a lawsuit to clarify they can sue the maker and seller of the AR-15 rifle used in the Parkland school shooting for damages without risking financial ruin.

Commentary

Daily Dicta: Saying Goodbye, Quinn Emanuel Style

Jenna Greene | May 24, 2018

Lateral moves are like Easter eggs. They can hold all sorts of hidden meanings,

News

After the 'Epic' Ruling, Is #Gorsuchstyle a Thing of the Past?

Tony Mauro | May 24, 2018

Early criticism of Justice Neil Gorsuch's writing style seems to be waning, but don’t get any ideas that he has changed to please the pundits.

News

Arista's Antitrust Suit Against Cisco OK'd for Trial

Scott Graham | May 23, 2018

U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman of the Northern District of California ruled that Cisco's copyright suit combined with GC Mark Chandler's blog posts were enough to get by summary judgment.

News

Anthem Lawyers Defending Their Fees Say Objector Has Conflict of Interest

Amanda Bronstad | May 23, 2018

The objector, Adam Schulman, is an attorney at the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Center for Class Action Fairness, where Ted Frank, a known class action critic, is the director.

News

Manafort Takes Supreme Court's Car-Rental Privacy Ruling for Test Drive

C. Ryan Barber | May 23, 2018

It didn't take long for a U.S. Supreme Court decision this term on privacy rights to emerge in perhaps an unlikely spot: the special counsel’s prosecution of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

News

Judge Chides Tex McIver’s Lack of Apology in Imposing Life Sentence for Murder

R. Robin McDonald | May 23, 2018

Georgia law dictated McIver’s life sentence, foreclosing any discretion by Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Robert McBurney, except on the question of whether McIver could be eligible for parole.

News

This Dispute Over a Tweeting Judge Shouldn't Invite the Justices, DOJ Says

Marcia Coyle | May 23, 2018

Noel Francisco, the U.S. solicitor general, told the justices that questions surrounding judges’ use of social media “would benefit from further development in the lower courts” before the Supreme Court takes up a case raising these issues.

News

Carlton Fields Faces $15M Malpractice Action Over Procaps Litigation Loss

Scott Flaherty | May 23, 2018

After a magistrate judge gave Carlton Fields a dressing down in an acrimonious antitrust case, the firm's former client is now suing for alleged malpractice and seeking damages of more than $15 million.

News

Trump Cannot Block Twitter Users From His Account, Court Rules

Colby Hamilton | May 23, 2018

U.S. District Judge Naomi Buchwald ruled Wednesday that the @realDonaldTrump Twitter account falls under the U.S. Supreme Court's public forum doctrine.

News

Abbe Lowell, Counsel to Kushner, Joins Winston From Norton Rose Fulbright

Ryan Lovelace | May 23, 2018

Lowell is just the latest Norton Rose Fulbright partner to join Winston & Strawn over the past year.

News

Upstate NY Judge Orders 30-Year-Old Man to Move out of Parents' House

The Associated Press| May 22, 2018

In a real-life case of “Failure to Launch,” an upstate New York judge Tuesday ordered a 30-year-old man to move out of his parents’ house .

News

Plaintiffs Firms Call Texas Federal Judge's Contempt Order 'Profoundly Troubling'

Marcia Coyle | May 22, 2018

Jenner & Block lawyers are calling "radical and profoundly troubling" a Texas federal judge's contempt order against three plaintiffs firms—Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, Outten & Golden, and Green Savits—for allegedly violating a nationwide injunction against the Obama-era U.S. Labor Department's overtime rule.

News

'Queen of Toxic Torts' Sheila Birnbaum Leaves Quinn Emanuel for Dechert With 2 Partners

Dan Packel | May 22, 2018

Quinn Emanuel pre-emptively announced Tuesday that Sheila Birnbaum, Mark Cheffo and Douglas Fleming are leaving the firm five years after they came aboard from Skadden.

News

O'Melveny Nabs Leading DOJ Criminal Division Prosecutor

Ryan Lovelace | May 22, 2018

Ben Singer, who led the Criminal Division's securities and financial fraud unit, will join O'Melveny & Myers this summer.

In Brief

Manhattan Attorney Decried as Racist Apologizes on Twitter

Susan DeSantis | May 22, 2018

"One of the reasons I moved to New York is precisely because of the remarkable diversity offered in this wonderful city," he said. "I love this country and this city, in part because of immigrants and the diversity of cultures immigrants bring to this country."

Sessions Curbs Immigration Judges' Power to Close Cases

Andrew Denney | May 22, 2018

Sessions’ ruling opens the door to reopening more than 350,000 immigration cases that were disposed by administrative closure, which could further inundate immigration courts facing substantial case backlogs.

News

Alston & Bird Steps In to Defend Former Sutherland Partner

R. Robin McDonald | May 22, 2018

Alston & Bird partner Paul Monnin has replaced Dentons counsel in representing former Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan partner Bennett Kight in a federal fraud case.

Commentary

Daily Dicta: Here’s the Skinny: Plaintiffs on Losing Streak in Diet Soda Class Actions

Jenna Greene | May 22, 2018

Drinking diet soda will not make you skinny—and may actually do the opposite. But that's not enough to sustain would-be class actions against Diet Pepsi, Diet Coke and Diet Dr. Pepper.

News

Dallas Litigator Sues FindLaw Over 'Cookie Cutter' Firm Website

John Council | May 22, 2018

A Dallas attorney has lodged a fraud suit against the online legal marketing company FindLaw, alleging he was duped into thinking they would create a unique website for his new law firm but instead provided one that was “cookie cutter” and “unimaginative.”

Commentary

Daily Dicta: No Harm, No Foul—or So These O’Melveny Lawyers Hope

Jenna Greene | May 21, 2018

The new FTC commissioners face an early test: Will they accept the Impax loss, deferring to the ALJ and his exhaustive, 162-page decision? Or will they vote to reverse him and revive criticism that the FTC’s administrative process is unfair?

News

Miami Judge Faces Suspension for Directing Racial Slurs at Black Defendants

Samantha Joseph | May 21, 2018

The judge also discussed six pending cases with a defense attorney, who would later report him.

News

$30M Accord Reached With AT&T, Others Over Technician's Fall From Cell Tower

P.J. D'Annunzio | May 21, 2018

AT&T and other companies have agreed to pay a total of $30 million to a technician who fell 50 feet down from a telecommunications tower, leaving him incapacitated.

News

In Former Engineer's Harassment Suit, Uber's Decision to Scrap Arbitration Gets Its First Test

Ross Todd | May 21, 2018

The lawsuit comes just a week after the company announced that it would forgo arbitration and nondisclosure agreements in harassment cases.

News

Proposed Class Action Over Exploding Samsung Phones Won't Flame Out in Arbitration

Max Mitchell | May 21, 2018

U.S. District Judge Michael Ponsor on Monday denied Samsung's motions to either send the class action to arbitration, or dismiss the claims entirely.

Commentary

The Three-Letter Word Lawyers Should Avoid Using

Elizabeth A. Larsson| May 21, 2018

When was the last time a single word determined your future? As a lawyer, you’re probably attuned to the fact that it was pretty recent.

Analysis

Racist Rant, Other Events Show Social Media's Power Over Lawyers

Scott Flaherty | May 21, 2018

A racist rant. Scrutiny over prolific billable hours. Controversy over arbitration pacts. All three have made news in the legal world in the past few months, and all were thrust into the spotlight through social media.

News

Gorsuch Renounces Ginsburg's 'Apocalyptic' Warnings in Landmark Labor Case

Marcia Coyle | May 21, 2018

Neil Gorsuch’s 25-page majority opinion and Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s 30-page dissent offered conflicting views. Ginsburg’s dissent also reflected the growing skepticism of the fairness of arbitration among her liberal colleagues on a court that for many years has been strongly pro-arbitration across the board. The clash marked the second time in months the two justices took aim at each other in writing.

News

Court OKs Dismissal of Suit Over Viacom Payments to Sumner Redstone

Tom McParland | May 21, 2018

The Delaware Supreme Court has upheld the dismissal of a derivative suit challenging more than $13 million in payments the Viacom Inc. board made to founder and former chairman Sumner Redstone, even as the billionaire media mogul's declining health prevented him from providing any services of value to the company.

News

Rosenstein Extols DOJ's Embrace of Ethics as Trump Derides Russia 'Witch Hunt'

C. Ryan Barber | May 21, 2018

The deputy attorney general's planned remarks to a compliance audience in Washington did not reference Trump's demand for an investigation of the FBI. “We stress the need to act ethically and to do justice. We expect our prosecutors, our law enforcement agents and other personnel to be thinking about their ethical obligations with every decision that we make,” Rosenstein said at the event, hosted by Compliance Week.

News

Jenner & Block Questions Alleged Monitoring of Guantánamo Defense Lawyers

Marcia Coyle | May 21, 2018

A team from Jenner & Block is fighting attempts by the U.S. Justice Department and a military judge to force two civilian lawyers to continue to represent the alleged bombing mastermind of the USS Cole warship after discovering what they contend was government monitoring of their attorney-client conversations.

News

Judge Dismisses Ex-Host's Wiretapping Suit Against Fox News

Michael Riccardi | May 18, 2018

U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels of the Southern District of New York said Tantaros failed to state a claim and her suit was "based primarily on speculation and conjecture."

News

Cohen's Lawyers Say Avenatti Has Created 'Carnival Atmosphere' in Their Bid to Block Appearance

Colby Hamilton | May 18, 2018

In a brief filed late Friday, an attorney for the president's personal attorney asked U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood to deny Michael Avenatti's pro hac vice application.

News

Headhunting Firm Seeks to Boost Claims Against Simpson Thacher

Christine Simmons | May 18, 2018

Boston Executive Search Associates said Simpson Thacher & Bartlett not only failed to pay a percentage of a recruited partner's expected $3.75 million first-year pay, but also a portion of the partner's $1 million signing bonus.

Ropes & Gray Wins $15M Verdict for Investors Who Say Manager Refused to Sell Profitable Firm

Andrew Denney | May 18, 2018

Ropes & Gray senior counsel Jerome Katz, who led the legal team representing the investors, said that Glaser used the profits from the companies, especially the relatively higher-value Parts Depot, to cover losses from other acquisitions in his portfolio.

News

After 38 Years at Dow, GC Charles Kalil Announces Retirement

Caroline Spiezio | May 18, 2018

Associate General Counsel Amy Wilson will step in as general counsel-elect after Kalil's exit later this year.

News

Trial Opens Over Lawyer's Death Allegedly Caused by J&J's Baby Powder

Amanda Bronstad | May 18, 2018

The trial against Johnson & Johnson claims an attorney’s lifetime use of its baby powder caused her to get one of the deadliest forms of cancer.

News

Former Villanova Wide Receiver's Wage Lawsuit Against NCAA Sacked

P.J. D'Annunzio | May 18, 2018

The judge said in his opinion that Livers did not have standing to pursue litigation against schools he did not attend and that he made no actionable FLSA claim.

News

Lancaster Jury Awards $4M Over Misdiagnosis of Infant's Fatal Whooping Cough

Max Mitchell | May 18, 2018

A Lancaster County jury on Tuesday found that a pediatric medicine practice group and two doctors failed to diagnose an infant's pertussis, despite the mother repeatedly telling doctors she thought the child was suffering from the rare and potentially fatal condition.

News

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Expresses Support for New Law Clerk Hiring Plan

Marcia Coyle | May 18, 2018

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg spoke favorably of the plan last week during a meeting of the Federal Judges Association in Washington. Justice Elena Kagan said she supports the two-year pilot plan and will "take into account" in her own hiring whether judges and law schools comply with it.

Profile

Litigator of the Week: Ted Olson Hits the Jackpot

Ellis Kim | May 18, 2018

After a long losing streak in the lower courts, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher partner Theodore Olson's luck changed before the Supreme Court, which sided with him in a seismic sports-betting case.

News

Warriors Have One Less Courtroom Problem (Nevermind the Basketball Court)

Ben Hancock | May 17, 2018

A proposed class action over the Warriors' Android app alleging that it eavesdropped on fans was voluntarily dismissed by the named plaintiff with prejudice.

News

Arnold & Porter Brings Back Former International Arbitration Pro

Xiumei Dong | May 17, 2018

Maria Chedid, chair of the California arbitration practice at Baker McKenzie, has returned to her former home in San Francisco, where she had previously established and led a West Coast international arbitration practice.

News

Giants, Manning and Collectors Settle Memorabilia Litigation

Michael Booth | May 17, 2018

On the eve of a scheduled trial in Bergen County Superior Court, the settlement, whose terms are confidential, was reached, ending four years of litigation.

Mueller's Russia Probe Enters Second Year: How We Got Here

ALM Staff| May 17, 2018

The probe is ongoing—and a big question remains: Will President Trump agree to meet with Mueller? Stay tuned.

News

Texas Appeals Court Tosses Bridal Shop's Ebola Scare Claim For Lack of Expert Report

John Council | May 17, 2018

A Texas court of appeals dismissed a negligence case in which an Ohio bridal shop claimed a Dallas hospital failed to properly respond to an Ebola virus scare after an infected nurse visited the business to try on dresses and ultimately chased away customers.

Update

Acting AG Underwood Announces Intent to Sue Purdue Pharma Over Opioids

MP McQueen | May 17, 2018

The statement of intent to sue the Stamford, Connecticut-based maker of OxyContin comes after a September 2017 announcement by a bipartisan coalition of 41 state attorneys general of an investigation into the role of major pharmaceutical companies in the current opioid epidemic.

Commentary

Daily Dicta: Two Bad Doctors, One Enormous Payout and a Lesson Still Waiting to Be Learned

Jenna Greene | May 17, 2018

Michigan State University on Wednesday agreed to pay $500 million to settle claims by sexual assault victims of sports doctor Lawrence G. Nassar. Apparently USC has not learned from MSU's mistakes.

News

Former White House Counsel Bob Bauer Exits Perkins Coie

Ryan Lovelace | May 17, 2018

Bauer is leaving the firm whose leading political law practice he founded and shaped over decades in Washington.

News

Avenatti Says Two More Women Have Hush Payment Claims Against Trump

Colby Hamilton | May 17, 2018

The women are being vetted by adult film actress Stormy Daniels' attorney, and allegedly were paid even more than the $130,000 Daniels received from President Trump's attorney.

News

Keker Reps Indicted Bumble Bee Exec, Insists He's Innocent

Ben Hancock | May 16, 2018

John Keker of the San Francisco litigation firm Keker, Van Nest & Peters is representing Bumble Bee Foods CEO Chris Lischewski, who faces 10 years in prison and a fine of $1 million.

Judge Tosses Ex-Big Law Attorneys' Fraud Suit Against Boutique

Christine Simmons | May 16, 2018

Attorneys Brian Brook and Matthew Peed had alleged a host of claims against 10-attorney Simon & Partners and its founder, Bradley Simon.

News

Federal Circuit Still Fine-Tuning Venue Following 'TC Heartland'

Scott Graham | May 16, 2018

Appellate court rules that patent owners have the burden of establishing proper venue, and that defendants can't necessarily be sued anywhere within their state of incorporation.

Commentary

Daily Dicta: Be Warned, Richard Posner Isn’t Playing Nice

Jenna Greene | May 16, 2018

Richard Posner knows how to hit a judge where it hurts.

News

Shout-Out: Kirkland Shuts Down Eminent Domain Case

Jenna Greene | May 16, 2018

It sounds like every property owner’s nightmare: Without notice, your local government declares your holdings are blighted. That’s what happened to a landowner in Colorado—until a team from Kirkland & Ellis got involved.

News

Tempers Flare at Russia Hearing Over Prosecutor, Defense Phone Call

C. Ryan Barber | May 16, 2018

The episode underscored the heated nature of the special counsel’s case against Concord Management and Consulting, which was charged along with 13 Russian individuals and two separate entities with subverting the 2016 election.

News

Planned Parenthood Gets Win at Ninth Circuit In Case Over Anti-Abortion Videos

Ben Hancock | May 16, 2018

The panel affirmed a district court judge's ruling against the group's anti-SLAPP motion.

News

Justices Weigh Waiver in Wrongful Death Case Over Drowned Triathlete

Max Mitchell | May 16, 2018

The intersection of contract and tort law took center stage Tuesday during the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s oral argument session involving a surviving spouse’s efforts to bring a wrongful death suit after her husband drowned during the 2010 Philadelphia Triathlon.

News

Judge Names 39-Member Plaintiffs Team to Lead iPhone Throttling MDL

Catherine Wilson | May 16, 2018

Two San Francisco Bay Area attorneys are leading the plaintiffs team, and a Florida attorney is coordinating litigation for iPhone users.

News

Anthem Data Breach Attorney Fees Report Faulted by Plaintiffs Lawyers and Objector

Amanda Bronstad | May 16, 2018

Plaintiffs lawyers in the Anthem data breach settlement have objected to the report of a court-appointed special master, which found what it said was inappropriate…

News

Trump Tweets and Litigation Risks: Key Takeaways From 9th Circuit’s DACA Hearing

Ellis Kim| May 15, 2018

The Justice Department questioned the court’s reviewability of the rescission, while three different lawyers for plaintiffs urged the judges to affirm the lower court’s finding that the rescission was likely “arbitrary and capricious.”

News

The Fight Continues: Apple v. Samsung Heads Back to Court for Third Trial

Caroline Spiezio | Scott Graham | May 15, 2018

Apple and Samsung are back for more. Lawyers for the two tech giants gave their opening arguments on Tuesday in San Jose.

News

Mueller Is Not Out of Bounds, DC Judge Says in Upholding Manafort Charges

C. Ryan Barber | May 15, 2018

"The case did not arise in a vacuum, and the special counsel did not create his own job description," U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson wrote in a ruling that upheld the criminal charges against Paul Manafort, the former Donald Trump campaign chairman.

News

Former San Antonio Lawyer Gets Six Years in Prison for Scamming Clients With Fake Court Rulings

John Council | May 15, 2018

A former San Antonio lawyer will be spending the next six years of his life in prison after federal investigators alleged that he created fake Texas…

News

AT&T Is 'Punishing Women for Being Pregnant,' Plaintiffs Claim in Class Action

Erin Mulvaney | May 15, 2018

“We do not tolerate discrimination of any kind, including for an employee’s gender or pregnancy,” AT&T said in a statement in response to the amended complaint in Indiana federal district court.

News

Avenatti Says Cohen's Push to Keep Him Out of SDNY Is 'Devoid of Merit'

Colby Hamilton | May 15, 2018

In a filing in support of his pro hac vice application, Stormy Daniels' attorney said he had a First Amendment right to publish financial information about Michael Cohen.

News

Uber CLO Explains Decision to Scrap Mandatory Arbitration Clauses and NDAs Around Sexual Harassment, Assault

Stephanie Forshee | May 15, 2018

Tony West of Uber explained the rationale behind his company's announcement of new policies on how it deals with claims of sexual harassment and assault.

Q&A

From Hitchhiking Across Africa to International Arbitration Star: A Q&A with Wilmer’s Gary Born

Jenna Greene | May 14, 2018

One of the world's top arbitration experts, Wilmer Hale's Gary Born shares how he got his start, his goals as chair of the 70-lawyer practice, the benefits of "double-hatting"--and why he likes planes without wifi.

Analysis

Was 3-Year Suspension Adequate Discipline for Sexting With Client's Underage Daughter?

Max Mitchell | May 14, 2018

Several ethics attorneys said the disciplinary sentence, which will require Toman to undergo a lot of litigation if he wants to have his license reinstated, shows that the Disciplinary Board is taking these matters seriously.

News

What Are People Saying About Senate's New Lit Funding Bill?

Amanda Bronstad | May 14, 2018

The bill would require disclosure of third-party litigation funding in class actions and multidistrict litigation within 10 days of a case filing, or 10 days after a funding deal. It would also require disclosure of financing that provides cash to plaintiffs.

News

Skadden's Michael Scudder Confirmed to 7th Circuit, Succeeding Posner

Mike Scarcella | May 14, 2018

Michael Scudder, whose practice focused on tax-related matters, accounting and white-collar disputes, was the Trump administration's nominee to replace Richard Posner, who retired. Scudder earned $3.06 million in partnership income in 2017, according to a financial disclosure released as part of the confirmation process.

News

Trump's Move to Ease Sanctions on ZTE Called 'Highly Unusual'

Sue Reisinger | May 14, 2018

“This is highly unusual,” said one law professor who has been focusing his lessons around ZTE. “I’ve never heard of a politician trying to change [a plea deal] before.”

News

Morgan Lewis Adds DOJ Health Care, Consumer Antitrust Pro

Ryan Lovelace | May 14, 2018

Ryan Kantor, who was an assistant chief of the health care and consumer products section in the Antitrust Division, joins the firm soon after a trio of Washington antitrust lawyers left Morgan Lewis for Vinson & Elkins.

News

More Women Accuse Ogletree of Gender Bias in $300M Suit

Scott Flaherty | May 14, 2018

Ogletree Deakins faces allegations of gender bias from a growing number of women who served as shareholders at the labor and employment firm.

Commentary

Daily Dicta: Stormy Daniels’ Made-for-TV Lawyer

Jenna Greene | May 14, 2018

It's not just you: Michael Avenatti is on TV constantly. But in an era where cable news is our town hall and Twitter our forum for public discourse, Avenatti—with his bronzed skin and tailored suits, dispensing sound bites or yelling that his opponents are thugs—shines.

News

Russian Business Entity Rips Mueller's Charges as 'Make-Believe'

C. Ryan Barber | May 14, 2018

Reed Smith, representing the Russian entity Concord Management and Consulting, said in a new court filing: "A foreign corporation with no presence in the United States is indicted in an unprecedented case of a type never before brought by the DOJ for conspiring to defraud the United States purportedly by not complying with certain regulatory requirements that are unknown even to most Americans."

News

U.S. Supreme Court, Divided, Buys Into Sports Betting in NJ and Beyond

Tony Mauro | May 14, 2018

The justices in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association found the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act infringed on state sovereignty. The decision could transform sports and sports gambling from coast to coast.

Editor's Letter

Litigator of the Week FAQs

Jenna Greene | May 13, 2018

An overivew of the weekly Litigator of the Week feature.

News

Baker Donelson Duo Tied to $100M Ponzi Scheme in Mississippi

Scott Flaherty | May 11, 2018

A lobbyist and a lawyer at Am Law 100 firm Baker Donelson operate an investment business that appears to have loaned money, including investments by a U.S. senator, to an admitted Ponzi schemer.

Patent Owner Launches Takings Class Action in Wake of SCOTUS Ruling

Scott Graham | May 11, 2018

Heninger Garrison Davis serves up a challenge to AIA proceedings that Justice Clarence Thomas refused to rule out.

News

Silver, in Retrial, Found Guilty on All Counts of Corruption

Colby Hamilton | May 11, 2018

The former head of the state Assembly was accused of honest services fraud, extortion, and other corruption crimes.

Expert Opinion

Takeaways From Four Recently Rejected Class Action Settlements

Terence N. Hawley and Joshua D. Anderson| May 11, 2018

Approval is not a given, and these cases illustrate some of the important factors practitioners should consider in connection with proposed class settlements in an environment of heightened scrutiny.

News

Attorney Claims in Court Filing He Talked to Cohen About Two Schneiderman Victims

Colby Hamilton | May 11, 2018

In a letter to Judge Kimba Wood, attorney Peter Gleason asked for an injunction to stop a memorialized communication between him and Cohen, which the government may have in its possession, from becoming public.

News

6 Cases We're Watching From the Supreme Court's Latest Conference

Marcia Coyle | May 11, 2018

A "spoofing" challenge under Dodd-Frank. GM fights a damages-only retrial. Guns are back. These are some of the cases and issues we're watching for any action at the Supreme Court from its latest conference.

Profile

Litigators of the Week: A Compassionate—But Effective—Product Liability Defense

Robert Storace | May 11, 2018

When Boehringer Ingelheim was hit with a new wave of suits over its blood thinner Pradaxa, it changed course and decided to fight, tapping Covington & Burling's Phyllis Jones and Butler Snow's Rod Richmond Sr.

Dechert, ACLU Seek Fees for Work on Kris Kobach Contempt Action

Mike Scarcella | May 11, 2018

The senior lawyers for the plaintiffs were Neil Steiner, a Dechert white-collar partner in New York; Dale Ho, director of the ACLU Voting Project; and Stephen Bonney, former legal director of the Kansas ACLU. Kris Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state, has appealed a judge's contempt ruling.

News

Mikal Watts Sued as Lawyers Fight Over $1.51B Syngenta Settlement

Amanda Bronstad | May 10, 2018

The complaints come as the judge preliminarily approved the settlement on behalf of a class of more than 600,000 farmers who alleged Syngenta sold genetically modified corn seed that China refused to import.

News

Phila. Jury Hits Police Officer With $10M Verdict for Wrongful Arrest

Max Mitchell | May 10, 2018

A Philadelphia jury has awarded $10 million to a man who spent more than three years in jail after allegedly being falsely accused of shooting at a police officer.

News

Plaintiffs Pitch Dueling Visions, One Big & One Small, to Judge in iPhone MDL

Ross Todd | May 10, 2018

The judge overseeing claims Apple deliberately slowed older iPhones heard leadership pitches in front of a courtroom full of about 40 lawyers Thursday, with another 10 or so on the phone.

News

Man Charged With Assaulting Paralegal in Fulton Courthouse Elevator Denied Bond

Kristen Rasmussen | May 10, 2018

Ruben Eric Washington faces two felony aggravated assault charges over the alleged attack. A criminal defense attorney who was in the courthouse, Michael Katz, told the Daily Report how he intervened to help stop the incident.

News

Litigation No Substitute for Settlement, Says Opioid MDL Judge

Amanda Bronstad | May 10, 2018

In a marked shift from the first hearing in the opioid litigation, a federal judge praised lawyers for getting closer to reaching a global settlement…

Commentary

Daily Dicta: Wait, Elliott Broidy Hired Michael Cohen... Because Why?

Jenna Greene | May 10, 2018

One of these things is not like the others: Boies Schiller Flexner. Arnold & Porter. Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Winston & Strawn. Michael D. Cohen & Associates. But they’ve all counted Elliott Broidy as a client.