California-based intellectual property litigator Zoya Kovalenko is seeking to quash subpoenas
issued by Kirkland & Ellis to her former employers, Paul Hastings and Fish & Richardson.
The request, made in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California,
regards an initial complaint Kovalenko filed against Kirkland & Ellis, which drew sweeping attention.
The complaint
gained notoriety partially due to its inclusion of comments that seemingly highlighted apparent weaknesses in Kovalenko’s argument.
She is now legally represented, and her legal team is simultaneously seeking a protective order from the court to limit Kirkland’s discovery process. They express their aim as seeking
to protect the plaintiff from annoyance, embarrassment, oppression, undue burden, or expense.