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Miller Canfield and Law Firm of David Mendelson Lead Valassis $300 Million Victory in News America Lawsuit
The law firm of Miller Canfield and the Law Offices of David Mendelson achieved an important victory for Valassis, one of the nation’s leading media and marketing services companies, against News America Marketing (NAM), a part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. Today a jury awarded $300 million to Valassis for compensatory damages. Miller Canfield’s experienced team of litigators was led by Gregory L. Curtner and Michael Palizzi.
The case began in 2006 and was split into three cases at NAM’s request. In the trial, held in Michigan's Wayne County Circuit Court before the Honorable Michael F. Sapala, Valassis claimed unfair competition and tortious interference by NAM. The jury's verdict found NAM liable for both counts.
"We are pleased with the jury's verdict, and we look forward to moving ahead with the other cases, including the antitrust case in the Eastern District of Michigan where any compensatory damages will be trebled," said Gregory L. Curtner. "I am proud of our entire team including David S. Mendelson, Michael Palizzi, Kimberly L. Scott, Robert J. Wierenga, Carl H. von Ende, Suzanne L. Wahl, Marcy L. Rosen, Julie Kosevec and Henry Baskin. The team also included Anthony Rusciano of Plunkett & Cooney."
The lawyers were supported by Eric V. McLand, Laura A. Misisian, James M. Angyan, Daniel C. Banda, Jill L. Jonas, Jamie L. Colunga, Amanda D. Misisian, Ryan T. Sanderson, Theresa Kaiser and Denise S. Chapman. Technical support was provided by James Herrity of Esquire.
Valassis has additional lawsuits pending against NAM in the United States District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, asserting violations of the Sherman Act, and in the Supreme Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles raising claims under California's Cartwright, Unfair Competition and Unfair Practices Acts. The Eastern District of Michigan case and the California case are currently not scheduled for trial, however, Valassis intends to aggressively pursue both remaining claims.
The law firm of Miller Canfield offers businesses, governments, nonprofits, individuals and families a broad array of integrated legal and business services in over 55 areas. With Michigan roots for 157 years and a global reach for two decades, the firm has more than 370 lawyers throughout offices in Michigan, Illinois, Florida, New York, Canada, Mexico, Poland and China.