Ex-Client Alleges Altered E-Mail, Seeks Womble Carlyle Sanctions
In the latest salvo in a contentious dispute by a former Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice client over the firm’s representation of an adverse party, the former client, Advanced Internet Technologies Inc., is accusing both the law firm and Dell Inc., of submitting altered e-mail evidence in a federal court case.
“Court documents recently filed by AIT allege that copies of e-mails submitted by Dell and its law firm, Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, have been altered,” reports the Triangle Business Journal today. “The filing cites misalignments in the e-mail’s headers, company names added to subject lines and the removal of confidentiality notices.”
The filing by the Internet hosting and e-commerce company reportedly seeks sanctions against the law firm and several individual attorneys.
AIT has been fighting the law firm’s plan to defend Dell in litigation between the two computer companies, and filed a motion in December seeking to disqualify Womble Carlyle, according to an earlier Triangle Business Journal article. AIT says that it consulted with Womble Carlyle in 2005 concerning a potential suit against Dell, and is also worried about being at a disadvantage in the litigation because of the firm’s knowledge of its business from other representations.
