Trial Begins Over Morgan Lewis’ Advice to Client

A lawyer for a former corporate client suing Morgan, Lewis & Bockius said in opening arguments Friday that the law firm gave bad advice about doing business in Cuba.

Lawyer Marc Kasowitz told Philadelphia jurors that the law firm advised Purolite Corp. that its subsidiaries’ sales to Cuba were allowed because there was no U.S. involvement, Bloomberg reports. The founders of the company, which makes resins for water purifiers, were convicted of making illegal trades to the country, although the verdict was overturned on appeal.

A lawyer for Morgan Lewis, William O'Brien, said the law firm advised Purolite against selling to Cuba, but the company ignored the advice.

The suit is based on a breach of contract claim, Legal Blog Watch reports. Claims for malpractice and breach of fiduciary duties were dismissed on statute of limitations grounds.