Feuding law firms in Facebook antitrust case told to make peace

A U.S. choose on Tuesday appointed two outstanding U.S. legislation companies as co-leaders of shopper claims towards Meta Platforms Inc’s Facebook, saying he hoped they might put apart their dispute over management of the antitrust case and work collectively.

In a courtroom order, U.S. District Judge James Donato in San Francisco appointed Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan with “some reservations” given the previous “rocky relationship” between the 2 legislation companies.

“It is the court’s expectation that the attorneys will treat this appointment as the start of a new day, and put behind them the conflicts that gave rise to these proceedings,” Donato wrote.

The case includes a gaggle of customers who contend Facebook exploited consumer knowledge to keep up its market energy. The firm has denied the claims.

Law companies routinely vie for sole or co-leadership roles in high-profile class actions, since such appointments by judges may help steer instances and earn companies larger cuts of authorized charges.

Hagens Berman accomplice Shana Scarlett and Quinn Emanuel accomplice Kevin Teruya, the 2 legal professionals appointed to symbolize a potential shopper class, didn’t instantly reply to messages looking for remark.

Representatives for Quinn Emanuel and Facebook declined to remark, and a spokesperson for Hagens Berman didn’t instantly reply to a message looking for remark. Scarlett in current courtroom filings mentioned Quinn Emanuel was not respecting her view as a number one antitrust legal professional primarily based on her gender.

Quinn Emanuel denied the declare, saying it has “worked very hard to be cooperative with all counsel on the case, including female counsel.”

Both companies had been appointed co-counsel in 2021 by a choose who has since been elevated to a U.S. appeals courtroom.

Donato began the appointment course of from scratch in January amid quarreling between Seattle-based plaintiffs’ agency Hagens Berman and 900-lawyer Quinn Emanuel.

The companies sought particular person, sole appointment and never co-leadership.

Donato mentioned in Tuesday’s order that the designation of co-leadership was interim and that “further reports of dysfunctionality or breakdowns in the work relationship” would possible end in designation of latest counsel.

The case is Klein v. Meta Platforms Inc, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, No. 5:20-cv-08570.

For shopper class: Shana Scarlett of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro; Kevin Teruya of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan

For Facebook: Sonal Mehta, David Gringer and Ari Holtzblatt of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr

Stay on high of expertise and startup news that issues. Subscribe to our every day publication for the most recent and must-read tech news, delivered straight to your inbox.