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May 10, 2024
FINRA Fines Merrill Lynch $825K Over Supervisory Failures
Merrill Lynch has agreed to be censured and pay an $825,000 fine to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority to resolve claims that it failed to establish and maintain certain supervisory procedures and comply with recordkeeping requirements.
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May 10, 2024
Cohen Urged To Stop Trashing Trump As Testimony Nears
The Manhattan judge overseeing Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial made clear Friday that he wants star witness Michael Cohen to stop talking publicly about the charges as the former president's erstwhile attorney prepares to take the stand as soon as Monday.
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May 10, 2024
Jury Says Microsoft Owes $242M For Infringing IPA Patent
A Delaware federal jury on Friday found that Microsoft infringed a trio of claims in a patent initially issued to a company that developed Apple's Siri software, handing the patent owner $242 million.
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May 10, 2024
Calif. May Allow Judges To Work Remotely In Civil Matters
California's Judicial Council next week will consider amending court rules to allow judges to preside remotely over civil proceedings from a location other than a courtroom.
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May 10, 2024
Pepperidge Farm Drivers Not Employees, 3rd Circ. Affirms
Three delivery drivers for Pepperidge Farm are independent contractors, not employees, and thus cannot sue the company for state wage and hour law violations, a Third Circuit panel ruled Friday, saying the drivers' daily responsibilities make it clear they are self-employed.
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May 10, 2024
GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week
Help for lawyers in dealing with legal data challenges has come, thanks to corporate and law firm leaders who founded a new industry framework called Legal Data Intelligence. And at least one U.S. senator is questioning Amazon and Walmart's use of new tech to create "dynamic pricing" that may harm consumers.
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May 10, 2024
5th Circ. Upholds SEC Proxy Rule On ESG Disclosures
The Fifth Circuit on Friday threw out a legal challenge to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission requirement that will make it easier for investors to identify ESG issues on corporate ballots, saying that suing states like Texas haven't proven that they'll be financially harmed by the measure.
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May 10, 2024
Nationstar Mortgage Wants To Escape 'Junk Fee' Suit
Nationstar Mortgage LLC has asked a Washington federal judge to toss a proposed class action alleging it illegally charged homeowners a "junk fee" for written payoff quotes, saying the suit's claims fail because expedited payoff fees are not unlawful and do not breach the terms of the relevant loan agreements.
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May 10, 2024
Financial Tech Co. Wants New Trial In $7.8M Breach Suit
A financial technology company ordered to pay more than $7.8 million to an Atlanta-area capital recruiting firm for violating an agreement to pay the recruiter to connect it with investors has asked a Georgia federal judge for either a new trial or judgment as a matter of law.
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May 10, 2024
6th Circ. Backs NLRB In Union Rep. Discipline Case
A tape manufacturer's decision to punish two Michigan employees for not adequately cleaning their work areas was motivated by animus toward their actions as a union steward and a union committee member, the Sixth Circuit found, upholding a National Labor Relations Board ruling.
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May 10, 2024
2 Firms Guide United Bankshares On $267M Piedmont Buy
Bowles Rice LLP and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP are representing United Bankshares Inc. on a $267 million agreement to buy Georgia-based Piedmont Bancorp Inc., which the lenders disclosed Friday and said marks United's 34th acquisition.
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May 10, 2024
Exxon Hit With $725M Verdict In Benzene Exposure Suit
A Philadelphia jury has awarded $725.5 million to a New York service station mechanic for his claims that Exxon Mobil Corp. failed to warn consumers about the health risks of benzene in its products, and that his exposure to the chemical was responsible for his leukemia diagnosis.
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May 10, 2024
The Week In Trump: All Eyes On NY As Other Cases Lag
Donald Trump's Manhattan hush money trial took center stage with dramatic testimony from adult film actress Stormy Daniels, while the former president's criminal cases in Georgia and Florida ran into delays that could last through Election Day.
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May 09, 2024
Amazon Shakes Wash. Suit Premised On Calif. Wiretap Claims
A Washington federal judge has tossed a putative class action accusing Amazon.com Inc. of unlawfully recording chat conversations with consumers, finding that the plaintiff couldn't sustain a suit containing only California claims because the e-commerce giant's usage agreement makes clear that Washington law governs such disputes.
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May 09, 2024
Google Slams Maps Antitrust Suit As 'Cut-And-Paste Job'
Google's counsel urged a California federal judge Thursday to permanently toss a proposed antitrust class action over its Maps product, calling the complaint a "cut-and-paste job" from a 2020 House report and accusing plaintiffs of "trying to gin up an antitrust claim" where one doesn't exist.
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May 09, 2024
Maryland Enacts Data Privacy, Kids' Digital Safety Laws
Maryland's governor on Thursday signed data privacy legislation that strictly limits the personal information that companies can collect from consumers and a separate bill to boost online safeguards for children that's modeled after a California bill that's currently embroiled in a constitutional challenge.
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May 09, 2024
FTC Urges High Court To Reject Challenge To $5.2M Award
The Federal Trade Commission has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reject a credit monitoring company's challenge to a $5.2 million refund award the federal agency won on behalf of a class of consumers, arguing the award is authorized under the Federal Trade Commission Act.
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May 09, 2024
AI-Created Database Isn't Copyrightable, Job Search Co. Says
Job searching platform Tarta.ai has urged a California federal judge to toss a suit accusing it of stealing rival Jobiak LLC's automated database and using it for its own job postings, arguing that Jobiak's website is not subject to copyright protection because it's powered by artificial intelligence.
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May 09, 2024
Amazon, Walmart Face Dem Questions Over 'Dynamic Pricing'
Senate Banking Committee Chair Sherrod Brown on Thursday raised concerns to Amazon and Walmart about corporations hiking prices by exploiting customer data and pricing algorithms, saying it undermines consumers' ability to comparison shop and save money.
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May 09, 2024
Walmart Slips Out Of $1.3M Judgment In Icy Slip-And-Fall Suit
A New Jersey state appeals court overturned a jury verdict and $1.3 million judgment awarded to a woman who slipped and fell at a Walmart parking lot, saying the trial judge was required to tell the jury about the state high court's ongoing storm rule.
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May 09, 2024
FTC Says Handbag Cos. Have Info Needed To Defend $8B Deal
The Federal Trade Commission assailed Tapestry and Capri on Wednesday for demanding more details on the market allegedly threatened by their planned $8.5 billion merger, which would pair the parent company of Coach and Kate Spade with that of Versace and Michael Kors, arguing the firms have the information they need.
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May 09, 2024
11th Circ. Urged To Reconsider Ruling In Cancer Cluster Case
A group of Florida families asked the Eleventh Circuit on Thursday to reconsider its decision affirming a jury verdict that found defense contractor Pratt & Whitney was not liable for a cancer cluster near the company's former rocket testing site, arguing that the panel affirmed a legally deficient verdict form.
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May 09, 2024
High Court Leaves Discovery Rule Question For Another Day
The U.S. Supreme Court's majority opinion Thursday that plaintiffs in copyright ownership disputes can recover damages past the three-year statute of limitations could lead to an increase in claims for infringing acts that occurred decades before, while leaving uncertainty about whether the so-called discovery rule that widened the time window for claims even exists, according to attorneys.
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May 09, 2024
9th Circ. Revives Northrop Retirees' Putative Class Action
The Ninth Circuit on Thursday once again resurrected a proposed class action accusing Northrop Grumman of misinforming retirees about their pension benefits, ruling that the retirees have plausibly alleged that they received inaccurate benefit statements.
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May 09, 2024
Tesla Illegally Imposed Tech Policy In Buffalo, NLRB GC Says
National Labor Relations Board prosecutors accused Tesla of having an illegal policy to dissuade workers from unionizing at its Buffalo, New York, manufacturing plant, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by Law360 on Thursday, with agency prosecutors seeking a nationwide posting of workers' rights.
Expert Analysis
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6 Pointers For Attys To Build Trust, Credibility On Social Media
In an era of information overload, attorneys can use social media strategically — from making infographics to leveraging targeted advertising — to cut through the noise and establish a reputation among current and potential clients, says Marly Broudie at SocialEyes Communications.
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Cos. Must Know How NY, Federal LLC Disclosure Laws Differ
Though New York state's new LLC Transparency Act and the federal Corporate Transparency Act impose similar beneficial owner reporting obligations on limited liability companies, New York LLCs should study the important differences between the laws to ensure they are prepared to comply with both, say Abram Ellis, Olenka Burghardt and Jane Jho at Simpson Thacher.
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Opinion
Biden Admin's March-In Plan Would Hurt Medical Innovation
The Biden administration's proposal to reinterpret the Bayh-Dole Act and allow the government to claw back patents when it determines that a commercialized product's price is too high would discourage private investment in important research and development, says Ken Thorpe at the Rollins School of Public Health.
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9 Considerations For Divestitures, Carveouts And Spinouts
Amid new economic optimism, data protection, transitional services and seven other considerations can help legal practitioners untangle complex divestitures, carveouts and spinouts to unlock value for corporate sellers, say Kimberly Petillo-Décossard and Kristen Rohr at White & Case.
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Why Fla. High Court Adopting Apex Doctrine Is Monumental
The Florida Supreme Court recently solidified the apex doctrine in the Sunshine State, an important development that extends the scope of the doctrine in the state to include both corporate and government officials, and formalizes the requirements for a high-level corporate official to challenge a request for a deposition, says Laura Renstrom at Holland & Knight.
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5 Lessons For SaaS Companies After Blackbaud Data Breach
Looking at the enforcement actions that software-as-a-service provider Blackbaud resolved with state attorneys general, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Trade Commission in the past year can help SaaS companies manage these increasingly common forms of data breaches, say attorneys at Orrick.
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Key Lessons After A Rare R&W Insurance Ruling
The recent New York state court decision in Novolex Holdings v. Illinois Union Insurance is noteworthy as one of the rare judicial opinions arising in the context of representations and warranties insurance, serving to remind parties entering into R&W insurance policies that they may not be immune from some doctrines unfavorable to insurers, say attorneys at Kramer Levin.
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Del. Ruling Stands Out In Thorny Noncompete Landscape
In Cantor Fitzgerald v. Ainslie, the Delaware Supreme Court last month upheld the enforceability of forfeiture-for-competition provisions in limited partnership agreements, providing a noteworthy opinion amid a time of increasing disfavor toward noncompetes and following a string of Chancery Court rulings deeming them unreasonable, say Margaret Butler and Steven Goldberg at BakerHostetler.
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: February Lessons
In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses five notable circuit court decisions on topics from property taxes to veteran's rights — and provides key takeaways for counsel on issues including class representative intervention, wage-and-hour dispute evidence and ascertainability requirements.
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A Refresher On Witness Testimony In 3 Key Settings
The recent controversy over congressional testimony from university presidents about antisemitism on campus serves as a reminder to attorneys about what to emphasize and avoid when preparing witnesses to testify before Congress, and how this venue differs from grand jury and trial proceedings, say Jack Sharman and Tyler Yarbrough at Lightfoot Franklin.
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A Post-Mortem Analysis Of Stroock's Demise
After the dissolution of 147-year-old firm Stroock late last year shook up the legal world, a post-mortem analysis of the data reveals a long list of warning signs preceding the firm’s collapse — and provides some insight into how other firms might avoid the same disastrous fate, says Craig Savitzky at Leopard Solutions.
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Reassessing Trade Secrets Amid Proposed Noncompete Ban
The Federal Trade Commission's proposed ban on noncompete agreements as well as state bans make it prudent for businesses to reevaluate and reinvigorate approaches to trade secret protection, including knowing what information employees are providing to vendors, and making sure confidentiality agreements are put in place before information is shared, says Rob Jensen at Wolf Greenfield.
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Opinion
Exxon Court Should Clarify Shareholder Proposal Exclusion
ExxonMobil last month took the unusual action of asking a Texas federal judge whether a proposal from climate activists seeking to limit oil and gas sales could be excluded from its 2024 proxy statement, and the court should use this opportunity to reevaluate SEC policy and set clear limits on when shareholder proposals can be included, says Stephen Bainbridge at UCLA School of Law.
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Mitigating The Risk Of Post-Closing M&A Earnout Disputes
Today's uncertain deal environment makes a well-crafted earnout an excellent way for parties to accomplish a desired transaction that would not otherwise occur, but transacting parties also need to take key steps to avoid the risk of post-closing disputes that earnouts can present, say Chad Barton and Claire Lydiard at Holland & Knight.
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Understanding SEC's Focus Amid Lack Of Final AI Rules
Although the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's proposed rules to govern artificial intelligence are likely far from being finalized, understanding existing regulatory provisions that could address AI risks with respect to development, disclosure, compliance and data protection could help firms anticipate and avoid pitfalls, say attorneys at Skadden.