Awarded Summary Judgment in High Stakes Case for Global Technology Research and Advisory Firm

Awarded summary judgment, affirmed by a unanimous decision of the Connecticut Supreme Court, on behalf of a global technology research firm who was sued for defamation and unfair trade practices. The plaintiff alleged, in substance, that statements made by our client in a research report were defamatory and motivated by a “pay-to-play” business model which rewarded vendors who purchased substantial services from our client and punished those who did not. After the trial court granted our motion for summary judgment dismissing the lawsuit, the plaintiff appealed. The Connecticut Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the trial court’s dismissal, holding that the statements in the report were non-actionable expressions of opinion, and that no credible evidence existed to support the pay-to-play argument made by the plaintiff.