Our first runners-up are Adam Alper and Mike De Vries of Kirkland & Ellis, who kept their two-plus year trial winning streak alive with their sixth straight jury verdict, a streak that includes four straight wins for plaintiffs in trade secrets cases. A federal jury in San Jose, California this week awarded their client Comet $40 million, including $20 million in punitive damages after finding that rival XP Power “willfully and maliciously” stole trade secrets related to a radio-frequency power generator and RF matching network.
Also getting a runner-up nod this week are Matthew Biben, Allyson Ho and Mylan Denerstein of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Their clients DraftKings and FanDuel got a key win at the New York Court of Appeals this week when the state’s high court found that a law authorizing interactive fantasy sports contests does not violate the New York constitution. Victor Paladino senior assistant solicitor general for New York argued the case for the state with amicus support from Gibson Dunn lawyers, who have been representing the companies for the past seven years in New York cases contending certain fantasy sports offerings constitute illegal gambling.
