The Paul, Weiss Litigation Department is led by a team of the country’s most accomplished trial lawyers. Our litigators handle the most complex and demanding lawsuits, class actions, government investigations, criminal prosecutions and restructurings. Our clients include Fortune 50 corporations and other prominent companies in the financial services, investment, medical device, pharmaceutical, sports, technology, energy, media and insurance industries. Every day, we are called on by chief executives, board chairs, general counsel, investors and entrepreneurs for our unmatched trial skills, sophisticated business judgment and renowned strategic advice.
Marvel Entertainment Chairman Prevails in First Department Appeal in Defamation Case
- Client News
- April 9, 2018
Practices
Paul, Weiss prevailed in an appeal seeking a protective order on behalf of Isaac “Ike” Perlmutter, chairman of Marvel Entertainment. The New York State Appellate Division, First Department, reversed the trial court’s denial of a protective order to prevent disclosure of Perlmutter’s emails and other documents protected by the work product doctrine.
Perlmutter is a defendant in a defamation lawsuit lodged by Harold Peerenboom, the founder of a Toronto-based executive search firm, over an alleged smear campaign in which anonymous letters were sent to friends and business associates of Peerenboom accusing him of having engaged in unlawful conduct.
After the trial court denied our motion for a protective order, we successfully secured an emergency stay from the First Department pending appeal. On appeal, we argued that the trial court erred in declining to protect clear work product, failed to apply CPLR 3101(d)(2) to protect the work product of private investigators retained by counsel, and erroneously held that attorney invoices containing detailed time entries did not constitute work product. The First Department unanimously reversed, and rather than remanding to the trial court for further consideration, held that all 106 documents subject to appeal were, in fact, protected work product.
The Paul, Weiss team includes litigation partners Ted Wells, Allan Arffa and Richard Tarlowe.