Controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2023
Controversy over law-school letter on campus protests
Davis Polk joined a letter warning law schools that incidents targeting Jewish students could have consequences for corporate hiring. Muslim bar associations criticized the initiative as contributing to Islamophobia and suppressing discussion of Palestinian rights and speech.
2019
Purdue Pharma opioid bankruptcy representation
Davis Polk represented Purdue Pharma in bankruptcy proceedings arising from extensive opioid litigation. The proposed restructuring included releases protecting the Sackler family from future civil claims in return for surrendering ownership and contributing to a claims trust, making the representation a subject of public scrutiny.
1954
John W. Davis's defense of segregation in Briggs v. Elliott
John W. Davis, associated with the firm, argued before the Supreme Court for South Carolina's defense of separate-but-equal education in Briggs v. Elliott, a companion case to Brown v. Board of Education. The Court unanimously rejected the segregationist position.
1945
Historical exclusion of Jewish attorneys
From 1945 to 1965, Davis Polk was described as a white Anglo-Saxon Protestant Wall Street firm that did not hire Jewish attorneys. The episode is part of the firm's documented institutional history.