DALLAS – Lawyers from the complex litigation boutique Bailey Brauer PLLC have asked a Dallas judge to affirm a $46 million arbitration award against Merchant Customer Exchange LLC (MCX), a joint venture of some of the nation’s largest retailers, including Wal-Mart, Target, Hobby Lobby and Best Buy.
The filing is the latest volley in a dispute between Boston-based MCX and Bailey Brauer’s client Gemalto NV, a worldwide developer of digital payment technologies. In 2013, MCX contracted with Gemalto to develop a mobile payment platform that could be used at the roughly 40 retailers that make up the MCX consortium.
In February 2014, MCX canceled its contract with Gemalto and hired competitor Paydiant to complete the work. Shortly thereafter, Gemalto filed an arbitration claim against MCX, seeking $40 million in damages, plus interest, attorney’s fees and expenses based on the wrongful termination of the contract.
On March 18, 2016, a three-member arbitration panel unanimously found for Gemalto, awarding the company $42.8 million and an additional $3 million in attorney’s fees. On April 4, MCX filed a new lawsuit in Dallas state court seeking to vacate the arbitration award.
Gemalto called on Bailey Brauer’s Clayton Bailey and Ben Stewart to assist the company in the state court dispute. Gemalto’s response, filed April 14, asserts that the arbitration panel did not exceed its authority in issuing the award and that the court should therefore uphold it.
Mr. Bailey and Mr. Stewart also successfully prosecuted a discovery battle in Delaware superior court over the production of documents pertaining to MCX’s communications with Paydiant while MCX was still under contract with Gemalto. The arbitration panel’s award included Bailey Brauer’s attorney’s fees in the Delaware dispute.
In the underlying arbitration proceeding, Gemalto was represented by attorneys Carmine Zarlenga, Brian Rosenthal, Adam Hudes, Dara Kurlancheek and Cody Gillians of Mayer Brown LLP.
“We are honored to be working with Carmine and the excellent lawyers at Mayer Brown,” Mr. Bailey says. “We are optimistic that the court will enthusiastically agree with the arbitration panel.”
The Dallas state court dispute is Merchant Customer Exchange LLC v. Gemalto Inc., No. DC-16-03893.
The Delaware discovery dispute was Gemalto, Inc. v. Merchant Customer Exchanges, LLC, C.A., No. N15M-07-052.
Bailey Brauer PLLC is committed to providing efficient, effective legal representation in high-stakes litigation. Led by experienced trial and appellate lawyers Clayton Bailey and Alex Brauer, the firm focuses on complex commercial litigation, agribusiness, appeals, and class and collective actions.