Judge Tosses Suit over Jurisdictional Problem and Chides Kirkland Lawyer
Just 48 hours after Kirkland & Ellis filed a lawsuit for a gaming client against talk show host Montel Williams, a Chicago judge tossed the action and chided the lawyer who filed it.
U.S. District Judge Milton Shadur said the suit was being dismissed because of jurisdictional precedent requiring knowledge of all the limited liability partners and the domiciles where they “intend return,” the National Law Journal reports.
“There is really no excuse for counsel’s lack of knowledge of such a firmly established principle after more than a full decade’s repetition by our Court of Appeals and others,” Shadur said in the Dec. 9 ruling.
If the case is refiled, Shadur said, Kirkland partner Barry Irwin and his client, Guardian Gaming Ltd., should pay $350—the cost of the filing fee, which is usually waived for an amended filing.
The suit claims Williams breached a contract to form a new poker league, the story says.