On Tuesday, a U.S. judge appointed two law firms, Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, as co-leaders of consumer claims against Facebook, hoping that they will put aside their differences and work together. U.S. District Judge James Donato in San Francisco made the appointments with “some reservations” as the firms have had a “rocky relationship.” The case involves a group of consumers who claim that Facebook exploited user data to maintain its market power, but the company denies the allegations.
Law firms often compete for sole or co-leadership roles in high-profile class actions, as such appointments by judges can help steer cases and earn firms more significant cuts in legal fees. Hagens Berman partner Shana Scarlett and Quinn Emanuel partner Kevin Teruya were appointed co-leaders to represent a prospective consumer class. Still, they did not immediately respond to messages seeking comments. Representatives for Quinn Emanuel and Facebook declined to comment, and a spokesperson for Hagens Berman did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
Recently, Scarlett had claimed that Quinn Emanuel did not respect her view as a leading antitrust attorney based on her gender in court filings. However, Quinn Emanuel denied the claim, saying it has “worked very hard to cooperate with all counsel on the case, including female counsel.”
Both firms had been appointed co-counsel in 2021 by a judge who has since been elevated to a U.S. appeals court. Donato started the appointment process in January amid quarreling between Seattle-based plaintiffs’ firm Hagens Berman and 900-lawyer Quinn Emanuel. The firms sought individual, sole appointments and not co-leadership.
Donato said in Tuesday’s order that the designation of co-leadership was interim and that “further reports of dysfunctionality or breakdowns in the working relationship” would likely result in the appointment of new counsel. The two firms are expected to set aside their differences and work together to ensure the case is handled correctly.
The appointment of the two law firms as co-leaders is an important development in the ongoing antitrust case against Facebook, which has been accused of exploiting user data to maintain its market power. The appointment process has been controversial, with the two law firms seeking individual, sole appointments and not co-leadership. It is hoped that the appointment of the two firms will allow the case to proceed smoothly and that the claims of the consumers will be adequately addressed. The interim nature of the appointment of the two firms as co-leaders means that there is still the possibility that new counsel will be appointed if the two firms cannot work together effectively.
REFERENCES:
Feuding law firms in Facebook antitrust case told to make peace