Top Stories

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  USPTO Head To Take Over Patent Review Institution Decisions

  By Ryan Davis

  John Squires, director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, said Friday that he will now make all decisions ...(read more)

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  Utah Fires Motley Rice From Opioid Case

  By Jack Karp

  The state of Utah has fired Motley Rice LLC from representing it in long-running litigation over the opioid cris...(read more)

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• Venezuela's PDVSA Ordered To Pay $2.86B To Bondholders

  By Rae Ann Varona

  A New York federal judge Friday ordered Venezuela's state-owned oil firm Petróleos de Venezuela SA to pay $2.86 billion to bondholders, after ruling last month that defaulted Venezuelan bonds were validly issued under the South American country's laws.

• LA County Commits An Added $828M For Sex Abuse Victims

  By Hailey Konnath

  Los Angeles County Friday said it has tentatively agreed to shell out an additional $828 million to settle hundreds of cases alleging childhood sexual abuse that occurred in county facilities, an amount that follows a $4 billion settlement announced earlier this year.

• Angels Couldn't Oversee Pitcher The Night He OD'd, Jury Told

  By Gina Kim

  A former Los Angeles Angels communications executive told a California federal jury Friday that the team had no ability to control or oversee pitcher Tyler Skaggs and the staffer who supplied him with drugs on the night Skaggs overdosed because both employees were off duty at the time.

• Fragrance Co. Cuts $26M 'Icebreaker' Deal In Price-Fixing Suit

  By Dorothy Atkins

  A proposed class of direct purchasers asked a New Jersey federal judge Friday to preliminarily sign off on International Flavors and Fragrances Inc.'s $26 million settlement, the first "icebreaker" deal cut in sprawling price-fixing antitrust litigation against four major fragrance ingredient makers.

• Audible Users Blocked From Using Calif. Law In Privacy Row

  By Allison Grande

  A pair of Audible customers can't sustain claims that the audiobook provider violated California's wiretap law on allegations it shared their browsing and listening activities with Meta Platforms Inc. because they agreed to litigate any disputes under Washington law when they signed up for the service, a federal judge in Seattle held in tossing the proposed class action for now.

• Jury Clears Disney Unit Of Bias In '9-1-1' Actor's Vax Firing

  By Craig Clough

  A California federal jury cleared a Disney-owned television unit of religious discrimination Friday for firing an actor from the ABC show "9-1-1" after he refused to receive a COVID-19 vaccination in 2021, finding he did not sincerely hold a religious belief opposing vaccinations. 

• Trump Orders Truck Tariffs, Expands Auto Rebate Program

  By Dylan Moroses

  President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday to begin anticipated tariffs on heavy and medium trucks on Nov. 1, while expanding a program that domestic auto manufacturers are already utilizing for rebates to existing tariffs on auto vehicles.

• Altria, Juul May Face Certified 'Frankenstein' Antitrust Class

  By Bonnie Eslinger

  A California federal judge indicated on Friday that he will likely certify classes of direct and indirect purchasers accusing e-cigarette makers Juul and ex-rival Altria of violating antitrust laws by conspiring to reduce product variety on the market, although Altria's lawyer urged the judge to reconsider and avoid a "Frankeinstein" for damage calculations.

• Texas Youth Join Big Tech In Challenging New App Store Law

  By Hailey Konnath

  Advocacy group Students Engaged in Advancing Texas has joined tech industry giants in challenging the Lone Star State's new law requiring app store owners to verify users' ages and block minors from downloads and purchases without parental consent, arguing the measure illegally imposes restrictions on protected speech and information.

• Trump Urges Top Court To Lift Ill. Guard Deployment Ban

  By Tom Lotshaw

  The Trump administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court Friday to pause a court order barring it from sending the National Guard to Chicago, asserting the judge had no business impeding the president's decision that troops are needed to protect federal immigration agents there.

• Insys Ex-CEO Babich Agrees To $30M Trustee Deal In Del.

  By Jeff Montgomery

  Former Insys Therapeutics CEO Michael Babich has consented to a $30 million settlement amid a bankruptcy trustee's efforts to recover tens of millions in damages from company officials tied to Insys' aggressive marketing of the opioid painkiller Subsys, according to a Delaware Court of Chancery settlement filed early on Friday.

• Investment Firm Founder Indicted On Alleged $500M Scheme

  By Sydney Price

  The co-founder of two Florida-based investment firms has been accused by federal prosecutors and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission of defrauding lenders and investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars with false representations about the firms' financial success and assets.