SAN FRANCISCO On Tuesday U.S. District Judge Edward Chen ruled that wrongful termination claims filed against the Hausfeld firm by former partner Jon King must proceed to arbitration. King claims he was fired for accusing the antitrust class action boutique of making ethically dubious decisions aimed at improving the bottom line. Among other things, he has alleged that Michael Hausfeld, while serving as plaintiffs counsel in a massive price-fixing case, was trying to woo two of the defendants as clients for a case he wanted to file in London.
We caught up with King on Thursday to ask him about the case and his claims. He said he’s fine with arbitration since Chen’s reading of the confidentiality provision in Hausfeld’s partnership agreement lets him discuss his claims against the firm with its clients and the general public which he says was his motive for filing suit in the first place. A spokeswoman for the firm declined to comment on the matter Thursday; Hausfeld has previously denounced King as a disgruntled ex-employee.
