Southwest Airlines and AirTran Holdings claimed that Joseph Alioto and the Alioto Law Firm ‘sunk to a new low’ by filing an antitrust complaint a day after their 2011 merger closed, reports the ABA Journal.
Merger
The firm also pursued an emergency appeal seeking broader relief after their request for a temporary restraining order to prevent the merger from going through was denied.
In court filings the airlines claimed that Mr Alioto’s modus operandi was to sue companies involved in high-profile mergers at ‘the most time-sensitive stage of the transaction’ in order to secure a cash settlement which would not benefit the public.
Legal fees
New York law firm Skadden, which represented the airlines, had claimed for $82,000 in legal fees at hourly rates of as much as $986. But the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals disallowed some of the costs the law firm requested.
Mr Alioto is yet to respond to requests for comment.
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