A U.S. District Court Judge handed down a decisive victory for Medtronic and Covidien in litigation arising from claims that one of their hernia mesh products has design and manufacturing defects, and that the company provided inadequate warnings about the risks of the hernia mesh. Wilkinson Stekloff Founding Partner Brian Stekloff led the victory in Northrup v. Covidien (C.D. Cal.) by obtaining key admissions from Plaintiff’s expert that were quoted extensively in the Court’s opinion dismissing the case. Brian Stekloff also led oral argument before Judge Dean Pregerson on Defendants’ motions to exclude the opinions of Plaintiff’s expert and for summary judgment. Judge Pregerson agreed with Defendants’ arguments, and, on November 24, ruled that all of Plaintiff’s expert’s opinions were inadmissible under Daubert and that Plaintiff’s claims could not proceed in the absence of admissible expert support. Judge Pregerson dismissed the case in its entirety. Northrup v. Covidien had been set to go to trial …
Wilkinson Stekloff Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson Recognized as 2021 Power Player by Sports Business Journal
October 26, 2021
Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson has been recognized as a 2021 Power Player by Sports Business Journal. Beth has been lead counsel in over 50 jury trials, including numerous bet-the-company, multibillion-dollar cases. Her work on high-stakes, headline-making sports matters is particularly well known . Beth has handled some of the most significant litigation shaping professional and college sports today, including serving as lead trial counsel for the NCAA in antitrust lawsuits brought by current and former student-athletes challenging NCAA rules limiting the compensation student-athletes may receive. In addition, Beth was lead counsel for the NFL, its 32 member teams, and NFL Enterprises in a putative class action lawsuit challenging the NFL’s multibillion-dollar exclusive distributorship arrangement with DIRECTV for Sunday Ticket and the business arrangements whereby the NFL teams collectively license the broadcast rights to NFL Games.
Benchmark Litigation Selects Beth Wilkinson for Its 2021 Top 10 Women in Litigation List
August 5, 2021
Washington, D.C. — Wilkinson Stekloff Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson has been chosen for Benchmark Litigation’s elite group of the 10 leading women litigators who stand out from its iconic Top 250 Women in Litigation 2021 List. Beth has served as lead counsel in over 50 jury trials, including numerous bet-the company, multibillion-dollar cases, and established an unrivaled record of victories in federal and state courts throughout the country. In just the last year, Beth has served as lead trial counsel for Altria in a major administrative trial, successfully represented Judge Emmet Sullivan in mandamus proceedings in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit arising out of his handling of the criminal case involving former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, and directed the defense of multiple other high-profile litigations, including on behalf of Altria, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, USA, and the NFL. Beth’s peerless dedication to excellence has won her the …
Wilkinson Stekloff Honored as ‘Highly Commended’ for Annual Chambers Diversity & Inclusion Awards
June 28, 2021
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Chambers and Partners selected Wilkinson Stekloff as Highly Commended for Diversity and Inclusion at its annual Diversity and Inclusion Awards: North America 2021. The firm is one of two nationwide, large and small, singled out for success in diversity and inclusion. Chambers shortlisted Wilkinson Stekloff in 2020 as an outstanding firm for diversity and inclusion, but gave it an even higher honor this year. In highlighting Wilkinson Stekloff, Chambers took note of client commentary that the firm’s commitment “is borne out in the diversity of lawyers from top to bottom,” who are all “active participants in developing and executing our legal strategy.” “We couldn’t be prouder to receive this award, given that the firm was founded to develop and promote the next generation of diverse trial lawyers,” said Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson. “While there is still much more work to be done, we will continue to move …
Wilkinson Stekloff Partner Rakesh Kilaru Named Law360 Rising Star for Sports and Betting
June 21, 2021
Washington, D.C. – Wilkinson Stekloff Partner Rakesh Kilaru was named one of Law360’s 2021 Rising Stars–a lawyer under the age of 40 whose legal accomplishments “transcend his age.” Rakesh was selected out of more than 1,400 attorneys across the United States and is one of five recognized for exemplary work in the sports and betting industries. This latest award builds off Wilkinson Stekloff’s recent recognition as one of Law360’s Sports and Betting Groups of the year in 2020. In an interview with Law360, Kilaru discussed his involvement in every one of the firm’s sports litigation matters so far, representing the NCAA and the NFL. Rakesh noted the importance of focusing at all times on how “to sway the judge or jury,” while also keeping “in the back of your head how that will play on appeal.” Speaking about the skills he tries to bring to his clients, Rakesh added, “I’m …
Wilkinson Stekloff Recognized in Several Categories for Latest Rankings by Chambers and Partners
May 24, 2021
Washington, D.C. – Chambers and Partners, an independent research company that ranks the nation’s top law firms, highlighted Wilkinson Stekloff as the top litigation boutique in DC and as a products liability powerhouse. Chambers also recognized the firm’s two name partners, Beth Wilkinson and Brian Stekloff, for their excellence. Chambers utilizes a tiered “band” system to recognize firms. Wilkinson Stekloff was honored within Band 3 for “Products Liability and Mass Torts Nationwide” (the only DC boutique firm recognized) and within Band 3 for “Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite in DC” (one of just two DC boutiques recognized). Chambers described the firm as an “impressive litigation boutique, noted for its expert handling of complex, bet-the-company cases for leading corporate clients across a wide range of sectors,” particularly in pharmaceutical, antitrust, trade secrets, and consumer class action cases. Commentators described lauded Wilkinson Stekloff’s “fantastic trial lawyers,” calling it a “fabulous firm” with …
Wilkinson Stekloff Partner Moira Penza Named to Crain’s New York Business 40 Under 40 List
March 23, 2021
Washington, D.C. – Crain’s New York Business named Wilkinson Stekloff Partner Moira Penza to its annual 40 under 40 list, recognizing the most accomplished New York City-based professionals under age 40 across all sectors of the business world, including law, finance, real estate, technology, healthcare innovation, hospitality and the arts. Announcing her selection to 2021’s 40 under 40 class, Crain’s called Moira “very much a legal star” and praised her ability to relate to juries and witnesses while also proving to be “a canny legal strategist” who can “go for the jugular when necessary.” In an interview with Crain’s, Moira said one of the secrets to her success is that adversaries do not always expect her to “be as fierce” as she “definitely can be.” “She has ingenuity, creativity and doggedness,” Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson said to Crain’s about Moira. “She has great confidence, but she also has humility. Jurors can …
Wilkinson Stekloff Lawyers Named to Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America List
January 28, 2021
Washington, D.C. – For the third consecutive year, Wilkinson Stekloff partners have been named to the Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America list. This year Lawdragon recognized Beth Wilkinson, Brian Stekloff, Kosta Stojilkovic, and Tamarra Matthews Johnson. All four partners have received accolades for their industry-leading accomplishments. Beth has repeatedly been named a Chambers Star Trial Lawyer and Brian was selected as one of Chambers’ “up and coming” trial lawyers. Kosta was named a Law360 Rising Star for Trials and to Benchmark Litigation’s 40 and Under Hot List. And Tamarra was recently selected as a Benchmark Future Star Litigator. “We are thrilled to again have four partners named to the Lawdragon 500 leading lawyers in America list,” said Rakesh Kilaru. “We pride ourselves on handling our clients’ most challenging cases from inception through verdict and beyond. We could not do that work without our bench of dynamic trial lawyers and …
Wilkinson Stekloff Featured as Law360 Sports and Betting Practice Group of the Year
December 16, 2020
Washington, D.C. – Law360 recently interviewed Partners Beth Wilkinson and Rakesh Kilaru in its feature highlighting Wilkinson Stekloff as a 2020 Sports and Betting Practice Group of the Year. Law360 singled out Wilkinson Stekloff as “an important player in sports law, successfully defending major sports leagues in litigation and conducting misconduct investigations in both football and tennis.” Law360 focused its recognition on Wilkinson Stekloff’s work representing the NFL in an antitrust dispute over the NFL Sunday Ticket product broadcast media rights, and the NCAA in multiple class actions over its rules regarding the compensation and benefits student-athletes can receive student-athlete image rights. In the interview, Beth told Law360, “We have spectacular people who really want to be trial lawyers. There’s very few firms where people actually try cases, especially the sports cases we do. Many of them are complicated and high-stakes antitrust cases and that’s why sports leagues and teams …
Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Rakesh Kilaru and Kieran Gostin Named to Benchmark Litigation “40 & Under Hot List”
July 30, 2020
WASHINGTON – Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Rakesh Kilaru and Kieran Gostin were named to the 2020 Benchmark Litigation “40 & Under Hot List.” Benchmark recognized them as leading and notable up-and-coming litigation partners in the United States. This marks the third consecutive year Rakesh has been recognized by Benchmark. Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson said, “Rakesh and Kieran continue to demonstrate what it means to be stellar attorneys and exemplary role models. I am proud to see their hard work and dedication to achieving the greatest result for their clients in the courtroom being honored and recognized. We are thrilled to have them as part of our team and look forward to their future accomplishments.” Benchmark recognized Rakesh for his involvement in a “wide range of antitrust, sports, product liability, commercial, class action, and appellate litigation,” including high-profile antitrust cases for the national Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the National Football League …