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June 27, 2017

Barclay Damon Succeeds in Getting Cellino and Barnes Court Docs Unsealed

A Barclay Damon team led by Karim A. Abdulla and Joseph M. Finnerty succeeded in its request to have court documents in the legal fight between law partners Ross M. Cellino Jr. and Stephen E. Barnes unsealed. The ruling was made June 26 by State Supreme Court Judge Deborah Chimes.

The complaint filed last month by Cellino seeking to break up the prominent law firm had previously been sealed by Judge Chimes due to undue anxiety she believed disclosure of its contents would cause the firm's clients and employees. Barclay Damon's request to have it unsealed was made on behalf of the Buffalo News, New York Daily News, and New York Post.

The high-profile decision has been widely covered by media, including extensive quotes from Abdulla, who is cited in the Buffalo News saying, "Open courts help to ensure that the legal process remains fair and transparent."

Click here for the full Buffalo News article, and click here for the report on NPR-affiliate WBFO.

Abdulla and Finnerty are members of the firm's Media & First Amendment Law Practice Area. Finnerty serves as the practice's chair. 

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