Quinn Emanuel’s Spiro joins defense of ex-Activision CEO Kotick

By Mike Scarcella

Alex Spiro, the prominent New York lawyer whose clients include billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, has signed on to defend former Activision Blizzard chief executive Bobby Kotick in a shareholder lawsuit in Delaware after a judge said the case could move forward.

Spiro and others at his law firm Quinn Emanuel formally joined Kotick's legal team on Tuesday in Delaware’s Chancery Court, records show.

Spiro is among a small but growing number of lawyers at elite firms who are billing at $3,000 an hour or more. Along with Tesla TSLA chief Musk, his high-profile clients have included New York City Mayor Eric Adams and actor Alec Baldwin.

Kotick is fighting investors' claims that he rigged the "Call of Duty" game maker’s $75.4 billion sale to Microsoft MSFT to keep his job and $400 million in change-of-control benefits, and to insulate himself from claims he knew about widespread sexual harassment at Activision.

Activision and Spiro did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and neither did attorneys leading the shareholder lawsuit. Quinn Emanuel declined to comment.

A lawyer for Kotick in a prior statement to Reuters disputed claims of widespread harassment at Activision, saying that no investigation, court finding, verdict or ruling concluded they had merit.

Shareholders led by Swedish pension fund Sjunde AP-fonden accuse Kotick of rushing into the Microsoft merger, which closed in October 2023. They contend the $95 per share takeover price was too low from the outset.

This month, Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick of the Delaware Chancery Court said the shareholders in the proposed class action can pursue their chief claim that Kotick and other Activision directors breached their fiduciary duties.

Kotick, who has denied any wrongdoing, is still represented by a team of attorneys from law firm Skadden Arps, including veteran litigation partner Edward Micheletti, court records show.

Skadden and Micheletti did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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