Experience
Case Types
Dr. Ellen Leggett has assisted clients in all major areas of litigation, including the Alien Torts Act, antitrust, contracts, defamation, environmental, employment, intellectual property, lender liability, product liability, securities fraud, theft of trade secrets, wrongful death, professional negligence (accounting, legal, actuarial), and white collar crime.
Venues
Clients tell Dr. Leggett that LJR is different from other trial consulting firms because of the depth of her case experience and case understanding, her ability to design thorough and useful research, and her adept partnering with the trial team to apply research findings to trial preparation. How does she accomplish this?
Representative Cases
Dr. Leggett and LJR have been fortunate to work with many outstanding trial teams providing research and trial strategy assistance. The following are just some of her notable successful collaborations.
LARRY BOWOTO, ET AL. V. CHEVRON CORPORATION, ET AL. (SAN FRANCISCO, CA)
After a one-month trial and two days of deliberations, jurors unanimously found Chevron not liable on any count in a human rights case that sought to hold Chevron Corporation responsible for military attacks against Nigerian pirates who had taken over an oil platform and held the crew hostage. The Plaintiffs’ counsel invoked the Alien Torts Statute from 1789, which allows foreigners to sue in the United States, seeking billions of dollars in damages on behalf of the Nigerian villagers and their families. The Daily Journal named this the Top Defense Verdict of 2008. Dr. Ellen Leggett proudly worked on behalf of defendant Chevron Corporation, represented by Jones Day (San Francisco).
ALAKAYAK, ET AL. V. ALL ALASKAN SEAFOOD, ET AL. (ANCHORAGE, AK)
After a four-month trial, which was the largest civil trial experienced in Anchorage in years, jurors unanimously vindicated salmon processors and Japanese seafood importers in an antitrust case brought by 4,500 Bristol Bay commercial fishermen alleging price fixing and unfair competition. Deliberations lasted only five hours. The Plaintiffs sought damages in excess of $1 billion. Dr. Ellen Leggett was honored to work on behalf of five Japanese importers represented by the law firms of Kelley, Drye & Warren LLP (NY); Dorsey & Whitney LLP (Seattle); Perkins Coie LLP (Seattle); Gordon Thomas, Honeywell, Malanca, Peterson & Daheim (Seattle); Summit Law Group (Seattle); and local Anchorage counsel led by Patton Boggs.
CORAM HEALTHCARE V. PRICE WATERHOUSE (CHICAGO, IL)
After a three-week trial, jurors unanimously rejected a $300 million accounting liability claim brought against PricewaterhouseCoopers by Coram Healthcare. The bankruptcy trustee for the home healthcare provider sought damages on the grounds that the auditors missed a major overstatement in the company's assets, which led to a disputed sales transaction with Coram. The verdict came just a few hours after closing arguments. Dr. Ellen Leggett was proud to assist PricewaterhouseCoopers and its counsel at Kirkland & Ellis (Chicago).
BOURNS INC. V. RAYCHEM CORPORATION (LOS ANGELES, CA)
After an eight-week trial, a Los Angeles Federal Jury unanimously awarded Bourns Inc. $64 million ($192 million trebled) in an antitrust and patent fraud case regarding PPTC resettable fuse technology. The jury found that four Raychem patents were procured by intentional fraud on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and that Raychem maintained monopoly power in the market through wrongfully enforcing or threatening to enforce these patents against Bourns. This conduct was found to have prohibited Bourns’ entry into the PPTC market. Dr. Ellen Leggett proudly worked on behalf of Bourns and its counsel at O’Melveny and Meyers (LA).
BHE GROUP INC. AND GBM INTERNATIONAL INC. V. MTS PRODUCTS, BEN HSIA, AND POLI HSU (LOS ANGELES, CA)
After a two-month trial and nine days of deliberations, a Los Angeles Superior Court jury awarded $46 million to BHE Group Inc. and GBM International. The plaintiffs, U.S. subsidiaries of a Hong Kong company, sued for breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty against MTS Products after a joint venture to manufacture and sell millions of dollars in low-cost computers to Wal-Mart dissolved amid allegations of nonpayment of funds and disputes about product quality. Dr. Ellen Leggett proudly worked on behalf of plaintiffs, represented by counsel at Miller Barondess (LA).
MCCONNEL V. HUNT SPORTS ENTERPRISES (COLUMBUS, OH)
After a highly watched trial, a Columbus court rejected Lamar Hunt’s bid to assert breach of fiduciary duty claims against local businessman John McConnell. Hunt, the owner of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs and MLS’s Columbus Crew, had formed an LLC with McConnell and local investors in an effort to bring an NHL team to Columbus. Following disagreements with Hunt over financing for an arena, McConnell accepted Nationwide’s offer to lease the team a new arena. Hunt’s efforts to block the NHL from granting the franchise to McConnell were effectively ended when the judge issued a directed verdict for plaintiffs, and McConnell became the sole owner of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Dr. Ellen Leggett was proud to work on behalf of Mr. McConnell and Columbus counsel Zeiger & Carpenter in this oft-cited LLC contract case.
MENTOR GRAPHICS V. QUICKTURN DESIGN SYSTEMS AND CADENCE DESIGN SYSTEMS, INC. (SAN FRANCISCO, CA) and QUICKTURN DESIGN SYSTEMS V. MENTOR GRAPHICS (PORTLAND, OR)
After a four-week trial and nine days of deliberation, a San Francisco non-technical jury of 11 women and 1 man found unanimously for the defendants in a complex patent/theft of trade secrets case involving computer emulation technology. Mentor sought damages that could have exceeded $900 million. This was the second trial between these litigious competitors in which Dr. Ellen Leggett helped to secure a victory for Quickturn and its intellectual property. Dr. Leggett proudly worked on behalf of Quickturn and Cadence with the law firms of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe (San Francisco, LA, & Orange County), and White & Case (Palo Alto).
BAKER V. MOTOROLA (PHOENIX, AZ)
After four months of trial and several days of deliberation, jurors rejected demands of a plaintiff class of property owners seeking $270 million in damages plus punitive damages from Motorola. Plaintiffs alleged that Motorola contaminated the soil, air, and groundwater in the Phoenix area through the use of TCE to clean electronic parts. The suit claimed that Motorola diminished property values and exposed members of the class to possible adverse health effects. Motorola maintained that it had not been negligent in its use or disposal of TCE because it had acted consistently with the best practices available at the time, and the jury agreed. Dr. Ellen Leggett proudly worked on behalf of Motorola and its counsel at Kirkland & Ellis (Chicago).
MRI ASSOCIATES V. ST. ALPHONSUS REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, ET AL. (BOISE, ID)
After a four-week trial, a federal jury in Ada County, ID, found that St. Alphonsus Medical Center breached its partnership agreement with its on-campus radiology group MRI Associates, intentionally interfered with MRI Associates’ prospective contractual relations, and engaged in civil conspiracy. The jury awarded $63.5 million to MRI Associates. Dr. Ellen Leggett proudly worked on behalf of MRI Associates and their counsel at Banducci Woodard Schwartzman (Boise).
OCEAN FRESH TRADING, INC. V. JIMMY DANG, SEA LION SEAFOOD INC., EAST WEST BANK, ET AL. (LOS ANGELES, CA)
After a one-month trial, a Los Angeles Superior Court jury unanimously rejected a $6M breach of fiduciary duty and negligence claim against East West Bank. The owners of Ocean Fresh Trading, Inc., a family-owned fish distributorship, claimed the bank secretly aided a third sibling to open his own competing business, contributing to the downfall of Ocean Fresh. Dr. Ellen Leggett was honored to work on behalf of defendant East West Bank, represented by the law firms of Miller Barondess (LA) and Jung & Yuen (LA).
IN RE: EXXON VALDEZ LITIGATION (ANCHORAGE, AK)
After a six-week trial and four hours of deliberation, jurors unanimously rejected claims that ExxonMobil Corporation owed up to $30 million to municipalities affected by the 1989 oil spill in Prince William Sound. The 12-person jury was comprised substantially of jurors who were children when the oil spill occurred 13 years earlier. The National Law Journal named this case as one of the top 25 defense verdicts of 2002. Dr. Ellen Leggett proudly worked on behalf of ExxonMobil and its counsel at O’Melveny & Myers (LA), Clough & Associates (Juneau), and Patton Boggs (Anchorage).