Law firm Crowell faces disqualification bid in AI lawsuit

By Reuters News

By Mike Scarcella

WASHINGTON, Oct 15 (Reuters) - A fight over attorney loyalties has erupted in a lawsuit over the use of photographs to train AI technology, threatening law firm Crowell & Moring's continued role in the case.

Online art gallery DeviantArt asked a federal judge in Los Angeles on Wednesday to disqualify Crowell & Moring from representing automotive photography company Evox in the lawsuit, saying the firm previously advised defendant DeviantArt and its parent company on AI and other matters.

DeviantArt said in a court filing that Crowell advised its parent company Wix.com and its subsidiaries from 2022 through 2026 on AI litigation, AI regulation and copyright issues. The company said the firm also advised DeviantArt on its DreamUp AI image-generation service.

"Crowell's conflict is substantive, not merely technical," DeviantArt told the court. It said the firm's prior work allowed it to acquire "material confidential information" about the company.

Crowell had no immediate comment. Evox and Wix.com did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Washington, DC-based Crowell employs nearly 700 lawyers and is known for its litigation and regulatory work.

Evox sued DeviantArt and several AI companies in July, alleging they violated copyright law by using its photographs to train artificial intelligence models.

DeviantArt, founded in 2000, operates an online community for artists and offers an AI image-generation service called DreamUp. It is a subsidiary of the Israeli company Wix.com.

Crowell advised Wix.com on a range of matters from 2022 until this year, according to DeviantArt, including advice on “core products and intellectual property strategies” related to DreamUp and its launch.

In a September letter cited in the filing, Crowell's general counsel said the firm had not performed work for Wix or its subsidiaries since 2024 and had no conflict of interest.

DeviantArt counters that Crowell never formally or informally terminated its relationship with Wix.com or any of its subsidiaries, including DeviantArt.

The company also argues that “a pause in billable work does not convert a client into a former client.”

The case is Evox Productions LLC v. Stability AI et al, US District Court for the Central District of California, No. 2:26-cv-07201-CAS-RAO.

For plaintiff: Kent Goss and Valerie Goo of Crowell & Moring

For DeviantArt: Rachel Fertig and Gina Durham of DLA Piper, and Edward McIntyre



Read more:

Reddit and Perplexity AI clash over law firm's role in data-scraping case

Paul Weiss calls bid to disqualify law firm in sugar antitrust case ‘gamesmanship’

Law firm Quinn Emanuel wins fight over role in data center case

Law firm Quinn Emanuel ousted from defamation case against Muddy Waters

Playboy fights fee bid in dispute with ex-lawyers at Quinn Emanuel

Capital.com is an execution-only brokerage platform and the content provided on the Capital.com website is intended for informational purposes only and should not be regarded as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the products or securities to which it applies. No representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of the information provided.

The information provided does not constitute investment advice nor take into account the individual financial circumstances or objectives of any investor. Any information that may be provided relating to past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results or performance.

To the extent permitted by law, in no event shall Capital.com (or any affiliate or employee) have any liability for any loss arising from the use of the information provided. Any person acting on the information does so entirely at their own risk.

Any information which could be construed as “investment research” has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such is considered to be a marketing communication.