Milbank LLP, representing Lemon Law firm Knight Law Group and several of its partners, secured the dismissal of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act claims seeking more than $100 million in damages brought by Ford Motor Company alleging a purported racketeering scheme to inflate legal fees in connection with Lemon Law cases against Ford. Less than a year after the lawsuit was filed, the court agreed with Knight Law and dismissed Ford’s initial complaint and second amended complaint on two grounds. This was the second oral argument for Milbank partners Neal Katyal and Matthew Laroche, and once again, just days after their oral argument, the court ruled fully in their clients’ favor.
On November 24, 2025, US District Judge Michelle Williams Court first dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that the Knight Law Group and its co-defendants were protected under the Noerr-Pennington doctrine, which grants immunity to private parties petitioning the government. The judge also ruled that Ford’s RICO claims were deficient.
Ford filed a second amended complaint, and, on March 11, 2026, Judge Court granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss without leave to amend, maintaining that the “defendants are entitled to Noerr-Pennington immunity for their petitioning activity, and dismissal is appropriate on this basis alone.” Judge Court also again ruled that Ford’s complaint didn’t sufficiently allege a RICO enterprise.
If not dismissed, this case would have far-reaching implications for the future of mass consumer protection litigation and the use of RICO statutes in disputes between corporate defendants and plaintiffs’ counsel.
The Milbank team was led by Litigation & Arbitration partners Neal Katyal, who argued Noerr-Pennington, and Matthew Laroche, who addressed the RICO elements. The team included Litigation & Arbitration special counsel Scott Singer and associates Lucy Baeurle and Alex Ruppert.
The Milbank team worked alongside co-counsel Zach Warren and Tobin Romero of Williams & Connolly, and Aaron Dyer, Ronald Cheng and Lisseth Ochoa-Chavarria of Pillsbury.