SHERMAN – A squabble among former law partners has led a federal judge to allow Hecht Partners to withdraw from a class action brought against The Boeing Company.
The case, Damonie Earl et al v. Boeing, was filed under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and centers on ticket buyers claiming Southwest Airlines colluded with Boeing to mislead the public about the aerospace giant’s defective 737 Max Jets.
The discord between the attorneys representing the plaintiffs began when the firm originally representing them, Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht, crumbled back in April.
As previously reported, Creative Capital Funding, a lawsuit lender, filed a breach of contract suit against Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht in April. Virage, another lawsuit lender, intervened in the case.
Soon after, a power struggle between the former partners broke out over who was actually representing the class.
Court documents state Boeing described the struggle as an “internecine squabbling among law firms over basic questions of representation of a single client or client group and allegations of attorney misconduct.”
The newly formed Hecht Partners, a spin off firm founded by David Hecht, moved to withdraw or, in the alterative, compel cooperation.
On Oct. 30, U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant granted the motion to withdraw and denied the request to compel cooperation, court records show.
“Allowing HP (Hecht Partners) to withdraw does not mean they may not represent clients to this action in the future,” Mazzant wrote. “As they make clear in their Reply, HP moved for withdrawal out of concern that they may violate rules of professional responsibility by continuing as counsel in the suit.
“Regardless, whether the inter-counsel strife is a result of case-specific disagreement or general bad blood among former partners, granting HP’s withdrawal is the preferable form of relief requested at this point when considering the best interests of the class.”
Filed in the Eastern District of Texas. Case No. 4:19-cv-00507