Bratz Maker Splits With O’Melveny, Investigates Fees
The maker of the popular Bratz doll—sort of a Barbie alternative with attitude—has hired a new law firm to represent it in an upcoming trial after a dispute with O’Melveny & Myers.
The underlying case involves claims by Barbie maker Mattel that the designer of the Bratz doll did his initial drawings while still employed at Mattel, the Wall Street Journal wrote in a 2006 article (sub. req.). Mattel also claims Bratz maker MGA Entertainment hired away some of its key employees who took confidential information with them.
Isaac Larian, CEO of MGA, told the Recorder that his dispute with O’Melveny centered on the law firm’s efforts to place its lawyer Daniel Petrocelli as lead counsel in the case. Larian wanted Patricia Glaser of Christensen, Glaser, Fink, Jacobs, Weil & Shapiro in that spot.
Now MGA has rejected both firms and hired Thomas Nolan of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom to handle the trial. “We decided to put it all under one roof,” Larian told the legal newspaper. And he has hired a lawyer to investigate the fees his company has already paid O’Melveny.
O’Melveny offered its own version of the events in a statement to the legal newspaper. “The grounds for application to withdraw include disagreements with us and the client that make it unreasonably difficult for us to continue serving as counsel and our client’s unwillingness to honor the fee agreement,” it said.
