Patterson Belknap, Stradley Ronon Must Remain on Ex-GC's Case
A Manhattan judge has refused to allow two law firms to withdraw from defending the former general counsel of Oppenheimer & Co. in a sex harassment case.
Judge Judith Gische ruled that the company’s former general counsel had raised legitimate concerns that the withdrawal just days before trial would make it more difficult to defend himself, the New York Law Journal reports. Seeking to withdraw were lead counsel Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young and local counsel Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler.
The firms represented both Oppenheimer and the general counsel, and Oppenheimer had paid the GC’s legal fees. The two firms sought to withdraw after Oppenheimer settled with the plaintiff, a former paralegal, but the general counsel did not reach an agreement, the story says.
Stradley Ronon maintained in a brief that continued representation of the GC represented a conflict of interest because its defense could be at odds with Oppenheimer’s interests, the story reports. Both Stradley Ronon and Patterson Belknap claimed their relationship with the GC had suffered; Stradley Ronon called it “nothing short of dysfunctional.”
Gische noted in her Nov. 20 opinion, Alter v. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., that a letter of joint representation provided that in the event of a conflict, Patterson Belknap could continue to represent the former general counsel. She also said Oppenheimer is no longer a party to the litigation “and has no role to play at trial other than to have its people testify truthfully as to relevant facts.”
Last updated March 3, 2017 to add a case citation.
