Posts on ‘February 2nd, 2009’

Todd Boulanger, a former associate of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, pleaded guilty to corruption charges Friday, admitting that he had handed out tens of thousands of dollars in illegal gifts to congressional staffers who in turn helped push his firm’s lobbying agenda. So far, 17 people have pleaded guilty in the course of the Abramoff investigation, which is still ongoing.

The law firm that filed the first lawsuit tied to the recent salmonella outbreak in certain brands of peanut butter has added claims for punitive damages in light of the Food and Drug Administration’s recent report concluding that the Peanut Corporation of America knowingly released a product that could have been contaminated. Bill Marler, a partner at Marler Clark, said the FDA report indicates willful intent. Since last fall, at least 43 states have reported illnesses, and eight people have died.

Bingham McCutchen lawyers are fighting for correspondence from the Young & Thompson law firm in a dispute on appeal that explores the scope of attorney-client privilege between a lawyer and a patent agent. Bingham lawyers argued that correspondence between Young & Thompson attorneys and Norway-based employees of ABC-Patent is not protected because none of ABC-Patent’s employees are registered with the PTO. Bingham lawyers also contend that ABC-Patent was not working under Young & Thompson’s direction.

A federal appeals court on Friday revived a securities fraud suit against Pfizer brought by investors who claim the company hid the truth about the outcome of a clinical study on possible side effects of Celebrex, an arthritis drug. In the suit, investors claim that Pharmacia — which has since been acquired by Pfizer — falsely trumpeted the data from the first six months of a study to claim that Celebrex had fewer gastrointestinal side effects than other arthritis drugs.

Shredding evidence cost Rambus its patent infringement case against memory chip maker Micron Technology last month. But it won’t hurt Rambus in a similar patent case against three other defendants, at least for now. A federal judge has tentatively denied motions for summary judgment from chip makers Hynix Semiconductor, Samsung and Nanya Technology — just another twist in the decade-long fight between Rambus, which holds computer memory patents, and companies like Hynix and Samsung, which make the chips.

African families’ damage claims for billions of dollars against Pfizer for allegedly secretly testing a new drug in a Nigerian hospital during a 1996 meningitis outbreak were revived Friday by a divided 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The ruling — notable partly for its numerous barbed comments — allows 88 Nigerian families to pursue claims under a law adopted in 1789 that gives foreigners the right to raise tort claims in federal court to vindicate violations of “the laws of nations.”

Fish & Richardson disclosed layoffs and departures of 49 lawyers and technology specialists — nonlawyers with scientific or technical expertise who work on patent matters — in the past three months. In a Jan. 30 written statement, the firm said that the legal staff members have left since November or are in the process of leaving the firm. The firm, which is known for intellectual property, litigation and corporate matters, said the departures and layoffs occurred at 10 of the firm’s 11 U.S. offices.

Even before President Barack Obama moved to close the infamous Guantanamo Bay lockup, several communities were engaged in a furious game of hot potato over who will inherit the prisoners. Now, members of Congress are tossing the spuds — at each other. The not-in-my-backyard stakes are high, and no wonder: Who wants to be the place that picked up where Guantanamo left off?

In a sign that lateral movement has become a matter of course among attorneys in private practice, the American Bar Association will consider competing amendments to its ethics rules governing firm-to-firm movement and conflicts of interest. The recommendation calling for the most significant change allows a law firm to “screen” an incoming attorney from the rest of its attorneys and to enable the firm to continue representing its client without the consent of the incoming attorney’s former client.