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 …
Wilkinson Stekloff Secures Victory for NCAA in Defamation Suit by former USC Football Coach
WASHINGTON – Wilkinson Stekloff, led by Partners Kosta Stojilkovic and Rakesh Kilaru, and Counsel Kori Bell, won a complete victory for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in a lawsuit brought by former University of Southern California (USC) assistant football coach Todd McNair. The jury concluded that the NCAA had not defamed McNair in a Committee on Infractions report issued in 2010. McNair filed this lawsuit seven years ago, shortly after the Committee on Infractions report was upheld by a separate appeals committee. Apart from many other findings against USC, the Committee found that McNair knew about the improper benefits that star running back Reggie Bush had received while at USC, and failed to provide truthful information about them. In his lawsuit, McNair alleged that the statements about him in the report were false and defamatory, and he sought over $27 million in damages for that claim. He also brought …