Our first runners-up are Spencer Lucas, Brian Panish, Matthew Freeman and Diana Panish of Panish | Shea | Boyle | Ravipudi who won a $135 million verdict for two California men who were sexually abused by their sixth-grade teacher starting in 1996. Jurors in Riverside County this week found the Moreno Valley School District, which had notice of child molestation complaints against the teacher Thomas Lee West dating back to 1988, negligent and 90% responsible for the plaintiffs’ past and future non-economic damages. The abuse continued into the boys’ sophomore year in high school and when it ended West used threats and coercive means including computer tracking and keylogging software to prevent them from reporting the abuse until after they graduated. Jurors found West, who is currently serving a sentence of 52 years to life in prison, 10% responsible.
A team at Cravath, Swaine & Moore backed up the firm’s Delaware Chancery Court win for The Williams Companies over the scuttled $33 billion deal that Energy Transfer LP walked away from in 2016. Delaware Supreme Court Justice Christopher Griffiths wrote this week that the case was a “perfect example” of the “significant—typically, monetary—consequences” of virtually all failed mergers. The court signed off on more than $190 million in interest, attorney fees and costs on top of the $410 million break-up fee, bringing the total tally to $601.5 million. The Cravath team included Antony Ryan, who argued the appeal, Kevin Orsini, Michael Addis and David Korn. The Williams Companies had Delaware counsel from Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell including Kenneth Nachbar, Susan Waesco and Matthew Clark.
