State ex rel. Verizon West Virginia, Inc. v. Matish

Law firm Steptoe & Johnson had previously represented two clients in separate wrongful-termination suits against Verizon (defendant), each resolved through confidential settlement agreements and protective orders; when Steptoe later brought a similar action on behalf of new, similarly situated clients (plaintiffs), and one Steptoe attorney suggested the firm might draw on documents from the prior cases' discovery, Verizon moved to disqualify Steptoe based on its confidentiality obligations under the earlier agreements.