Predators think their law degrees give them a license to steal; they should be charged under the Hobbs Act. Now, look at this---the parasites screwed up here:
Law firm discovers it sued own client in Pokemon case
By Don Bauder
STAFF WRITER
September 24, 1999
San Diego law firm Milberg Weiss won't be suing the distributors of Pokemon after all. As it turns out, the firm discovered yesterday that one of the companies it accused of being involved in an illegal gambling enterprise was its own client.
One week ago, the aggressive San Diego firm, officially known as Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach LLP, charged Nintendo of America and Wizards of the Coast, along with 4Kids Entertainment, with promoting illegal gambling in their distribution of the popular children's cards called Pokemon.
Yesterday, the firm belatedly realized that it is corporate counsel to New York-based 4Kids Entertainment. Therefore, Milberg Weiss has withdrawn as lead plaintiff in the case, and also will not defend the lawsuit as corporate counsel for the defendant it represents. The firm's other co-managing partner is San Diego-based William Lerach.
The suit will be pursued by three other firms -- one in New Jersey, one in Los Angeles and one in San Diego.
Large law firms have elaborate systems, often computerized, for spotting potential conflicts of interest. Before taking on a new client, firms typically check to see if they are already working for or against that client. If the new case would conflict with the long-running representation, something is worked out.
"We have been prosecuting these alleged (Pokemon-related) gambling activities for the last several years," Weiss said. "When this matter came in as a potential additional case, apparently the conflicts check by the litigators did not pick up that the corporate side was representing 4Kids."
Milberg Weiss attorneys earlier explained that Pokemon qualifies as a gambling enterprise because of three elements: Kids must "pay to play" by purchasing packets of the cards; they can "win" rare prize cards, intrinsically more valuable than other cards; and there is an element of chance because the higher value cards are inserted randomly into Pokemon packets.
Milberg Weiss, the nation's largest class-action law firm, is best known for suing companies over ethics matters -- typically, charging that insiders dumped shares while concealing bad corporate news.
Don Bauder is a senior business columnist. Union-Tribune library researcher Erin Hobbs contributed to this report.
Copyright 1999 Union-Tribune Publishing Co.
EXCERPT. REST HERE:
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Trial lawyers and their buddies, the rats in congress and state legislature set up the conditions for these bad lawsuits.