BY ALM STAFF

Welcome to “Who Got the Work?℠,” a weekly column that highlights the law firms and lawyers around the country who are being brought in to handle key cases and close major deals for their clients.

Consumer Protection

Robert A. Muckenfuss of McGuireWoods and Meliah Bowers Jefferson of Wyche PA have entered appearances for Capital One Financial in a pending consumer class action. The suit, brought July 21 in South Carolina District Court by Richard A. Harpootlian P.A. and Tobias G. Ward Jr. P.A., accuses the defendants of underpaying claims of total loss of a vehicle. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge J. Michelle Childs, is 3:21-cv-02228, Gaillard v. Capital One Auto Finance et al. >>Read the complaint on Law.com Radar.

Ryan P. Phair and Jason J. Kim of Hunton Andrews Kurth have stepped in to defend Bath & Body Works in a pending class action over the retailer’s “Water” and “Hydrating” product lines. The case, filed July 21 in California Northern District Court by Gutride Safier, claims that the defendants falsely represented that the products contain cutting-edge moisturizing properties. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan Van Keulen, is 5:21-cv-05606, Perez et al v. Bath & Body Works, LLC et al. >>Read the complaint on Law.com Radar.

Crunch Fitness, the health club chain, has tapped Charles J. McHale Jr. of Golden Scaz Gagain to fight a pending class action over alleged breaches of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The case was filed July 20 in Florida Middle District Court by Sulaiman Law Group on behalf of former gym members who claim that they were subjected to harassing collection calls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton Jr., is 6:21-cv-01177, Pacheco v. Crunch Fitness. >>Read the complaint on Law.com Radar.

Corporate Transactions

Packable is going public via SPAC merger with Highland Transcend Partners I Corp. As a result of the merger, Packable will be listed on the NYSE with a pro forma enterprise value of approximately $1.6 billion. The transaction, announced Sept. 9, is expected to close by the end of the year. Packable is represented by a Cooley team including partners Nicolas Dumont, Sacha Ross and David Silverman. The SPAC is advised by Davis Polk & Wardwell. >> Read the press release on Law.com Radar.

888 Holdings, an online gaming operator, has agreed to acquire the international businesses to William Hill International for 2.2 billion pounds ($3.04 billion). Gibraltar-based 888 is advised by a Latham & Watkins team led by partner Edward Barnett. Counsel information for London-based William Hill was not immediately available.

Spectrum Brands Inc. has agreed to sell its hardware and home improvement division to Swedish company Assa Abloy AB for $4.3 billion. Spectrum, which is based in Madison, Wisconsin, was represented by a Baker McKenzie team led by partners Darcy Down and Alan Zoccolillo. Stockholm-based Assa was advised by Linklaters and Hogan Lovells. The Linklaters team was led by New York partner Peter Cohen-Millstein. >> Read the press release on Law.com Radar.

TopBuild Corp. has agreed to acquire Distribution International from Advent International for $1 billion. The transaction, announced Sept. 8, is expected to close by the end of 2021. Daytona Beach, Florida-based TopBuild is advised by a Jones Day team that includes partners Michael Solecki and Benjamin Stulberg. Distribution International and Advent are represented by Weil, Gotshal & Manges. >> Read the press release on Law.com Radar.

Apax Partners and Warburg Pincus have agreed to acquire T-Mobile Netherlands Holding B.V. from Deutsche Telekom AG and Tele2 AB for 5.1 billion euros ($6 billion). Simultaneously, Deutsche Telekom announced a partnership with SoftBank Group where Deutsche Telekom will re-invest $2.4 million from the sale to acquire approximately 20 million T-Mobile US shares from SoftBank. London-based Apax and Warburg were advised by Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett. Tokyo-based SoftBank was represented by Sullivan & Cromwell. Counsel information for Deutsche Telekom and Tele2AB was not immediately available. >> Read the press releases on Law.com Radar.

Intellectual Property

Owen H. Smith and Robert E. Shapiro of Barack Ferrazzano Kirschbaum & Nagelberg have stepped in to represent Off-White LLC, Saks Fifth Avenue and Farfetch.com in a pending trademark lawsuit. The action was filed Aug. 20 in New York Southern District Court by Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr on behalf of streetwear fashion brand Walker Wear LLC. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil, is 1:21-cv-07073, Walker Wear LLC v. Off-White LLC et al. >>Read the complaint on Law.com Radar.

James E. Cecchi of Carella Byrne Cecchi Olstein Brody & Agnello has entered an appearance for DraftKings, a daily fantasy sports and sports betting site, in a pending patent lawsuit. The case was filed Aug. 19 in New Jersey District Court by Cruser, Mitchell & Sanchez on behalf of AG 18 LLC. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty, is 2:21-cv-15737, AG 18, LLC v. Draftkings Inc. >>Read the complaint on Law.com Radar.

Kirkland & Ellis partners Stefan H. Atkinson and Sandra C. Goldstein have stepped in as defense counsel to Constellation Brands in a trademark fight against Cerveceria Modelo de Mexico, the Mexican arm of Anheuser-Busch InBev. The lawsuit, filed Aug. 31 in New York Southern District Court by Sullivan & Cromwell, centers on the marketing of two Modelo brand beers in the U.S. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, is 1:21-cv-07316, Cerveceria Modelo de Mexico, S. de R.L. de C.V. v. CB Brand Strategies, LLC et al. >>Read the complaint on Law.com Radar.

Kevin G. McBride of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld has entered an appearance for Kingston Technology Co. Inc. in a pending patent lawsuit. The action, which concerns random access memory integrated circuits, was filed July 19 in California Central District Court by Insight PLC and Ni, Wang & Massand on behalf of InnoMemory LLC. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Staton, is 8:21-cv-01226, InnoMemory LLC v. Kingston Technology Co. Inc. >>Read the complaint on Law.com Radar.

Perkins Coie partner Ryan McBrayer has stepped in to represent Corning Optical Communications in a pending patent lawsuit related to high density fiber optic equipment. The suit, which seeks declaratory judgment of invalidity and non-infringement, was filed Aug. 17 in Washington Western District Court by Morrison & Foerster and Calfo Eakes LLP on behalf of Leviton Manufacturing Co. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge S. Kate Vaughan, is 2:21-cv-01102, Leviton Manufacturing Co Inc v Corning Optical Communications Inc. >>Read the complaint on Law.com Radar.

Labor & Employment

Lindsay Dennis Swiger and M. Megan Coughlin of Jackson Lewis have entered appearances for wound-care provider Healogics Inc. in a pending employment lawsuit. The complaint was filed July 23 in Florida Middle District Court by Morgan & Morgan on behalf of Michelle Robbins, a former executive who alleges that she was unlawfully terminated after reporting compliance concerns. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis, is 3:21-cv-00731, Robbins v. Healogics, Inc. et al. >> Read the complaint on Law.com Radar.

Mark E. Chopko and Walter J. Buzzetta of Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young have stepped in to defend the Archdiocese for the Military Services and Archbishop Timothy Broglio in a pending employment lawsuit. The action was filed July 21 in District of Columbia District Court by The Igwe Firm on behalf of Azuka Iwuchukwu, who contends that he was unfairly removed as chaplain for the Delaware Department of Veterans Affairs based on an allegation of inappropriate conduct. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss, is 1:21-cv-01980, Iwuchukwu v. Archdiocese For The Military Services et al. >> Read the complaint on Law.com Radar.

Fox Rothschild partner Catherine T. Barbieri and associate Andrew S. Esler have stepped in to defend law firm Weber Gallagher Simpson Stapleton Fires & Newby in a pending lawsuit over alleged aged-based employment discrimination and retaliation. The suit was filed July 2 in Pennsylvania Eastern District Court by Console Mattiacci Law on behalf of Ellen Ragone. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge John R Padova, is 2:21-cv-02962, Ragone v. Weber Gallagher Simpson Stapleton Fires & Newby, LLP et al. >> Read the complaint on Law.com Radar.

Mass Torts and Multidistrict Litigation

As Law.com’s Amanda Bronstad reported this week, the first trials since 2019 over Janssen Pharmaceuticals’ antipsychotic drug Risperdal are set to begin on Sept. 13 in Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas and Oct. 1 in the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court in St. Louis, Missouri. The last Risperdal trial led to an $8 billion verdict (later reduced to $6.8 million) in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, but the COVID-19 pandemic sidelined additional trials. Lead attorneys in the Philadelphia case are Stephen Sheller (Sheller PC), Tom Kline (Kline & Specter) and Jason Itkin (Arnold & Itkin) for the plaintiff, and David Abernethy (Faegre Drinker) for Janssen, which is part of Johnson & Johnson.