Recently Coach (handbags) was awarded 44 million dollars by the Federal Court in Manhattan. The involved counterfeit goods.  The story has received huge publicity on both sides of the Atlantic.  Judge McMahon wrote an articulate stinging decision granting summary judgment (a win without the need of a trial) to Coach along with an eye popping award of money.

NOT reported in the press or media is that one defendant defaulted and that the other never hired an attorney.  The decision was rendered – in effect – with the loser(s) never having had an attorney in the case.  There are essentially no opposition papers submitted on the law.  The defendant states that she couldn’t afford a lawyer and for all intents and purposes, she is the wrong person/company being sued

So long story short, the Judge wrote a decision based on the legal arguments of one side only.  Headline remains attention getting. The back-story will remain unknown to 99% of those who read or hear about the case.