Connecticut

  • April 22, 2024

    Conn. Agency Defends Ability To Challenge Judicial Branch

    The Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities' prosecutorial arm has defended its ability to challenge the Connecticut Judicial Branch's handling of an attorney's reinstatement process, arguing the case wouldn't violate the separation of powers between the bodies.

  • April 22, 2024

    11 State AGs Urge Senate To Confirm Mangi For 3rd Circ.

    A group of 11 attorneys general is calling on the Senate to confirm Adeel Mangi, nominee for the Third Circuit, who would be the first federal Muslim appellate judge if confirmed, condemning allegations that he is antisemitic or anti-law enforcement.

  • April 19, 2024

    Timing Of Cigna Workers' Relief Bid Perplexes Conn. Judge

    A Connecticut federal judge wondered Friday if a class of more than 25,000 Cigna workers waited too long to renew a request for an accounting tied to the millions of dollars in underpaid benefits the workers won nearly a decade ago, questioning if the plaintiffs had a right at this stage in the 23-year-old matter to again challenge the company's calculations. 

  • April 19, 2024

    Banking Boss Seeks First Bite In Lawyer-Linked Debt Services

    Connecticut's banking commissioner says a trial court judge misapplied case law by sidelining his authority to investigate complaints against a debt collection operation attached to a law firm, saying his office should be the first to decide whether he or the judicial branch has authority over the matter.

  • April 19, 2024

    Sentence For Pandemic Funds Theft Seems To Split 2nd Circ.

    A three-judge panel of Second Circuit jurists seemed split Friday over whether a Connecticut man's eight-year prison sentence for stealing COVID-19 funds from the city of West Haven was too harsh, with one judge expressing skepticism and two hinting it was likely appropriate.

  • April 19, 2024

    Antitrust Case Judge Reveals Husband's Ties With Apple

    A New Jersey federal magistrate judge assigned to the U.S. Department of Justice's recent iPhone antitrust case disclosed on Friday that her husband has ties to Apple, but told the parties she does not believe she needs to recuse herself.

  • April 19, 2024

    Landlord Says Willkie Partner Can't Dodge Arbitration

    A Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP partner's former landlord asked a Connecticut state judge to force the attorney and his wife back to arbitration in their lease dispute, arguing that they cannot dodge their binding agreement just because the parties' first-choice mediator walked away.

  • April 18, 2024

    Conn. Marketing Co. Says Competitor Poached Top Exec

    Unlock Health Inc. hired away a senior executive at competing healthcare marketing firm Primacy LLC who arrived at his new job with trade secrets from his ex-employer and a plan to lure former clients and co-workers, according to a lawsuit in Connecticut federal court. 

  • April 18, 2024

    Elevance Units Not Fiduciaries Of Union Plans, Court Told

    A lawsuit that two union healthcare funds brought against Elevance Health Inc. and several subsidiaries should be dismissed because it does not plausibly allege that fund money was overspent on medical care and administrative fees, and the defendants did not have fiduciary responsibilities, attorneys told a Connecticut federal judge on Thursday.

  • April 18, 2024

    Software Co. Demoted Worker For Getting Pregnant, Suit Says

    A former sales director has claimed the software company she worked for ran afoul of federal and state laws when it gave away her job while she was on maternity leave and put her in a more junior role when she returned, according to lawsuit filed in Connecticut federal court.

  • April 18, 2024

    Gulf Oil Terminal Sale Spurs Environmental Settlement Talks

    The recent sale of a Gulf Oil shoreline terminal in New Haven, Connecticut, is poised to advance settlement talks in an environmental lawsuit challenging the facility's preparedness for the alleged effects of global warming, according to a federal court hearing held Thursday.

  • April 18, 2024

    Conn. Ethics Office Wants Atty Suspended For Defying Audits

    The office that regulates Connecticut attorneys wants a lawyer with a decadelong history of failing to respond to grievances and information requests to be found in contempt and immediately suspended for failing to comply with a trust account audit.

  • April 17, 2024

    Ex-Frontier CEO Renews $17M Insurance Tax Recoupment Bid

    The former CEO of a Frontier Communications predecessor has filed a signed version of a lawsuit seeking $17.7 million to reimburse money the retired executive says he paid on life insurance policies after the company stopped footing the tax bills.

  • April 17, 2024

    2nd Circ. Won't Revive Investor Fight Over Honeywell Spinoff

    The Second Circuit affirmed Wednesday the dismissal of a proposed securities class action accusing a bankrupt Honeywell transportation business spinoff of misleading investors about significant risks it faced under its asbestos-liability indemnity deal with Honeywell, finding that the spinoff was frank about the uncertainty of its financial future.

  • April 17, 2024

    2nd Circ. Doubts Adidas Appeal In Thom Browne TM Case

    A Second Circuit panel on Wednesday appeared skeptical of Adidas' arguments that a Manhattan district judge gave improper instructions to a jury that shot down its trademark infringement claims against fashion brand Thom Browne, suggesting the lower court had laid out the issues fairly.

  • April 17, 2024

    Managing Partner Pilfered Exiting Atty's Gmail, Regulator Says

    The managing partner of a six-attorney Hartford, Connecticut, personal injury and employment law firm threatened to gin up a criminal probe and ordered downloads from the personal Gmail account of a departing attorney, according to a post-trial brief by disciplinary authorities seeking the partner's one-year suspension.

  • April 17, 2024

    Conn.'s 1st Female Justice Remembered As Trailblazer

    Ellen Ash Peters, the first woman appointed to the Connecticut Supreme Court and, later, the first woman elevated to chief justice, has died at age 94, the Connecticut Judicial Branch confirmed Wednesday.

  • April 17, 2024

    Court Trims Atty Fee Bid For Xerox Workers' $4.1M ERISA Deal

    After a $4.1 million Connecticut ERISA settlement, a federal court has awarded more than $1 million in fees to attorneys who represented a class of nearly 40,000 Xerox workers, determining a one-quarter fee amount was more appropriate than the requested one-third cut.

  • April 17, 2024

    Justices Rule Criminal Forfeiture Deadline Isn't Absolute

    The U.S. Supreme Court held Wednesday that courts can issue forfeiture orders at sentencing in criminal cases even if prosecutors fail to submit a draft request prior to the court-ordered date, ruling noncompliance with the rule doesn't strip judges of the authority to direct defendants to hand over ill-gotten gains.

  • April 16, 2024

    2nd Circ. Frees FDNY From TM Limits In Nonprofit's Suit

    The Second Circuit on Tuesday threw out an injunction barring New York City and its fire department from using the allegedly infringing term "medical special operations," reasoning in the trademark suit that it's too general to be considered an infringement of a nonprofit's name for meetings.

  • April 16, 2024

    Colo. Shooting Case Could Return To State Court, Judge Hints

    A federal judge in Connecticut hinted Tuesday that he might send cases by Colorado mass shooting victims against gunmaker Sturm Ruger & Co. back to state court, noting that only rarely may district court judges hear core state law claims when federal law provides an ingredient in the analysis.

  • April 16, 2024

    Buttigieg, State AGs To Probe Consumer Airline Complaints

    Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Tuesday announced a new partnership with Colorado and over a dozen other states to investigate consumer complaints about air travel, vowing to hold airlines and ticket agents accountable for excessive flight cancellations and unfair business practices.

  • April 16, 2024

    Zuckerberg Dodges Liability In Meta Addiction MDL, For Now

    A California federal judge has tossed certain fraud-by-omission claims seeking to hold Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally liable in sprawling multidistrict litigation over social media platforms' allegedly addictive design, but she allowed the plaintiffs to amend their allegations to assert a new theory of corporate officer liability against Zuckerberg.

  • April 16, 2024

    Sikorsky Calls Chopper Crash Suit 'Beyond' US Court's Power

    Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. is pushing a Pennsylvania federal judge to toss liability claims brought by the families of six Canadian military personnel who died in one of its helicopters, arguing that the witnesses and evidence for the case are in Canada, "beyond the compulsory process of this court."

  • April 15, 2024

    Conn. Court Should Allow Award For PTSD Firing, Agency Says

    Connecticut's state human rights watchdog has urged a state court to uphold a $62,000 award in favor of a Charter Communications worker who says she was fired because she had post-traumatic stress disorder, arguing that the decision followed sound legal principles and the judicial branch should defer to the agency's ruling.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    Newman Suspension Shows Need For Judicial Reform

    Author Photo

    The recent suspension of U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman following her alleged refusal to participate in a disability inquiry reveals the need for judicial misconduct reforms to ensure that judges step down when they can no longer serve effectively, says Aliza Shatzman at The Legal Accountability Project.

  • 3 Personal Jurisdiction Questions Mallory Leaves Unanswered

    Author Photo

    The due process framework that has cabined personal jurisdiction over nationwide and global businesses for the last eight decades looks increasingly precarious after this summer's fractured U.S. Supreme Court decision in Mallory v. Norfolk Southern Railway Co., which left three key questions unanswered, says Andrew Rhys Davies at WilmerHale.

  • Taking A Walk Down Mandamus Lane After 2nd Circ. Ruling

    Author Photo

    The Second Circuit’s recent decision to deny a writ of mandamus, filed by a law firm after a lower court barred it from representing a Salvadoran oil company, adds to the nuanced and sometimes conflicting mandamus case law that requires careful research before litigants seek appellate review, says Michael Soyfer at Quinn Emanuel.

  • Conn. Insurers Should Note Stricter Market Exit Oversight

    Author Photo

    The Connecticut Insurance Department recently issued a bulletin that reflects a unique and stricter approach to insurers' market withdrawals and reductions in property and casualty business, making clear that it will not assess compliance based on an insurer's intent, but on the effect of the insurer's actions, says Elizabeth Retersdorf at Day Pitney.

  • How And Why Your Firm Should Implement Fixed-Fee Billing

    Author Photo

    Amid rising burnout in the legal industry and client efforts to curtail spending, pivoting to a fixed-fee billing model may improve client-attorney relationships and offer lawyers financial, logistical and stress relief — while still maintaining profit margins, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.

  • Why Standing Analysis Is Key In Data Breach Mediation

    Author Photo

    Amid a growing wave of data breach class action litigation, recent legal developments show shifting criteria for Article III standing based on an increased risk of future identity theft, meaning parties must integrate assessments of standing into mediation discussions to substantiate their settlement demands in data breach class actions, says Abe Melamed at Signature Resolution.

  • Series

    Conn. Banking Brief: The Notable Compliance Updates In Q3

    Author Photo

    The most notable legal changes affecting Connecticut financial institutions in the third quarter of 2023 included increased regulatory protections for consumers, an expansion of state financial assistance for underserved communities, and a panoply of tweaks to existing laws, says Brian Rich at Barclay Damon.

  • Opinion

    Judicial Independence Needs Defense Amid Political Threats

    Author Photo

    Amid recent and historic challenges to the judiciary from political forces, safeguarding judicial independence and maintaining the integrity of the legal system is increasingly urgent, says Robert Peck at the Center for Constitutional Litigation.

  • How Law Firms Can Use Account-Based Marketing Strategies

    Author Photo

    Amid several evolving legal industry trends, account-based marketing can help law firms uncover additional revenue-generating opportunities with existing clients, with key considerations ranging from data analytics to relationship building, say Jennifer Ramsey at stage LLC and consultant Gina Sponzilli.

  • Cos. Must Reassess Retaliation Risk As 2nd. Circ. Lowers Bar

    Author Photo

    After a recent Second Circuit decision broadened the federal standard for workplace retaliation, employers should reinforce their nondiscrimination and complaint-handling policies to help management anticipate and monitor worker grievances that could give rise to such claims, says Thomas Eron at Bond Schoeneck.

  • AGs' Distaste For Food Bill May Signal Other State Issues

    Author Photo

    States' recent opposition to a proposed federal law that would block them from regulating out-of-state agricultural production could affect issues beyond this narrow debate, such as the balance of state and federal regulatory power, reproductive rights post-Dobbs, and energy production and water use, say Christopher Allen and Stephen Cobb at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Strategic Succession Planning At Law Firms Is Crucial

    Author Photo

    Senior partners' reluctance to retire, the rise of the nonequity partner tier and generational differences in expectations are all contributing to an increasing number of departures from BigLaw, making it imperative for firms to encourage retirement among senior ranks and provide clearer leadership pathways to junior attorneys, says Laura Leopard at Leopard Solutions.

  • Justices Could Use Purdue To Resolve Related Circuit Split

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court will soon hear Harrington v. Purdue Pharma to determine the validity of nonconsensual third-party releases in bankruptcy, but justices should also take the opportunity to resolve a related circuit split over the constitutional authority of bankruptcy judges to issue final rulings on such releases, says Benjamin Feder at Kelley Drye.

  • 2nd Circ. OT Ruling Guides On Pay For Off-The-Clock Work

    Author Photo

    While the Second Circuit’s recent holding in Perry v. City of New York reiterated that the Fair Labor Standards Act obligates employers to pay overtime for off-the-clock work, it recognized circumstances, such as an employee’s failure to report, that allow an employer to disclaim the knowledge element that triggers this obligation, say Robert Whitman and Kyle Winnick at Seyfarth.

  • Maximizing Law Firm Profitability In Uncertain Times

    Author Photo

    As threats of an economic downturn loom, firms can boost profits by embracing the power of bottom-line management and creating an ecosystem where strategic financial oversight and robust timekeeping practices meet evolved client relations, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Connecticut archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!