According to Forbes magazine, a federal judge in Spokane, Washington, said he plans to sanction San Diego class action law firm Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd for submitting expenses in a class action suit "that included excessive air fare and a $402 dinner for four featuring two $70 bottles of wine and a $60 tip," according to the publication. Judge Justin Quackenbush has warned the firm that he will issue a formal written reproval for submitting intentionally misleading and inaccurate claims for court-ordered expense reimbursement. The judge, according to Legal Newsline and Forbes, accused attorneys John Grant and Joy Bull of claiming excessive hours to produce filings and failing to provide documentation for $125,000 in investigator expenses.

The Robbins Geller law firm grew out of the controversial firm of Milberg Weiss, which eventually became Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach. Lerach broke off from the firm and helped form Lerach Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins, a predecessor of Robbins Geller. In 2007, Lerach pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice and making false statements under oath. He was sentenced to two years in prison in 2008. He was disbarred and now lives in one of the most expensive homes in San Diego County.