Cravath’s London Office Moves to 100 Cheapside
June 27, 2022
Cravath partner Vanessa A. Lavely was named to Business Insider’s 2022 list of “Rising Stars of the Courtroom,” which was published on June 21, 2022. The feature recognizes “the next crop of great litigators” who are “driven by the thrill of a live courtroom and a sense of mission to help clients get their day in court.” Business Insider noted Vanessa’s successful representation of clients including Tesla, Qualcomm, Minerals Technologies Inc. and Colgate‑Palmolive, on a wide range of litigation matters, noting she “has worked on big cases but also had big roles in ones that have gone under the radar.” Cravath partner Evan Chesler spoke to Insider about impressive client feedback on Vanessa’s performance as a junior associate, which led to her being handed early responsibility for witness examination in a pivotal trial for client NCR.
Deals & Cases
May 02, 2022
On April 27, 2022, the Delaware Court of Chancery granted judgment in favor of Cravath client Elon Musk on all counts in a stockholder derivative suit regarding the 2016 acquisition of SolarCity Corp. (“SolarCity”) by Tesla, Inc. (“Tesla”). The Court of Chancery’s 131‑page opinion in favor of Mr. Musk followed a highly publicized 11‑day trial in July and August 2021, and post‑trial briefing and oral argument held in January 2022.
Deals & Cases
On July 3, 2012, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin ruled that Cravath client NCR Corporation was not liable as an “arranger” under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), commonly known as the “Superfund Statute.” Based on testimony and evidence presented during a seven-day bench trial in February 2012, Judge William Griesbach decided that NCR and facilities previously owned by NCR had not “arranged” for the disposal of hazardous waste into the Fox River in Wisconsin through the sale of PCB-containing paper scrap that resulted from the manufacturing of carbonless copy paper. This ruling saves NCR from approximately $100 million in liability to other corporations for the remediation of the Fox River and may have important implications in other actions, including a pending lawsuit brought by corporations seeking reimbursement for remediation of the Kalamazoo River in Michigan.
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