Cahill steps down in Rutgers probe due to local counsel conflict, is replaced by Skadden
Last month, Cahill Gordon & Reindel was hired by Rutgers University to conduct an independent review of the school’s handling of the suspension and firing of former men’s basketball coach Mike Rice.
But on Friday, after discovering a conflict, Cahill stepped down from the representation and has been replaced by Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, according to the Record and the Star-Ledger.
The problem was that a New Jersey law firm, Connell Foley, which had served as local litigation counsel for Cahill had also performed an earlier investigation of Rice, the newspapers report.
“We discovered after the announcement of the engagement that the Connell Foley firm, which represented Cahill as local counsel in litigation in New Jersey, is the same firm that issued a report to Rutgers about the Coach Rice allegations,” said a Cahill spokeswoman in a Rutgers press release issued Wednesday.
Officials at Rutgers have previously said that they got bad advice from Connell Foley. There is no indication from the articles that the Connell firm’s prevous work for Cahill had anything to do with the earlier Rice matter.
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “New fallout for Rutgers over fired coach as ex-employee files whistleblower suit”
ABAJournal.com: “Free football tickets sweetened exit deal for general counsel pressured to resign in Rutgers scandal”
Legal Rebels: “Was Rutgers GC blamed for properly managing a process to the wrong outcome?”
