A recent California legal development has seen government contractor Peraton Corp. tentatively denied its discovery bid in its case with ArentFox Schiff. This initial decision came down from a state judge, who reasoned that since the discovery bid related to an arbitration clause in Peraton’s retainership agreement, any developments post-signing were not considered relevant to the case at hand.
Peraton’s discovery request had been centered on ArentFox Schiff’s professional engagements with a business competitor concurrent to its representation of Peraton. The ruling, however, tentatively establishes that the retainer agreement alone, more specifically its embedded arbitration provision, is the primary focus.
This development in the Peraton and ArentFox Schiff case offers a noteworthy example of the state judiciary’s approach to interpreting the roles of retainer agreements and arbitration provisions within them. Therefore, the final decision in this case is being closely watched by legal professionals, especially corporate lawyers representing or interacting with large scale government contractors and law firms.
For additional details about the case proceeding, legal professionals are encouraged to visit Law360’s coverage.