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 …
Appeals Court Upholds Major Antitrust Win for Wilkinson Stekloff Client Georgia Pacific
December 11, 2018
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 …
Wilkinson Stekloff Secures Another Trial Victory for Bayer in Xarelto Trial
August 30, 2018
Alexandra Walsh, co-founding partner of Wilkinson, Walsh + Eskovitz, Tamarra Matthews Johnson, and Rakesh Kilaru led the defense team to another victory. WASHINGTON – The Wilkinson Stekloff trial team, led by Founding Partner Alexandra Walsh and partners Tamarra Matthews Johnson and Rakesh Kilaru, won the third state-court bellwether trial over the blood- thinner Xarelto in the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas. This is the third win for Bayer in state court, and the sixth win overall, in the Xarelto litigation. The Plaintiff, Kevin Cooney, alleged that Bayer and Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals were liable for claims that the Xarelto label did not adequately warn or instruct doctors on the risks of bleeding associated with the anticoagulant medicine Xarelto. Walsh and Johnson served as lead trial counsel for Bayer, and Kilaru helped direct the legal strategy. A 12-member jury in Philadelphia returned a defense verdict after less than three …
Wilkinson Stekloff Partners Rakesh Kilaru, Kosta Stojilkovic Named to Benchmark Litigation’s “40 & Under Hot List”
July 3, 2018
WASHINGTON –Rakesh Kilaru and Kosta Stojilkovic have been recognized as leading litigation attorneys in Benchmark Litigation’s 2018 “40 & Under Hot List,” an annual ranking that “commemorates the most notable up-and-coming litigation attorneys in the United States” who “have established themselves in their respective fields and are set to enjoy bright futures.” “Kosta and Rakesh are true litigation superstars,” said Wilkinson Stekloff founding partner Sean Eskovitz. “They bring extraordinary intellects, judgment, and energy to all of their matters. Wilkinson Stekloff is committed to developing the next generation of great trial lawyers, and they are leading the way.” Kosta and Rakesh joined Wilkinson Stekloff from the federal government. Kosta was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, where he tried financial crime and public corruption cases. Rakesh served as a Special Assistant to the President and Associate Counsel in the Office of White House Counsel. Since joining Wilkinson …
Wilkinson Stekloff Secures Victory for NCAA in Defamation Suit by former USC Football Coach
May 21, 2018
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 …
CFPB Dismisses Enforcement Action Against Wilkinson Stekloff Tribal Client
January 26, 2018
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. …
Talented Litigator Rakesh Kilaru Elected To Wilkinson Stekloff Partnership
December 12, 2017
WASHINGTON – Wilkinson Stekloff today announced that Rakesh Kilaru has been elected to the partnership effective January 1, 2018. Since joining Wilkinson Stekloff, Rakesh has brought his considerable legal skills and strategic judgment to bear for many of Wilkinson Stekloff’s clients, including Georgia Pacific LLP, the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake, and the NCAA. Among many other matters, Rakesh played a key role in helping Georgia Pacific win summary judgment in August 2017 in an antitrust class action claiming over $10 billion in damages. Rakesh’s hiring and promotion continues Wilkinson Stekloff’s impressive expansion; in under two years, the firm has grown to nearly 40 lawyers and has quickly established itself as the leading boutique trial firm in the country. Rakesh is the firm’s 10th partner. “I couldn’t be more excited to join the supremely talented partnership at Wilkinson Stekloff,” said Mr. Kilaru. “It’s been thrilling to work alongside the best …
White House Associate Counsel Rakesh Kilaru Joins Wilkinson Stekloff
March 22, 2017
WASHINGTON – Wilkinson, Walsh + Eskovitz today announced that former Obama Administration official Rakesh Kilaru has joined the firm’s rapidly growing litigation practice. Rakesh served as a Special Assistant to the President and Associate Counsel in the Office of White House Counsel, where he provided legal advice to President Obama and senior administration officials focusing on healthcare, education, labor and employment, housing, and the Supreme Court. He also helped to develop and implement the government’s litigation strategy in cases arising under the Affordable Care Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act. “It’s an honor to be joining Wilkinson, Walsh + Eskovitz,” said Mr. Kilaru. “The firm has quickly become known for employing innovative and intelligent strategies to win high-profile, high-stakes trials, and I’m thrilled to work with such an impressive group of litigators.” Before joining the White House, Rakesh clerked for Justice Elena Kagan of the Supreme Court of the …