United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas — Case 4:21-cv-00110, Document 107

Summary

Defendants' Notice of Involvement of Counsel Defense, filed 01/16/26 as Document 107 in United States of America ex rel. Paul Pietschner v. Kathryn Petralia, Robert Frohwein, and Spencer Robinson, Case No. 4:21-cv-110-SDJ, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Sherman Division. The defendants state that they intend to present evidence that they understood attorneys were involved in reviewing and advising on Kabbage's participation in the Paycheck Protection Program, and that this is relevant to the scienter element of the False Claims Act claims. They name three former Kabbage in-house counsel as possible sources and reserve the right to add more. They state that they may testify to their own reliance on counsel. The notice is dated January 16, 2026.

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Cited in: Kabbage / K Servicing · Robert Frohwein

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“United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas — Case 4:21-cv-00110, Document 107.” Original at ecf.txed.uscourts.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/court-filing-pietschner-v-kabbage-dkt-107-e-d-tex-b4fc56690d/, SHA-256 4534c3fe2b337a3e57cb698a5515dc4f7db7c2fda50fdaf811b108f800aa291b.

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Case 4:21-cv-00110-SDJ Document 107 Filed 01/16/26 Page 1 of 4 PageID #: 1128

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS
SHERMAN DIVISION

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ex rel.
PAUL PIETSCHNER,
Case No. 4:21-cv-110-SDJ
v.

KATHRYN PETRALIA, ROBERT
FROHWEIN, and SPENCER ROBINSON.

DEFENDANTS’ NOTICE OF INVOLVEMENT OF COUNSEL DEFENSE

Defendants Kathryn Petralia, Robert Frohwein, and Spencer Robinson (collectively,

“Defendants”) respectfully file this Notice of Involvement of Counsel Defense pursuant to the

Court’s Scheduling Order (Dkt. #96). In support of their Notice, Defendants state as follows:

1. Defendants intend to present evidence that they understood that attorneys were

involved in reviewing and providing legal advice regarding Kabbage, Inc.’s (“Kabbage”)

participation in the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”). They expect the evidence to include

documents and testimony that Kabbage employees informed Defendants that they had sought

advice of counsel and followed that advice in connection with Kabbage’s participation in the

PPP. At a minimum, such evidence is relevant to the scienter element of the government’s

claims under the False Claims Act.

2. Defendants may rely on evidence regarding the involvement of attorneys in

Kabbage’s PPP participation, including but not limited to: Leslie Scott Askins (former in-house

counsel at Kabbage); Azba Habib (former in-house counsel at Kabbage); and Elizabeth

Maiellaro (former in-house counsel at Kabbage).

3. Defendants understand that, during the relevant period, each of the

aforementioned witnesses was a practicing attorney.

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Case 4:21-cv-00110-SDJ Document 107 Filed 01/16/26 Page 2 of 4 PageID #: 1129

4. Discovery is in its early stages and is ongoing. Defendants reserve the right to

timely supplement this list with additional attorneys who advised Kabbage employees with

respect to the PPP.

5. Defendants anticipate that the evidence will show that certain employees at

Kabbage sought attorneys’ advice in good faith in relation to Kabbage’s participation in the PPP

to determine the lawfulness of Kabbage’s conduct.

6. Defendants also anticipate that they each may personally testify as to their own

reliance on the involvement of counsel with respect to Kabbage’s participation in the PPP.

7. Although the Court’s Scheduling Order and applicable rules do not require

advance notice that a defendant intends to rely on evidence regarding the involvement of

counsel, Defendants submit this notice out of an abundance of caution and in the interest of

transparency.

Respectfully submitted this 16th day of January, 2026.

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Case 4:21-cv-00110-SDJ Document 107 Filed 01/16/26 Page 3 of 4 PageID #: 1130

/s/ George P. Varghese /s/ Henry W. Asbill
George P. Varghese (pro hac vice) Henry W. Asbill (pro hac vice)
Sharon K. Hogue (pro hac vice) Christopher B. Mead (pro hac vice)
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP Lisa H. Schertler (pro hac vice)
60 State Street Paola Pinto (pro hac vice)
Boston, MA 02109 Schertler Onorato Mead & Sears
Telephone: (617) 526-6000 555 13th Street NW Suite 500W
Fax: (617) 526-5000 Washington DC 20004
george.varghese@wilmerhale.com Telephone: 202-628-4199
sharon.hogue@wilmerhale.com Facsimile: 202-628-4177
hasbill@schertlerlaw.com
Christopher E. Babbitt (pro hac vice) cmead@schertlerlaw.com
Michaela S. Wilkes Klein (pro hac vice) lschertler@schertlerlaw.com
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP ppinto@schertlerlaw.com
2100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20037 Counsel for Spencer Robinson
Telephone: (202) 663-6000
Fax: (202) 663-6363 /s/ Nicholas M. Mathews
christopher.babbitt@wilmerhale.com Nicholas M. Mathews
michaela.wilkesklein@wilmerhale.com Alexander J. Chern
McKool Smith, PC - Dallas
Anjan Sahni (pro hac vice) 300 Crescent Court, Suite 1500
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP Dallas, TX 75201
7 World Trade Center, 250 Greenwich Street Telephone: (214) 978-4258
New York, NY 10007 Fax: (214) 978-4044
Tel: (212) 230-8800 NMathews@mckoolsmith.com
Fax: (212) 230-8888 AChern@mckoolsmith.com
anjan.sahni@wilmerhale.com
Faith E. Gay (pro hac vice)
Melissa R. Smith Temidayo Aganga-Williams (pro hac
Gillam & Smith LLP vice)
303 South Washington Ave. Joshua S. Margolin (pro hac vice)
Marshall, TX 75670 Sylvia Woodmansee (pro hac vice)
Telephone: (903) 934-8450 Selendy Gay PLLC
Fax: (903) 934-9257 1290 Avenue of the Americas
melissa@gillamsmithlaw.com New York, NY 10104
Telephone: 212-390-9001
Counsel for Kathryn Petralia Facsimile: 212-390-9399
Fgay@selendygay.com
TAgangawilliams@selendygay.com
JMargolin@selendygay.com
SWoodmansee@selendygay.com

Counsel for Robert Frohwein

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Case 4:21-cv-00110-SDJ Document 107 Filed 01/16/26 Page 4 of 4 PageID #: 1131

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I hereby certify that on January 16, 2026, I caused the foregoing to be electronically filed

with the Clerk of the Court using the CM/ECF system, which sent notification of filing to all

attorneys of record.

/s/ Sharon K. Hogue
Sharon K. Hogue

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