Robine K. Morrison
Robine focuses her practice on high-stakes contract, trade secrets, securities, False Claims Act, product liability, defamation, and tortious interference matters. She has a breadth of hands-on experience in a wide variety of complex commercial litigation matters. Robine has been a member of nine trial teams, conducted over ten direct and cross examinations at trial, successfully written and argued pretrial and critical motions, and conducted over seventy-five depositions.
Key Matters
- In a case touted as the “largest” and “one of the most significant” defamation cases in U.S. history and seeking more than US$1.9B in actual damages from ABC for the publication of more than 200 alleged false statements about the client’s product during a month-long period in 2012, Robine served as an integral member of the litigation team from 2012, prior to filing the complaint, through 2017, when the team secured a favorable settlement in the middle of an eight-week jury trial. During this time, the litigation team conducted over 100 fact depositions across the country, over 30 expert depositions, and briefed close to 100 motions. The team won every significant motion—a motion to keep the case in state court, multiple motions to dismiss, two appeals to the South Dakota Supreme Court, and multiple motions for summary judgment. The representation was also referenced by Law360 in naming Winston & Strawn Food & Beverage Group of the Year in 2015.
- After four years of litigation, Robine served as an integral member of the small litigation team which obtained a jury verdict of more than US$93M in favor of AbbVie, Inc. in a contract dispute over a pricing agreement relating to pharmaceuticals for infants, a verdict that at the time was the largest commercial verdict awarded in the venue.
- Successfully led the development and execution of strategy for a key dispositive motion that aided in obtaining a full judgment win in favor of the client in a False Claims Act case. For the first time in the Fifth Circuit, the judge held that a court lacks jurisdiction to determine whether a federal defense contractor retaliated against its employee, where doing so would require second-guessing a security determination by the Executive Branch.
- In a putative securities fraud class action in the Northern District of California. Robine defended Cisco Systems, Inc. against a sprawling 123-page complaint attacking nearly every aspect of Cisco’s business and alleging the defendants made more than 100 false statements. The court dismissed the complaint notwithstanding its breadth after adopting nearly all of our arguments. Plaintiffs subsequently agreed to voluntarily dismiss with prejudice.
- Successfully secured a critical injunction in a complex contract dispute for a renewable energy provider.
- Represented a communications provider focusing in the oil & gas sector in an arbitration and litigation involving the violation of various restrictive covenants by the Company’s former CEO.
- Assisted in defending Verizon Wireless in in re Messaging Antitrust Litigation, which consolidated more than 35 putative class actions filed in federal courts throughout the country in the Northern District of Illinois.
- Successfully secured dismissals of products liability and negligence litigation against Medtronic, Inc.
- Successfully secured settlement in significant False Claims Act litigation against a physician practice.
- Successfully defended national bank against claims under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), Truth in Lending Act (TILA), Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA), state Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act (UDTPA), and for Breach of Contract, Fraud, and Negligence.