Sheppard Mullin U.S. Supreme Court Victory: Tory v. Cochran
On March 31, the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of Sheppard Mullin clients, Ulysses Tory and Ruth Craft, by vacating an injunction that prevented Mr. Tory and Ms. Craft from ever saying anything about famed (and now deceased) attorney Johnnie Cochran. The 7-2 decision by Justice Breyer, found that, particularly in light of Cochran's death (one week after oral argument in the Supreme Court), the injunction at issue was an overly broad prior restraint on speech. Justices Thomas and Scalia dissented on procedural grounds, reasoning that the Court should not have reached the merits of the case in light of Cochran's death. This case was handled by Century City-based partner Gary Bostwick and associate Jean-Paul Jassy. The firm represented Mr. Tory and Ms. Craft on a pro bono basis.