Withers’ victory for Kraken honored among the Daily Journal’s Top Verdicts of 2024

International law firm Withers is proud to announce that its trial victory for cryptocurrency exchange Kraken has been recognized as one of the Daily Journal’s “Top Verdicts of 2024.” 

Withers secured a full defense verdict for Kraken in March 2024 in the case Daniel Tran v. Payward Inc. following a month-long jury trial in San Francisco Superior Court that centered around a former employee’s claims of wrongful termination. The plaintiff sued Payward, which operates as Kraken, in July 2022, alleging he was fired in violation of the California Equal Pay Act. 

The jury ultimately found that the plaintiff was not fired in retaliation for raising concerns about pay disparities on behalf of two female Kraken employees. Instead, the jury determined that the former employee’s actions were not in the company’s best interest and that he breached Kraken's confidentiality agreements and security policies, as well as misappropriated its trade secrets.

As featured in the Daily Journal, Withers partner and co-lead trial counsel Christopher LaVigne stated that, “‘at the end of the day, the evidence was methodical, consistent, and overwhelming that plaintiff was really engaged in a bizarre plan to sabotage his manager and was fired, not for complaining of any discrimination, but because he was a poor performing employee with bad judgment.’”

The verdict, a rare employment defense verdict in San Francisco, reaffirmed Withers' relentless advocacy for Kraken over more than two years.

The Withers team included Kimberly Pallen and Christopher LaVigne as co-lead trial counsel, as well as senior associates Jordan Garman and Vahe Mesropyan.

The Daily Journal’s annual list highlights the top verdicts by dollar, impact, defense victories and appellate reversals in California. 

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