Source: http://www.tdrlawfirm.com/news/P10
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 03:14:02+00:00

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Chicago-based litigation boutique Tabet DiVito & Rothstein LLC has been named a top-tier firm in the 2018 edition of U.S. News & World Report - Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms,” the premier guide to law firms in the United States.
Tabet DiVito & Rothstein (TDR) again received a Tier 2 designation in the categories of Litigation-Patent and Patent Law for the Chicago metropolitan area; it was ranked in Tier 3 in the category of Litigation-Patent nationally.
To be eligible for a “Best Law Firms” designation, a firm must have at least one lawyer listed in the current edition of The Best Lawyers in America, an annual publication that identifies the top four percent of attorneys in the United States.
TDR partner and intellectual property litigator Meredith Martin “Mimi” Addy has been named to Best Lawyers every year since 2007. She is recognized in the 2018 edition for her work in patent law and patent litigation.
Addy joined TDR in May 2016, and leads the firm’s growing intellectual property litigation practice group of 12 attorneys in representing clients with cutting-edge technologies in IP matters not typically handled by general practice firms. The team has built a national reputation due to its success in patent litigation and appeals at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, in the trial courts, and on certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The U.S. News - Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes feedback from clients and peer attorneys addressing expertise, responsiveness, cost-effectiveness, civility, integrity, and whether they would refer a client to the firm. Law firms provide additional information as part of the formal submission process.
More information about the 2018 “Best Law Firms” rankings is at http://bestlawfirms.usnews.com/.
On October 4, 2017, the Chicago Chapter of the Federal Bar Assocition installed two TDR Partners as members of its management team.
TDR partner and co-founder Michael Rothstein was installed as President Elect. He will assume the office of Chicago Chapter President in the fall of 2018. Mr. Rothstein previously held the positions of Vice President and Treasurer in the organization.
TDR Partner Tim Hudson was installed as an elected member of the Chapter's Board of Directors. Mr. Hudson will serve a three-year term.
The Honorable Ruben Castillo, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, swore in Mr. Rothstein, Mr. Hudson, and their fellow officers and board members at a luncheon at the Union League Club of Chicago attended by almost 400 federal judges and lawyers. Political analyst David Axelrod gave the keynote address.
On August 11, 2017, the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois granted our client’s motion to dismiss a putative class action brought on behalf of potential class members under the Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA) and the Electronic Funds Transfer Act (EFTA). Reid, et al. v. Commonwealth Equity Group, LLC d/b/a Key Credit Repair, 17-cv-3042 (ILCD, August 11, 2017).
Plaintiff entered into an agreement with a company for the purpose of improving his credit profile. Plaintiff alleged that the credit repair organization charged fees for services before they were fully performed, misleadingly guaranteed that plaintiff’s credit score would improve if plaintiff followed the company’s advice, and required plaintiff to waive his rights under the EFTA to cancel preauthorized electronic fund transfers.
In a 21-page opinion, the Federal District Court found that plaintiff failed to state claims under the CROA and the EFTA. The Federal District Court held that plaintiff failed to allege that he was charged for any services that had not been performed, and that plaintiff had not alleged a plausible claim that the statement that the company guaranteed to improve his credit score if he followed the company’s advice was misleading or untrue. The Federal District Court also held that the parties’ Service Agreement contradicted plaintiff’s alleged EFTA claim because the written agreement addressed only cancellation of the Service Agreement, but said nothing about plaintiff’s right to stop electronic payments.
TDR lawyers Tim Hudson and Jordan Wilkow secured this important opinion.
After a three week jury trial in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, TDR partners Christopher Liguori and Timothy Hudson and TDR associate Katherine O’Brien won a defense verdict for clients Hospira Worldwide, Inc. and Hospira, Inc. in a breach of contract dispute brought by GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, S.A.
The lawsuit began in 2013 when GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, S.A. sued Hospira in the Southern District of New York, alleging that Hospira breached a contract to manufacture flu vaccine syringes. TDR successfully moved to transfer the case to the Northern District of Illinois, and Hospira subsequently filed a counterclaim against GSK.
After over two weeks of testimony from numerous witnesses, including four expert witnesses, GSK asked the jury to award it $23.9 million in damages.
The jury deliberated for two days and returned a verdict that found that GSK – not Hospira – breached the parties’ agreement. The jury found in favor of Hospira on GSK’s breach of contract claim, in favor of Hospira on its claims for breach of contract and quantum meruit, and in favor of Hospira on the key issue in the case – the scope of the contract. In addition, the jury awarded Hospira the full amount of the $1.35 million of damages it sought.
The case is captioned GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, S.A. v. Hospira Worldwide, Inc. and Hospira, Inc., No. 13-cv-04336 (N.D. Ill.). TDR partner John Fitzgerald and TDR associate Amanda Catalano also represented Hospira in this action.
On April 21, 2017, the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois granted our clients’ motion to dismiss a putative class action brought on behalf of hundreds of potential class members under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the IRS Code, the Truth in Leasing Act and various Illinois and Indiana statutes. Derolf et al. v. Risinger Bros. Transfer, Inc., et al., 16-cv-1298 (ILCD, April 21, 2017).
Plaintiffs were former owner-operators who provided driving services for a motor carrier headquartered in Morton, Illinois, pursuant to Independent Contractor Operating Agreements. Plaintiffs alleged that they were improperly classified as independent contractors and that they should have been considered “employees” under the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Internal Revenue Code. Plaintiffs also alleged that the lease provisions of their Operating Agreements violated federal Truth in Leasing Act regulations.
The Federal District Court found that plaintiffs were independent contractors as a matter of law under the terms of the Operating Agreements. Accordingly, the Court dismissed plaintiffs’ FLSA claims. The Court also dismissed plaintiffs’ claims under the Internal Revenue Code, holding that a private right of action existed only when the Form 1099 fraudulently represented the amount paid to the taxpayer. Finally, the Court considered the vehicle lease and found no actionable claim under the TILA regulations. The Court noted that none of the alleged violations caused any actual damage to plaintiffs.
Given the widespread use of the owner-operator business model, misclassification claims are rising in the trucking industry, this case will have significant ramifications for similar businesses around the country.
TDR lawyers Caesar Tabet, Daniel Stanner, Amanda Catalano, and Kelly O’Neill secured this important opinion.
TDR partners Meredith Martin Addy and Daniel Konieczny and TDR associate Ashley Crettol Insalaco, members of TDR’s patent litigation and Federal Circuit practice, won an impressive victory before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The court reversed an adverse lower court decision in Thales Visionix, Inc. v. United States and Elbit Systems of America, 2015-5150 (Fed. Cir. 2017). TDR represented Thales Visionix, the patent holder. Thales Visionix’s patent relates to relative navigation tracking used on the pilot helmets designed for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
The Court of Federal Claims had dismissed Thales Visionix's patent infringement litigation, ruling on the pleadings that Thales Visionix’s patent did not cover patent eligible subject matter as defined in 35 U.S.C. § 101. The Federal Circuit reversed, applying a two-step test set out by the Supreme Court in Alice Corp. Int’l. v. CLS Bank Int’l, 134 S.Ct. 2437 (2014). Thales Visionix’s case is noteworthy because it is one of only 7 cases, out of close to 100, upholding patent eligibility since the Supreme Court’s decision in Alice in 2014.
TDR partner Meredith Martin Addy and associates Ashley Crettol Insalaco and Kelly O’Neil filed an amicus brief at the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) in TC Heartland LLC v. Kraft Foods Group Brands LLC, U.S., No. 16-341 (2017).
The American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) brief argues that the Federal Circuit correctly interpreted the general venue statute at 28 U.S.C. 1391(b) as providing a definition of "resides" applicable to the patent venue statute at 28 U.S.C. 1400(b). Although the Supreme Court in 1957 held the two statutes worked independently, Congress changed the law in 1988 by adding to the general venue statute "for purposes of venue under this chapter." And, Congress rewrote section 1391(b) in 2011 to provide a definition of "resides" specifically applicable "for all venue purposes."
The Supreme Court will hold argument in Heartland on May 27, 2017.
The TDR attorneys who filed this brief are part of TDR's patent litigation and appellate practice areas.

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