Winston Team Led by Bill O’Neil Recognized in Litigator of the Week

A Winston & Strawn team led by partner Bill O’Neil was featured in the Litigator of the Week column by the Am Law Litigation Daily on April 8, 2025.

The Winston team was recognized for their representation of three former independent directors of Segerdahl Corp in fending off claims brought by a class of shareholders in the company’s employee stock ownership plan, or ESOP. The ESOP shareholders claimed that the company should have sold for a significantly higher price than the $265 million it drew in a 2016 private equity buyout. But after a 14-day bench trial, U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood in Chicago sided with the company last week on all the shareholder claims and found no evidence that the independent directors were conflicted.

The team representing the independent directors also included partner Kevin Simpson and associates Sarah Kreger and Matt Durkin.

The case was also covered by Law360 and Chicago Daily Law Bulletin (subscription required).