Firm

Federal Judge Upholds $24 Million Verdict in Landmark Disability Discrimination Lawsuit against Clinical Testing Firm

by

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS — A federal district court judge in Massachusetts has upheld a $24 million jury award for a former employee who sued her employer for retaliation and discrimination based on her social anxiety disorder. The employer, PPD Development, had requested the court to set aside or reduce the award, arguing that it was excessive and unsupported. However, U.S. District Judge Leo T. Sorokin rejected these requests and affirmed the jury’s verdict. In 2015, Lisa Menninger was hired as the executive director of the central labs at PPD, a clinical testing firm. She began working … Read more

Portuguese Fund Vallis Capital Partners Acquires Leading Document Management Firm Docout from EMC-B

by

MADRID, SPAIN – The EMC-B fund, managed by consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal, has announced the sale of technology consulting firm Docout to Portuguese fund Vallis Capital Partners. Docout is a leading company in the document management and business process outsourcing sector, with an annual turnover of approximately 20 million euros. Vallis Capital Partners, founded in 2010, is a venture capital fund based in Portugal with assets exceeding 200 million euros. The acquisition of Docout allows Vallis Capital Partners to expand its portfolio and strengthen its presence in the technology consulting industry. The deal was … Read more

Johnson & Johnson Seeks Removal of Leading Plaintiff Firm from Talc Cases Due to Previous Association with Its Former Lawyer

by

NEW YORK (AP) — Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is requesting the removal of a prominent plaintiff firm from talc cases due to its previous collaboration with the firm’s former lawyer. J&J argues that the firm’s involvement in these cases poses a conflict of interest. J&J has asked a federal judge in New York for the disqualification of Weitz & Luxenberg, a national plaintiff firm. According to court documents, J&J claims that Weitz & Luxenberg’s former attorney had previously worked for the company on talc-related matters. The attorney allegedly gained confidential and privileged information during his … Read more

Law Firm Leasing Surges in 2023, Signaling Potential Turnaround for Commercial Real Estate Market

by

NEW YORK — Office leases in New York City were disappointingly small in 2023, signaling a slowdown in the commercial real estate market. While some deals were larger than in the previous year, they still fell short of the record-breaking leases seen in 2019. However, the market made a surprising recovery towards the end of the year, with several significant leases signed in December. The largest lease of 2023 was signed by the white shoe law firm Paul Weiss, who took 765,000 square feet at Fisher Brothers’ 1345 Avenue of the Americas. This lease seemed … Read more