Litigation

News

Fox Rothschild Practice Leader Steps Up to Defend Alleged Defecator

Roy Strom | May 18, 2018

Matthew Adams, the newly installed co-chair of the white-collar group at Fox Rothschild, may have one of the most interesting clients in Big Law.

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

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

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.

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…

News

Reed Smith Team Puts Early Squeeze on Mueller Prosecutors in Russia Case

C. Ryan Barber | May 07, 2018

Prosecuting a foreign individual or company in U.S. federal court can pose challenges for the government in any case. The special counsel's prosecution of Russian business entities and individuals has proven no exception. A team from Reed Smith is putting early pressure on Robert Mueller's prosecutors.

News

'Mommy Track Is a Dead End' at MoFo, Associates Claim in New Lawsuit

Scott Flaherty | April 30, 2018

The proposed class action is the latest gender bias case brought by plaintiffs firm Sanford Heisler Sharp, whose other law firm targets have included Proskauer Rose, Chadbourne & Parke and Sedgwick.

Expert Opinion News

Circuit Court Rejects Attempts to Overturn PetSmart Defense Win

Max Mitchell | April 20, 2018

A federal appeals court has rejected a New Jersey woman's attempts to reverse a defense verdict PetSmart won last year, finding that the woman's proposed retail expert had been correctly disqualified from testifying in the case.

News

Justices Eye Congress, 'Massive' Lawsuit Potential in Online Sales Tax Case

Marcia Coyle | April 17, 2018

"I'm concerned about the many unanswered questions that overturning precedents will create," Justice Sonia Sotomayor said at one point during the argument Tuesday.

Analysis

Law Firms Are Getting Caught Up in the Gun-Control Debate

Miriam Rozen | April 02, 2018

Whether they represent gun companies or plaintiffs suing those companies, law firms are increasingly finding themselves caught in the crosshairs.

News

Stark Wipes Out $235M Infringement Verdict Against Teva for Hypertension Drug

Tom McParland | March 29, 2018

A Delaware federal judge on Wednesday wiped out a $235 million verdict against Teva Pharmaceuticals for supposedly infringing a GlaxoSmithKline plc patent for the hypertension drug Coreg.

News

Reed Smith Partner Leaves Firm Amid Sanctions, Email Row

Brian Baxter | March 26, 2018

Andrei Baev has left Reed Smith almost a year after coming aboard from Chadbourne & Parke. His exit comes as news emerged linking Baev to prominent Republican donor Elliott Broidy, who has sued the nation of Qatar for allegedly hacking his emails.

News

Ex-Big Law Partner's Boutique Has Both a New Name, Office

Meghan Tribe | March 26, 2018

John Pierce, a former litigator at K&L Gates and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan who launched Pierce Sergenian last year, is headed to New York. But two recent partnership splits have the Los Angeles-based firm rolling out its third name in less than a year.

Asbestos Filings Fell in 2017, Report Says

Amanda Bronstad | March 26, 2018

Asbestos filings fell in 2017, and it didn't matter whether they were brought over mesothelioma, lung cancer or other forms of cancer, according to consulting firm KCIC.

News

Class Action Targets Alleged Manipulation of Wall Street's 'Fear Index'

Tom McParland | March 12, 2018

A federal class action lawsuit is seeking to uncover key players behind the alleged widespread manipulation of Wall Street's "fear index," which plaintiffs claim has resulted in potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in losses to investors nationwide.

News

Supreme Court Justices Are Ever More 'Advocates,' New Law Study Contends

Marcia Coyle | March 08, 2018

The number of questions asked by the justices has remained "remarkably constant" since 1995 even as the number of words used increased significantly, according to the new study. But those extra words "are being devoted to comments and statements, not to inquiries of the advocates."

News

Opioid Judge Allows Some Discovery, Motions to Go Forward in MDL

Amanda Bronstad | March 07, 2018

U.S. District Judge Dan Polster in Cleveland told lawyers in the multidistrict litigation to come up with a plan by March 16 over the scope and timing of a “litigation track.”

News

Corporate Lawyers Like New DOJ Enforcement Policy, But Seek More Clarity

Sue Reisinger | March 07, 2018

DOJ announced it had extended its voluntary self-reporting guidelines last week at the American Bar Association’s 32nd annual National Institute on White Collar Crime in San Diego.

News

Inside a Morgan Lewis Partner's New Conflicts Disclosures for NLRB Post

Erin Mulvaney | March 07, 2018

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius partner John Ring in Washington, nominated to the National Labor Relations Board, identified on Tuesday dozens of cases and corporate clients that would present potential conflicts after his would-be confirmation to the agency.

News

Buchanan Ingersoll Adds Four-Lawyer Group in Tampa

Lizzy McLellan | March 06, 2018

The group makes Buchanan Ingersoll's third largest office a bit bigger, adding to the firm's corporate, real estate and litigation practices.

News

Ex-Big Law Associate Sues ESPN Over Sexual Harassment

Robert Storace | March 06, 2018

Former ESPN sports anchor and legal analyst Adrienne Lawrence, who once worked at a trio of Am Law 100 firms, has sued the network, claiming ongoing sexual abuse, specifically by current sports anchor John Buccigross.

News

Mick Mulvaney Tells State AGs the CFPB Won’t ‘Get in Your Way’

C. Ryan Barber | February 28, 2018

"If we think it's a good case, we'll bring it. If not, we're happy to get out of the way and let you all do it by yourselves," Mick Mulvaney, the acting Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director, told state attorneys general Wednesday in Washington.

News

Sessions Says DOJ to Backstop States' Efforts to Hold Big Pharma Liable in Opioid Crisis

Max Mitchell | February 27, 2018

Sessions outlined plans to create a new litigation-oriented task force within the Department of Justice to pursue claims against opioid manufacturers and distributors.

News

Russia Case: Read Ex-Skadden Associate's Plea Agreement, Statement of Offense

Mike Scarcella | February 20, 2018

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team just filed the plea agreement and statement of offense in the case against former Skadden associate Alex van der Zwaan, accused of lying to investigators.

News

Stark Wipes Out $2.5 Billion Verdict in Hep C Drug Patent Case

Tom McParland | February 20, 2018

A Delaware federal judge on Feb. 16 overturned a massive $2.5 billion jury verdict against Gilead Sciences Inc., finding that a patent held by a unit of Merck & Co. Inc. was too broad to be valid.

News

Lions and Tigers Can Keep Their Claws, for Now, Thanks to Injunction

Angela Morris | February 13, 2018

An animal charity in Indiana must stop declawing lions and tigers, and put an end to “Tiger Baby Playtimes,” which allowed the public to interact with big cat cubs.

News

Trump Taps Veteran Justice Dept. Lawyer for Western Pa. Federal Court

Max Mitchell | February 12, 2018

President Donald Trump on Monday nominated longtime U.S. Department of Justice attorney Peter J. Phipps to fill a vacancy on the federal bench.

News

Atlanta Fires Back at Morgan Lewis With New Lawsuit in Pension Fight

Cogan Schneier | February 09, 2018

The lawsuit focuses on payments to Morgan Lewis from two pension funds the firm represents in litigation against the city.

News

Credit Screening Company Settles Fair Credit Reporting Case for $1M

Max Mitchell | February 09, 2018

U.S. District Judge John Padova of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania recently approved the accord, which focused on claims that the defendant company violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

News

Fed. Court Won't Strike Sexual Relationship Allegations From Suit Against Pa. Judge

Max Mitchell | February 08, 2018

The lawsuit alleges that the judge had discriminated against a female probation officer and created a hostile work environment for her and her husband after they broke off a sexual relationship that began nearly 15 years ago.

News

Case of the Two Susquehanna DAs Getting More Tangled

Max Mitchell | February 07, 2018

According to one lawyer involved in the case, the dispute could put prosecutions in the northeastern Pennsylvania county in jeopardy.

News

Phila. Mass Torts Inventory Could Soon Be on Decline, Judge Says

Max Mitchell | February 07, 2018

The Reglan litigation came to a settlement last year, and, according to the judge tasked with presiding over the city's mass torts programs, the court is entering the final stages of administering that settlement.

News

Aetna, Settlement Claims Administrator Sue Each Other Over HIV Mailings

Kristen Rasmussen | February 07, 2018

Aetna has sued Kurtzman Carson Consultants, blaming the claims administrator for mailings that disclosed the name and condition of thousands of HIV patients. KCC responded by filing a suit of its own against Aetna, saying that the health insurance giant and its outside legal counsel, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, were responsible.

News

Phila. Courts to Shut Down for Super Bowl Champions' Parade

Max Mitchell | February 06, 2018

Lawyers with hearings or trials set to take place Thursday do not need to worry about fighting through mobbed Philadelphia streets to get to court, as First Judicial District officials have announced that nearly all court services will be shut down on Feb. 8.

News

Will Meek Mill Ethical Cloud Over Brinkley Blow Over?

Max Mitchell | February 05, 2018

The defense team for Meek Mill has kicked up a significant ethical cloud around the Philadelphia judge who handed the rap star a lengthy jail sentence last year, but, according to several court watchers, the storm may blow over without significantly impacting either Mill's case, or the judge's ability to preside over cases.

News

Lawyer Punished Over '#killinnazis' Posts Withdraws From Upcoming Xarelto Trial

Max Mitchell | February 02, 2018

An attorney recently sanctioned for posting pictures of a Philadelphia courtroom on social media and using the hashtag #killinnazis has withdrawn from the Xarelto trial that is scheduled to begin next month.

News

Phila.'s Mass Tort Inventory Skyrockets as Risperdal Continues to Grow

Max Mitchell | February 02, 2018

With an inventory of pharmaceutical cases that nearly doubled over the past 12 months, Philadelphia's pharma-related mass tort programs have reached record heights for the second year in a row.

News

Brinkley Hires Peruto to Fight Criticism Over Her Handling of Meek Mill's Case

Max Mitchell | February 01, 2018

Embattled Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Genece Brinkley has hired attorney A. Charles Peruto Jr. to help her fight criticism that has been mounting since she sentenced hip-hop star Meek Mill to a lengthy prison term for a probation violation.

News

Justices to Eye Discoverability of Emails Between Hospital Counsel and PR Firm

Max Mitchell | February 01, 2018

The high court specifically agreed to hear arguments about whether sending prelitigation emails to public relations consultants waives the work-product doctrine, and whether a third party must provide legal advice, or be acting under the control of an attorney or the client, to qualify as a privileged person.

News

Court Clerk Fired in Meek Mill Case, but Rapper Still Pressing for Vindication

Max Mitchell | January 31, 2018

The First Judicial District received a bit of a black eye recently in the ongoing dust-up over hip-hop star Meek Mill's parole violation case when it had to fire a court clerk in the wake of revelations that she had asked the rapper to help pay her child's college tuition.

News

Court Watchers See Pa. GOP's Gerrymandering Appeal as a Long Shot

Max Mitchell | January 29, 2018

The recent decision to void Pennsylvania's congressional map over gerrymandering concerns may cause some confusion in the upcoming election, but, according to court watchers, the appeal to halt that ruling faces extremely long odds.

News

Krasner Looks to Brooklyn as Model in Naming Immigration Counsel

Max Mitchell | January 26, 2018

Taking a cue from his counterpart in Brooklyn, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has appointed an attorney to focus on evaluating the immigration ramifications of the office's prosecutions.

Commentary

Litigators of the Week: Beating Gerrymandering in Pennsylvania With Data

P.J. D'Annunzio | January 25, 2018

A team of lawyers from the Public Interest Law Center in Philadelphia and Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer persuaded Pennsylvania's high court to strike down the state's congressional map, which favored Republicans. The impact could be huge.

Investigation News

Two Ex-ADAs Add Legal Muscle to Phila. City Controller's Team

Max Mitchell | January 25, 2018

Two former Philadelphia assistant district attorneys have agreed to take leadership positions in the office of new City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart.

Head Injury From Fallen Street Light Nets $2.75M Settlement

Max Mitchell | January 25, 2018

A man injured by a street light that was knocked over by a reversing truck agreed to settle his claims against multiple defendants for $2.75 million.

High Court to Mull Standards for Objecting to Gas Well Projects

Max Mitchell | January 25, 2018

A case taken up by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court could shed some light on what kind of evidence municipalities can use in efforts to block an oil and gas drilling project.

News

Persons Who Drive for Uber After Job Loss May Still Get Unemployment Benefits, Court Rules

Max Mitchell | January 24, 2018

Out-of-work Pennsylvanians who drive for a ride-hailing service in their spare time are not automatically ineligible for unemployment benefits, a Pennsylvania appellate court has ruled.

News

Data Reveals an 'Independent,' 'Unpredictable' Pa. Supreme Court, Lawyers Say

Max Mitchell | January 24, 2018

A Law Weekly tally of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania's work product over the last two years shows that its seven justices like to display an independent streak, and lawyers who looked at the findings stressed that the high court as a whole tends to be unpredictable.

News

Delco Jury Awards $40M in Birth Injury Paralysis

Max Mitchell | January 24, 2018

A Delaware County jury has awarded more than $40 million to the family of a 6-year-old who suffered a spinal injury during birth. According to attorneys representing the plaintiff, the award is the largest personal injury verdict from a Delaware County jury.

News

DOJ Memo Urges Government Lawyers to Dismiss 'Meritless' FCA Cases

Cogan Schneier | January 24, 2018

One lawyer who represents qui tam relators said the memo represents a major "sea change" in how the agency handles FCA cases.