Law Firms
Judge Tosses Suit Claiming WilmerHale ‘Churned’ Case for Fees
Posted Jul 25, 2008, 09:15 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
A judge has tossed a lawsuit that had claimed WilmerHale “churned the representation” of the former chief financial officer of McAfee Inc. to inflate his legal fees.
U.S. District Judge Michael Schneider of Tyler, Texas, dismissed the suit yesterday, the Am Law Litigation Daily reports. He found the suit failed to state a legally valid claim and said three other grounds also justify the dismissal, the publication says.
The lawsuit filed earlier this year had alleged WilmerHale “intentionally overworked and churned the representation of [former CFO Prabhat] Goyal; shamelessly employing over 100 WilmerHale timekeepers in the feeding frenzy." Goyal's legal fees were $12 million.
The alternative grounds Schneider cited as justifying dismissal include: the matter isn't ripe, venue is improper and Goyal is an indispensable party, the Recorder reports.
Updated at 4:30 p.m. to add information from the Recorder.