WASHINGTON –Wilkinson Stekloff enters its fifth year having cemented its status as the premier trial litigation boutique in the country. 2019 featured three high-stakes, high-pressure trials, in which different partners served as lead trial counsel and eight partners in total had stand-up roles. The firm continued to receive accolades for its successes in delivering results to its clients while deepening its diverse bench of go-to litigators.
Appeals Court Upholds Major Antitrust Win for Wilkinson Stekloff Client Georgia Pacific
WASHINGTON,D.C. — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit unanimously upheld a major trial court win for Wilkinson Stekloff client Georgia Pacific, affirming the dismissal of a high stakes antitrust class action lawsuit involving over $10 billion in claimed damages. Georgia Pacific hired Wilkinson Stekloff to handle all aspects of summary judgment briefing and trial after the trial court certified Plaintiffs’ proposed class. The Wilkinson Stekloff team, led by Beth Wilkinson, Alexandra Walsh, Brant Bishop, and Rakesh Kilaru, developed an evidentiary record focused on the absence of any evidence against Georgia Pacific, and filed independent briefs challenging Plaintiffs’ expert witnesses and seeking summary judgment. In June 2017, the court issued a Daubert opinion that imposed key limits on the testimony Plaintiffs’ witnesses could offer at trial, adopting several of Wilkinson Stekloff’s arguments. On August 3, 2017, Wilkinson Stekloff won summary judgment for Georgia Pacific. The court’s decision came …
Three Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Named “Top Women in Litigation” by Benchmark
WASHINGTON – Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Beth Wilkinson, Alexandra Walsh, and Lori Alvino McGill were ranked among Benchmark Litigation’s “Top 250 Women in Litigation,” all of whom “share the distinction of being recognized as top players in their respective fields.” Founding Partner Beth Wilkinson was also named among the “Top 10 Female Litigators” in the country. Benchmark’s “Top 250 Women in Litigation” rankings recognize women who “have earned their place amongst the leading female litigators by participating in some of the most impactful litigation matters in recent history as well as by earning the hard-won respect of their peers and clients.” “Benchmark’s recognition of Beth, Alex, and Lori as leaders in our field is a great honor, reflecting the firm’s strong female leadership in a male-dominated industry,” said Wilkinson Stekloff Managing Partner Brant Bishop. “We’re proud to call Beth, Alex, and Lori our partners, and feel strongly that our firm’s diversity …
CFPB Dismisses Enforcement Action Against Wilkinson Stekloff Tribal Client
WASHINGTON – On January 18, 2018, the CFPB announced the dismissal of a lawsuit brought against the economic development arms of the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake, a sovereign Indian Nation based in California. The Tribe had retained Wilkinson Stekloff in February 2017, shortly after the Tribe was first contacted by the CFPB, to serve as lead counsel in the event the Bureau decided to bring an enforcement action against its economic development arms, which provide loans over the internet to customers throughout the country who freely consent to tribal jurisdiction as a condition of obtaining their loans. In April 2017, the CFPB sued the tribal arms in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, claiming that the loans they originate violate federal law and regulations because they allegedly violate the laws of several different states. Wilkinson Stekloff’s team moved to transfer the case to the U.S. …
Wilkinson Stekloff Wins Two High Stakes Antitrust Cases in Two Months for Georgia-Pacific and the NFL
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Wilkinson Stekloff has won two major antitrust cases before trial for Georgia Pacific LLC and the National Football League. On August 3, Wilkinson Stekloff won summary judgment for Georgia Pacific LLC in an antitrust class action lawsuit involving over $10 billion in claimed damages. The court’s decision came just one day after it preliminarily approved a settlement in which Georgia Pacific’s co-defendants agreed to pay over $350 million. Plaintiffs in this case were direct purchasers of containerboard products who claimed that Georgia Pacific and several other major containerboard producers conspired to restrict the supply of containerboard, and thus increase its price, between 2004 and 2010. After the district court certified Plaintiffs’ proposed class, Georgia Pacific hired Wilkinson Stekloff to handle all aspects of summary judgment briefing and trial. The Wilkinson Stekloff team, led by Beth Wilkinson, Alexandra Walsh, and Brant Bishop, developed an evidentiary record focused on …