Wake Up Call: Bradley Arant Sued by Ex-CEO Over $3.2 Billion Fine

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

• Former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy—whose career collapsed amid fraud allegations, prison time, and a massive civil judgment—is suing Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, accusing the firm of secretly representing both him and HealthSouth during the period leading up to his downfall. Scrushy claims the firm betrayed him by switching allegiance to the company as it moved to oust him, ultimately contributing to the $3.2 billion judgment he now seeks to reopen. (AL.com)
• Bricker Graydon and Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, two regional law firms with deep roots in Ohio and Kentucky, announced their intent to merge effective January 1, 2026. The combined firm, to be known as Bricker Graydon Wyatt, will unite more than 325 attorneys across 14 offices in four states. (Bricker Graydon)
• Detroit law firm Kotz Sangster Wysocki is suing former attorneys and rival Butzel Long, alleging that Butzel orchestrated a secret plan with two senior Kotz Sangster shareholders to defect and effectively take over the firm’s Southwest Michigan offices. The suit claims the departing lawyers shared confidential information, sabotaged new business, and plotted the move while still on Kotz Sangster’s payroll, turning a routine lateral move into a breach of fiduciary duty. (Crain’s Detroit Business)
• J-M Manufacturing filed a federal RICO lawsuit accusing Simmons Hanly Conroy of orchestrating a years-long scheme to file sham asbestos claims to drive large settlements, more than 75 of which J-MM paid. After an initial dismissal, J-MM expanded its complaint to include Sokolove Law and signaled plans to file a separate suit against the Gori Law Firm, alleging coordinated fraudulent claims based on whistleblower information. (Belleville News-Democrat)
• Staying Power: A Manhattan state judge signaled sympathy with fellow judges—now plaintiffs—in their challenge to New York’s mandatory judicial retirement age of 70. “How does this whole thing make sense?” Judge Lyle Frank pondered during oral argument on Thursday. “How does this survive any scrutiny?” (New York Law Journal)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Kati Orso joined Husch Blackwell as a partner in its real estate, development, and construction industry group in Austin. She joins from Jackson Walker.