Microsoft hires lawyer at odds with President Trump in lawsuit over Activision Blizzard acquisition
It has been revealed that Microsoft has replaced the law firm that settled with the Trump administration in a lawsuit over its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, known for the Call of Duty game series, with a law firm that is currently suing the Trump administration.
Microsoft Drops Simpson Thacher & Bartlett Law Firm from a Case - The New York Times
Microsoft drops a law firm that appeased Trump, hires firm that's fighting Trump
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/microsoft-drops-law-firm-appeased-trump-hires-firm-s-fighting-trump-rcna204152
In 2023, Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard, known for the Call of Duty series, for approximately $69 billion (approximately 10 trillion yen). In this acquisition, the largest in the history of the gaming industry, Activision Blizzard investors have filed a shareholder lawsuit alleging that the merger approval process by the board of directors violated the law.
On April 22, 2025, lawyers from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, the law firm that had been handling the case, informed the Delaware Court of Chancery that they would no longer represent Microsoft.
Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett is one of four major law firms that reached a settlement with the Trump administration in exchange for providing $125 million in pro bono legal services for anti-Semitism lawsuits and other purposes favorable to the administration.
President Trump has issued executive orders imposing sanctions on law firms that have been involved in past lawsuits against him or his administration, including restrictions on access to government facilities and termination of government contracts. To avoid this, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP agreed to take on cases that the Trump administration recognizes as
On the same day that Simpson Thacher & Bartlett announced its withdrawal from the Microsoft trial, at least three partners at Jenner & Block notified the court that they intended to represent Microsoft.
Jenner & Block is one of four law firms that have chosen to take on the Trump administration, having won a temporary injunction against the executive order and also
It's unclear why Microsoft switched law firms, but it could be that it needs to save on legal fees or to balance the firm's other work and clients.
The New York Times said, 'Microsoft declined to comment on why it changed law firms in this important case, but the change suggests that law firms that choose to fight the Trump administration may still be able to win important clients.'
Both the law firms Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and Jenner & Block declined to comment when contacted by media.
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