Firm News for our Business Litigation Attorneys

Spotswood Sansom & Sansbury represented local charities and a gaming company in a federal lawsuit involving various business torts allegedly committed by another gaming company, its majority shareholder, and a local official to prevent the plaintiffs from doing business in the locality. After a three-week trial, the jury returned a verdict in excess of $60 million, which ranked 38th out of the top 100 verdicts nationwide in 2012. Spotswood attorneys have the skills and expertise to see important cases through to trial when necessary.

In a case involving an issue of first impression in the Eleventh Circuit, Spotswood Sansom & Sansbury LLC assisted in removing a case to federal court following a prior, unsuccessful removal. Spotswood attorneys developed the argument for the second removal, which was based on the absence of any duty for a co-defendant to investigate the removability of the case. The district court agreed, upholding the second removal under the Class Action Fairness Act, and the Eleventh Circuit rejected the plaintiff’s request for an interlocutory appeal. Spotswood attorneys also successfully removed federal claims filed in a purported third-party complaint in state court. The firm represented a third-party defendant, and the removal required first removing the entire action and then severing and remanding the claims arising under state law. Spotswood Sansom & Sansbury has the experience and know-how to conceptualize and deploy original solutions to complex litigation problems.

In a case involving important preemption principles, Spotswood Sansom & Sansbury LLC represented the nationwide trade association of cargo air carriers as an amici curiae in the United States Supreme Court. The firm filed briefs on behalf of the association in support of a passenger airline, which argued that a customer’s claims based on revocation of his frequent flyer status were preempted by the Airline Deregulation Act. The Supreme Court ruled for the airline, firmly reiterating a prior preemption decision relied on by air and motor carriers. Its decision hinged on an argument that was made for the first time in the brief filed by Spotswood Sansom & Sansbury. The firm has helped develop a favorable legal landscape for its business clients at the highest levels of the profession.