Orrick Wins Malpractice Suit Filed by Clothing Company Founder

A California jury has ruled for Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe in a $17 million malpractice suit brought by the founder of a clothing company who claimed she was misled into giving up control of the enterprise.

San Francisco jurors returned a verdict for Orrick and former partner William Hoisington after a six-week trial, report the National Law Journal and the Am Law Daily. The law firm was represented by Keker & Van Nest.

Plaintiff Fritzi Benesch, the founder of Fritzi California, had claimed Hoisington didn’t make it clear she was giving up control of her company to her daughter and son-in-law. The daughter, Valli Tandler, once worked at Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison, the NLJ story says. Benesch claimed the law firm had favored one set of clients—the Tandlers—over others.

"The jury got it right," Keker partner Elliot Peters said in a statement. "Unfortunately this case was little more than a bitter family dispute brought to court."