Wake Up Call: E. Jean Carroll Lawyer Takes New Swing at Trump

Welcome to Bloomberg Law’s Wake Up Call, a daily rundown of the top news for lawyers, law firms, and in-house counsel.

• Roberta Kaplan, known for representing E. Jean Carroll in her defamation victory against President Donald Trump, will represent the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority in its legal battle to defend congestion pricing against the Trump administration’s attempt to block it. She previously worked with the agency to beat back a series of legal challenges to the tolls before they took effect in January. (Politico)
• Anthony Ricco, one of Sean “Diddy” Combs’s attorneys in his federal sex trafficking case, has stepped down, telling the court “under no circumstances can I continue to effectively serve as counsel for Sean Combs.” Ricco did not provide a specific reason for his withdrawal but said it would not impact Combs’ May 5 trial date. (NBC News)
• The California Stem Cell Treatment Center is suing Venable seeking more than $10 million, alleging that the firm betrayed its trust and spread false claims about its medical practices in another case. Venable had previously represented the clinic in an FDA dispute over unauthorized stem cell treatments. The clinic seeks a refund of legal fees paid, plus damages, while Venable claims it is still owed $532,000. (Reuters)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Emily Garrison joined Morgan Lewis as a partner in its insurance recovery and dispute resolution practice in Chicago.
• Peter Roberts joined Seyfarth Shaw as a partner in its restructuring and insolvency practice in Chicago.
• Eric Bellafronto joined Jackson Lewis as a principal in its Silicon Valley office. He joins from Hopkins & Carley.
• Genevieve LeFevour joined Buchalter as a shareholder in its labor and employment and litigation practice groups in Chicago.