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By Bloomberg

A lawyer formerly in charge of applying for patents in cosmetics company L’Oreal SA’s U.S. office claims he was fired in December for refusing to make filings for dubious inventions just so the company could fill an annual quota.

Steven Trzaska said in a complaint filed April 16 in federal court in Newark, New Jersey, that L’Oreal ordered him to apply for at least 40 patents last year to help fill a companywide global quota of 500 applications. The company sought to post on its cosmetics packaging that the contents were “patent pending,” thus increasing their allure to consumers, according to the lawsuit.

Trzaska headed a team that reviewed L’Oreal researchers’ work and then fashioned it into patent applications. He said he and his colleagues feared submitting some of the applications because they would run afoul of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which is trying to crack down on what it allows to be patented. He eventually was fired.

L’Oreal received 143 U.S. patents in 2013, making it 205 on the list of 300 top patent recipients, according to the Intellectual Property Owners Association. Applications often take two or more years for the review process.

Officials with L’Oreal’s office in Clark, New Jersey, didn’t immediately return messages seeking comment.

The lawsuit was earlier reported by New Jersey Law Journal.

The case is Trzaska v. L’Oreal USA Inc., 15-cv-02713, U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey (Newark).

Goldman Sachs Settles U.K. Gender-Discrimination Lawsuit

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. settled a discrimination lawsuit hours before testimony from an analyst who’d claimed she’d been deprived of pay, bonuses and a promotion because of her gender.

Sonia Pereiro-Mendez, an executive director at the bank, agreed to end the case, Richard Leiper, her lawyer, said at a London court on Tuesday. He declined to give any details.

“We are pleased this matter is resolved,” Fiona Laffan, a Goldman Sachs spokeswoman, said after a short hearing.

Goldman Sachs has been accused of having a “boys club” working culture in a separate U.S. lawsuit by two women trying to start a class action. The New York-based bank denied discrimination in the U.S. case and said it fosters diversity, at an October court hearing.

Pereiro-Mendez, who has now left the investment bank, was paid $700,000 in 2010 in salary and bonuses before having her compensation cut in later years, during which time she took maternity and sick leave, according to her legal documents from a March hearing in London.

She said an executive told her managers wanted to “get rid” of her, while she was excluded from meetings and client dinners and “publicly undermined.”

Goldman Sachs said her performance was below average and didn’t warrant pay increases, according to its documents from the March hearing.

The case is Pereiro-Mendez v. Goldman Sachs Services Ltd. & Others, 14-22-00892, London Central Employment Tribunal.

Aereo Settles Broadcasters’ Claims for Penny on the Dollar

Aereo Inc. agreed to pay CBS Corp. and other broadcasters a total of $950,000 to resolve copyright claims totaling more than $99 million as the online-TV service backed by Barry Diller seeks to wind down in Chapter 11.

The deal to pay less than a penny on the dollar would resolve all litigation among the companies, including Aereo’s lawsuit accusing the broadcasters of intentionally botching its asset auction, according to a filing Monday in federal bankruptcy court in Manhattan.

The deal, backed by all the broadcasters, would leave Aereo with $811,000 to pay non-broadcast creditors with claims totaling $7.5 million, the company said. A hearing to approve the accord was set for May 7.

“In the absence of settlement, there is a likelihood of expensive, protracted litigation that will likely consume the debtor’s limited remaining funds,” Aereo said in the filing.

The startup filed for bankruptcy in November after the U.S. Supreme Court said its TV service violated programming copyrights. The June ruling rang the death knell for Aereo, handing a victory to the broadcast giants.

The case is In re Aereo Inc., 14-bk-13200, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).

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Law Firm Moves

Team With a Korea Focus Joins Arnold & Porter

Arnold & Porter LLP has added a Korea-focused practice team in its Washington office. Leading the team is Sukhan Kim, who began his career at the firm in 1981. Kim has represented Samsung Electronics and other multinational Korea-based companies in trade, corporate, litigation and policy matters. Joining with Kim are 10 other professionals, including partners David Park and Jin-Suk Park. The team previously practiced at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP.

Boies Schiller Hires Corporate Partner in New York Office

Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP has hired Dev Sen as a partner in its corporate group in New York. Sen has a general corporate practice with a focus on bank and capital markets debt finance, including project finance in the energy, oil and gas and infrastructure areas, and secured and unsecured bank and capital markets debt finance. He was previously a partner at O’Melveny & Myers LLP.

Ropes & Gray Adds Three to Its Investment Management Group

Ropes & Gray LLP has hired Paul Dykstra and Paulita Pike as partners in the firm’s investment management practice in Chicago. The two lawyers, who were previously partners at K&L Gates LLP, represent mutual funds and fund boards in a range of matters, including corporate governance, reorganizations, compliance issues, and internal and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigations.

In addition, David Tittsworth, the former president of the Investment Adviser Association, is joining the firm’s Washington office as counsel in June. He has focused on securities law and policy issues relating to the investment management industry.

Troutman Sanders Adds Intellectual Property Lawyers

Troutman Sanders LLP has hired David Devernoe has joined the firm’s intellectual property practice as a partner in San Diego. He, along with an associate who is joining, previously practiced at Gordon & Rees. Devernoe’s practice includes patent administrative proceedings, patent prosecution, intellectual property counseling, patent licensing and patent litigation.

Holland & Knight Adds Land Use Partner in Fort Lauderdale

Holland & Knight LLP has hired Debbie Orshefsky as a partner in its Fort Lauderdale, Florida, office. She was previously a shareholder at Greenberg Traurig LLP. Her practice focuses on land development and environmental law and she represents private developers and governmental agencies as special counsel. She has experience in planning, zoning, subdivision controls, community redevelopment, infrastructure planning and financing.