On July 14, the American Lawyer named Beth Wilkinson its “Litigator of the Week,” and described Wilkinson Stekloff as “the legal equivalent of an elite special ops unit,” for leading Microsoft’s successful defense of its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. This intensely competitive recognition highlights the entire Wilkinson Stekloff team — including, in addition to Beth, Rakesh Kilaru, Kieran Gostin, Grace Hill, Anastasia Pastan, and Sarah Neuman — for its representation of Microsoft in a five-day evidentiary hearing in late June related to the Federal Trade Commission’s attempt to block Microsoft’s largest-ever acquisition. On July 10, U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley of the Northern District of California denied the FTC’s bid for an injunction to block the deal, finding the agency hadn’t proven that Microsoft was likely to pull the game “Call of Duty” from Sony’s PlayStation “or that its ownership of Activision content will substantially lessen competition in the video …
Beth Wilkinson Named American Lawyer’s Litigator of the Week and a Law360 Legal Lion for Win in Bellwether Trial for Bayer’s Xarelto
May 5, 2017
WASHINGTON, May 5, 2017 – Beth Wilkinson was named American Lawyer’s Litigator of the Week and a Law360 Legal Lion. The accolades come after Beth successfully led a team of lawyers in defense of Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals in a key bellwether trial over the blood thinner Xarelto. A federal jury in New Orleans deliberated for about one hour before unanimously deciding in favor of Bayer. On the victory, Wilkinson said, “If you can make your case really clear, so the jury from opening to closings knows what you’re saying, it makes it easier to go back and come to a consensus.” “When doctors come in and say this medication works and is important, it makes it very difficult for plaintiffs to prevail.” Wilkinson will stay on as lead counsel in the next Xarelto trial in New Orleans, scheduled for May 30. Beth Wilkinson is a founding partner at Wilkinson Stekloff. …