Maximus Dismissal Affirmed by Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals

WASHINGTON — The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit unanimously upheld a major victory for Wilkinson Stekloff client MAXIMUS Inc., affirming the dismissal of a securities fraud class action case at the motion to dismiss stage, before any discovery was taken.  Just 38 days after Wilkinson Stekloff’s Brant Bishop argued the case in the Fourth Circuit, the Court issued a two-page opinion stating that, after “having carefully considered the record and the briefs and arguments of the parties, we find ourselves in agreement with the district court that the complaint fails to allege a material misrepresentation.” The opinion was joined by Circuit Judges Motz, King, and Thacker. In August 2017, MAXIMUS was sued under sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, based on allegations that the company, along with several members of its executive team, had over the course of several months made …

Wilkinson Stekloff Again Named “Boutique Firm of the Year” by Benchmark

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Benchmark Litigation again named Wilkinson Stekloff the “Boutique Firm of the Year” during its annual awards ceremony in New York City — the second time in three years that Wilkinson Stekloff has received the recognition. This prestigious award recognizes Wilkinson Stekloff’s high-profile trial wins over the last year, including a defense verdict for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in McNair v. NCAA and multiple state-court bellwether trial victories for Bayer in trials involving the blood-thinner Xarelto. Wilkinson Stekloff also achieved several other pre- and post-trial victories in 2018, including judgment granted as a matter of law to Wilkinson Stekloff’s clients Oculus and Facebook on plaintiffs’ false designation claim in Zenimax Media et al. v. Oculus VR and complete dismissal, before any discovery, of a securities fraud class action case in In re MAXIMUS, Inc. Securities Litig. “We are deeply appreciative of Benchmark’s recognition of our firm for …

Wilkinson Stekloff Celebrates Banner Year of High Stakes Trial Wins By Next Generation Of Trial Lawyers

WASHINGTON – Wilkinson Stekloff is racing into its fourth year after notching a series of high-profile victories, led by a large and diverse group of partners. In 2018, all of Wilkinson Stekloff’s partners participated in trials and case-dispositive hearings, and several other attorneys achieved significant on-their-feet experience, including through pro bono cases. The firm earned repeated recognition for the depth and successes of its bench and added a new crop of talented litigators to its roster. Wilkinson Stekloff won three trials in 2018, each of which was first-chaired by a different partner: On April 27, 2018, Wilkinson Stekloff, led by Brian Stekloff, Jeremy Barber, and Lori McGill, won a unanimous defense verdict for Bayer and Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals in Russell v. Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the second state-court Xarelto bellwether trial in the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas. On May 21, 2018, Wilkinson Stekloff, led by Kosta Stojilkovic …