Judge John C. Porto previously ordered that the court proceedings disclose the name of the investigative firm that compiled the report and the organization that commissioned it
A New Jersey judge plans to rule on March 28 about granting a stay in the ongoing legal fight over revealing who wrote a controversial 2021 report. This report had a negative impact on the market value of gaming giant Evolution AB.
Evolution Opposes Effort to Block Report Author Disclosure
Judge John C. Porto had earlier mandated that the court proceedings identify the investigative firm that put together the report and the entity that requested it. The report, which claimed Evolution ran operations in unregulated markets, caused a big dip in the company’s stock value. However, later probes by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board did not find any proof to back up these assertions.
The law firm Calcagni & Kanefsky (C&K), which represents the anonymous parties behind the report, has taken steps to stop the release. Earlier this week, the firm submitted an emergency motion asking to pause Porto’s ruling while it challenges it in a higher court. Since lawyers have asked to argue their case in person, Porto has set a date to decide on the pause at the end of the month.
Evolution has rejected the appeal to pause proceedings, claiming the appeal does not hold water. In a court document filed on March 5, the company stated that the Superior Court had already followed the appeals court’s guidance. The higher court had earlier decided that if the report turned out to be false, the client’s name should be revealed.
The company’s lawyers argued that no legal protection justifies keeping the involved parties’ names secret. They also blamed the defendants for trying to slow down the legal process and dodge responsibility.
Evolution Lawyers Argue Against Delay, Say Appeal Lacks Merit
Evolution’s lawyers say C&K’s newest claims go against the appeals court’s previous decision and what the firm itself said before about how important the report’s credibility was to the case. The legal team also claims that letting an appeal happen between court proceedings would not help anything, and even if an appeal is allowed, the court should still say no to pausing the case.
The fight goes back to 2021 when someone wrote a report without giving their name. This report said Evolution was offering its games in places where it was not allowed, including some countries under US sanctions. These claims made Evolution’s stock price drop a lot, wiping out billions in what the company was worth. Evolution has always said this is not true, arguing that the report was meant to hurt their business.
The court’s choice to reveal who wrote the report is a big deal in this case. If they do not stop this decision, we might soon know who made these claims, which could show why they did it. However, if the appeal works, the fight over showing who they are could go on for a long time.
