Milbank expands defense work for law firms fighting RICO claims
- Elite firm Milbank is pivoting to defend personal injury lawyers against a rising tide of federal racketeering charges.
- New York City is suing Asher & Associates, alleging the firm used a network of 'runners' to manufacture fake roadway injury claims.
- Major corporations like Uber, Ford, and FedEx are increasingly using RICO laws to strike back against what they claim is a systemic litigation fraud epidemic.
- Nearly 300 RICO cases have been filed against plaintiff attorneys since 2024, signaling a desperate war on legal manufacturing.
Brief Summary
Wall Street powerhouse Milbank is carving out a lucrative niche defending the very lawyers accused of running 'litigation mills.' By taking on cases like the city's suit against Asher & Associates, Milbank is positioning itself at the center of a brutal courtroom battle between deep-pocketed corporations and the plaintiffs' bar. The firm claims these RICO suits are just a corporate power play meant to intimidate attorneys, while accusers claim they are merely cleaning up a cesspool of manufactured claims and fraudulent testimony.
Why This Matters
This isn't just a spat between high-priced lawyers; it’s a direct look at how the machinery of the American legal system is being gamed. When companies like Ford or Uber face down law firms accused of coaching witnesses or fabricating accidents, the cost of that legal warfare inevitably trickles down to you in the form of higher insurance premiums and inflated prices for goods and services. If the courts start treating these 'injury mills' as criminal enterprises under RICO, it could fundamentally change how personal injury lawsuits are filed—or at least force a reckoning for firms that have treated the courtroom like a casino.