A legal document filed in federal court formally notifies that Automattic and Matt Mullenweg have added new representation, a lawyer who has previously represented Meta and Facebook. The new documentation is formally called NOTICE of Appearance. A subsequent legal filing indicates that the new representation is currently handling the response to a Motion to Intervene filed by a third party that is not connected to WP Engine.
The legal document that was filed (PDF version here) is titled, DECLARATION OF ROSEMARIE T. RING IN SUPPORT OF JOINT STIPULATION AND [PROPOSED] ORDER REGARDING BRIEFING SCHEDULE.
Screenshot Of Newly Filed Legal Document
The document filed in court states:
I, Rosemarie T. Ring, declare as follows:
1. I am a member in good standing of the California Bar and am admitted to practice before this Court. I am a partner in the law firm of Gibson, Dunn, & Crutcher LLP, which has been retained by Defendants Automattic Inc. and Matthew Charles Mullenweg (collectively, “Defendants”) to represent them in the above-captioned action. I submit this declaration in support of the Joint Stipulation filed concurrently herewith seeking an extension of time to file responses and replies on the Motion to Intervene (Dkt. 70) and Motion for Contempt (Dkt. 71)(collectively, “Motions”) filed by non-party Michael Willman on January 13, 2025.
Documentation Filed With Court
The Court Listener website has three entries:
“77 Jan 24, 2025
NOTICE of Appearance filed by Rosemarie Theresa Ring on behalf of Automattic Inc., Matthew Charles Mullenweg (Ring, Rosemarie) (Filed on 1/24/2025) (Entered: 01/24/2025)Jan 24, 2025
Notice of Appearance/Substitution/Change/Withdrawal of Attorney”
Screenshot Of List Of New Documents Filed In WP Engine Lawsuit
New Attorney
A legal form was filed titled “NOTICE of Appearance filed by Rosemarie Theresa Ring on behalf of Automattic.” Rosemarie Theresa Ring is an attorney at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, one of the top law firms in the United States.
Gibson Dunn was founded in 1890 and has represented George W. Bush in the Bush v. Gore legal fight over votes in Florida, Apple, Inc. in an infringement lawsuit against Samsung and also has represented Meta and Facebook.
The law firm that has represented Automattic and Matt Mullenweg in their defense in the WP Engine federal lawsuit are Hogan Lovells US LLP.
What Does It Mean?
It’s unclear if the previous legal representation is still representing Automattic and Matt Mullenweg as part of their legal team as defendants in the WP Engine lawsuit. So far the new representation has filed responses related to the motion to intervene, indicating that the defendants have significantly beefed up their legal representation.
