Wilkinson Stekloff Celebrates Another Outstanding Year of High Stakes Trials and Accolades for the Next Generation of Trial Lawyers

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.

Wilkinson Stekloff Secures Victory in Pro Bono Employment Discrimination Case

Washington, D.C. — Wilkinson Stekloff associate Amelia Frenkel helped secure victory in a pro bono case challenging alleged employment discrimination by the U.S. State Department. Frenkel was appointed by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to argue on behalf of a pro se litigant who challenged employment decisions on disparate treatment and impact bases but had lost on summary judgment. On behalf of Richard Figueroa, a foreign service officer in the State Department who alleged employment discrimination in promotions, Frenkel and Wilkinson Stekloff partner James Rosenthal successfully argued that the United States District Court for the District of Columbia had misapplied the McDonnell Douglas framework, a three-step process to help employees make their cases for employment discrimination. After “thank[ing] Rosenthal and Frenkel for ably discharging their duties” in court, Circuit Judges Henderson and Wilkins and Senior Circuit Judge Edwards ordered that “the District Court …

Litigation Daily: “Killer Crosses: How Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Shredded Witnesses in $600M Save for Bayer”

After the Wilkinson Stekloff team, led by Sean Eskovitz, Alex Walsh, James Rosenthal, and Kieran Gostin, won a decisive victory for Bayer in a $600 million certified consumer class action lawsuit brought on behalf of One A Day multivitamin consumers, Litigation Daily‘s Jenna Greene wrote about how Eskovitz and Walsh were “so good” at the cross-examinations that “the Wilkinson Stekloff team called no defense witnesses. They annihilated the case on crosses alone”: If cross-examination is an art form, then Wilkinson Stekloff name partners Alexandra Walsh and Sean Eskovitz (pictured above) are masters. The duo led a trial team defending Bayer AG, which faced a $600 million certified consumer class action over its One A Day multivitamin. The plaintiffs alleged Bayer made false and misleading claims that One A Day supported heart health, immunity and physical energy. How good were the cross-examinations? So good that that the Wilkinson Stekloff team called no defense witnesses. They annihilated the case on …

Wilkinson Stekloff Secures Trial Win for Bayer in $600 Million One A Day Class Action

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Wilkinson Stekloff team, led by Sean Eskovitz, Alex Walsh, James Rosenthal, and Kieran Gostin, won a decisive victory for Bayer in a $600 million certified consumer class action lawsuit brought on behalf of One A Day multivitamin consumers.  Without calling any witnesses in the defense case, the team relied on devastating cross-examinations of plaintiffs’ expert and fact witnesses to convince the jury to reject plaintiffs’ claims that Bayer had misrepresented the health benefits of One A Day multivitamins.  The jury deliberated for just an hour before returning a complete defense verdict.  The class action suit, filed on behalf of purchasers of One A Day multivitamins in California, New York, and Florida, challenged as false and misleading Bayer’s claims that One A Day multivitamins support heart health, immunity, and physical energy. Plaintiffs originally sought over $4 billion in damages, which Wilkinson Stekloff successfully reduced to $600 million …

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 …

Wilkinson Stekloff Adds James Rosenthal as Partner

Rosenthal brings his extensive complex litigation experience and class-action expertise to top boutique trial firm WASHINGTON – Wilkinson Stekloff today announced the addition of James Rosenthal as a partner in its Washington, D.C. office. Rosenthal is an experienced class action litigator who has handled numerous complex and high-stakes matters, most recently as Vice President & Associate General Counsel at Altria Client Services. “While I was in house counsel, I had the opportunity to retain Wilkinson Stekloff lawyers to try class actions, and I was always impressed with their brilliant trial skills, creativity, and teamwork,” said Rosenthal. “In a very short period of time they have built a top-tier high stakes litigation boutique, and I am thrilled to join them in my return to private practice.” During his six years at Altria Client Services, James managed the class action litigation facing the Altria family of companies, including Philip Morris USA. During his tenure, Philip …