Last week, a Mississippi court ruled that lawyers for Cleveland-based Eaton Corporation had not fully disclosed all information they held regarding alleged attempts to influence a previous judge hearing the matter. The move comes four months after Eaton sacked two of its legal department lawyers in relation to the litigation.
According to a report on the Corporate Counsel magazine web site, the judgment is particularly damning of Eaton general counsel Mark McGuire. The magazine maintains that the court papers suggest that Mr McGuire knew about the company’s attempts to influence the previous judge.
Stunning
The magazine quotes J Clifton Johnson of local law firm Pigott & Johnson, which is acting for the opposing party in the litigation, North Carolina-based Frisby Aerospace. Mr Johnson fired both barrels at his counterparts: ‘It’s hard to imagine a stronger condemnation of a company’s conduct. Frankly, it’s stunning.'
Eaton has already been hit with fines totally $1.5 million emanating from the case. It is appealing to the state supreme court, and according to Corporate Counsel, neither the company nor Mr McGuire was available for comment.
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