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I am not sure we disagree here ... perhaps more in the way you said it. We both agree that an answer contains all sorts of boilerplate objections and pleadings, many of which ultimately won't have anything to do with the action. Sort of the kitchen sink approach.
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Yes, that was my point. It follows that just because online poker is mentioned in the answer doesn't mean that it will have anything to do with the action.
Maybe it will, maybe it won't. But the fact that it was mentioned in the answer doesn't mean much.
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The defendants' attorneys -- Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher -- are an AmLaw 100 law firm ... they are the 14th largest law firm in the US by some measures. The average annual compensation to partners exceeds 1 million per year. I figure that the lowest hourly rate that an associate in that firm charges is $200 per hour. The senior partners rates are probably in the $400 - $500 per hour rate. There is also another law firm involved. A total of 4 lawyers signed the Answer. This being NVG, I am guessing you have the following:
Intial meeting with WPTE - 8 hours
Subsequent meetings and phone calls - 20 hours
Reading and analysing the Complaint - 20 hours
Internal meetings to discuss the Complaint with multiple attorneys involved - 40 man hours
Legal research on the issues, including drafting of memoranda - 40 man hours
Drafing, revising and finalizing the Answer - 40 hours
Miscellaneous meetings, phone calls, etc. - 10 hours
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I know big firms often overbill their clients, but 80 hours to read and discuss the complaint and make phone calls, and another 40 hours to draft an answer is kind of insane. That's 120 hours to draft an answer -- a full month of billing for one person, to do what would take me no more than a couple days. (I've actually never spent anywhere near two full days on an answer before, but this one is probably more complicated than most. I haven't looked at the complaint.)