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Energy
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April 03, 2024
Gov't Says Alaska Gold Mine Approvals Should Stand
The U.S. government is defending its approvals for a large open-pit gold mine along the Kuskokwim River in southwest Alaska, telling a federal judge a half dozen tribes challenging them fail to show that agencies did not take the required "hard look" at project impacts.
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April 03, 2024
Top 10 Deals Of Q1 Led By GE Energy Spinoff, Capital One
It may be wishful thinking to imagine that earlier hopes for a major rebound in 2024 mergers and acquisitions activity will pan out, but by many indications the year was at least off to a better start than 2023.
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April 03, 2024
Oil Company Says Judge's Recusal Not Needed In Cartel Suits
Pioneer Natural Resources Co. fired back at gasoline buyers' attempt to recuse a Nevada federal judge from the parties' antitrust litigation over her stock ownership in ExxonMobil Corp., arguing that the company isn't a party to the case, and that the litigation should be transferred to Texas.
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April 03, 2024
Akin Adds Former Hunton Energy Leader In Houston
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP announced Wednesday that it has bulked up its Houston roster with a partner who previously led the energy transactions practice at Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP.
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April 02, 2024
Gas Tycoon Owes $100M To UBS, Lenders After Trial Loss
Energy titan Charif Souki owes more than $100 million to lenders, including a fund managed by a UBS division, a U.S. bankruptcy judge has ruled, rejecting Souki's claims that his lenders recklessly sold off collateral posted for the loan, including a luxury yacht, a Colorado ranch and shares of his liquefied natural gas export business Tellurian Inc.
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April 02, 2024
3rd Circ. Preview: Black Lung, Back Pay On Tap In April
The Third Circuit this month will consider Keystone Coal Mining Co.'s contention that a lower court erred in deeming a miner's black lung a "total disability," while a shuttered rehabilitation facility has asked the court to undo the National Labor Relations Board's determination that it owes unionized employees back pay and bonuses for work done during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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April 02, 2024
Utility Cos. Must Face Uri MDL Gross Negligence Claims
Transmission and distribution utility providers can't escape allegations they were grossly negligent in cutting off power to Texans during winter storm Uri, a Texas state appeals court ruled Tuesday in an opinion that keeps intact only two claims against the companies in the multidistrict litigation created to handle consumer actions from the severe weather event.
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April 02, 2024
Tesla Pushed On La. Antitrust Claims In 5th Circ.
Tesla Inc.'s claims that Louisiana car dealers and regulators illegally excluded the direct-sale automaker from the state's market met a Fifth Circuit panel Tuesday that questioned how the case might be impacted by a Pelican State probe into the company's allegedly unlawful conduct.
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April 02, 2024
Insurer Sues For Oxbow Director Legal Fees In Crestview Suit
An insurer for two former Oxbow Carbon LLC directors sued the company in Delaware's Court of Chancery on Monday seeking recovery of millions paid to defend the pair in a long-running battle dating to 2016 over investor efforts to force a sale of the multifaceted energy company.
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April 02, 2024
4 Mass. Rulings You May Have Missed In March
A former Harvard Business School professor who was denied tenure after his angry emails to a restaurant went viral was among the winners from a slate of recent Massachusetts state court decisions, which also addressed claims about "forever chemicals" in firefighting gear and a popular gym shut down during the pandemic.
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April 02, 2024
Ohio Regulator Urges Justices To Review FERC Deadlock Rule
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review the Third Circuit's decision upholding a rule change from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that took effect despite a commissioner deadlock, arguing that the appellate court didn't apply a fitting standard.
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April 02, 2024
Adams And Reese Can't Use Free Speech Law To Avoid Suit
In finding that a Texas free speech law does not shield Adams and Reese LLP from a malpractice suit brought by an electrical subcontractor, a state appellate court said Tuesday that it was the law firm's alleged "failures to communicate" that is at issue.
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April 02, 2024
Former Trump EPA Leader Joins Holland & Hart In DC
Holland & Hart LLP has added the leader of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Trump administration to its Washington, D.C., office as part of the firm's strategic growth in the country's capital.
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April 02, 2024
3 Firms Guide Safety Testing Group UL's Estimated $770M IPO
Safety science company UL Solutions Inc. on Tuesday unveiled a price range for an estimated $770 million initial public offering under the guidance of three law firms, marking the third company to launch IPO plans this week.
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April 02, 2024
Another Judge Says Feds Overstepped With GHG Rule
A Kentucky federal judge has sided with Kentucky and 20 other Republican-led states, ruling that the Federal Highway Administration overstepped its authority with a rule directing states to set targets for reducing carbon dioxide emissions from federally funded highway projects.
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April 02, 2024
20 Republican-Led States Urge Justices To Ax Climate Suits
A coalition of 20 Republican-led states and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, along with eight others, have thrown their support behind fossil fuel companies in asking the U.S. Supreme Court to put an end to climate change torts lodged by state and local governments.
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April 02, 2024
Latham-Led SLB To Buy ChampionX In $7.8B All-Stock Deal
Energy-focused global technology company SLB and chemistry solutions provider ChampionX Corp. said Tuesday they have agreed for SLB to purchase ChampionX in an all-stock transaction worth nearly $7.8 billion.
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April 01, 2024
Intel Hid Chip Production Delays From Investors, 9th Circ. Told
Intel investors urged the Ninth Circuit on Monday to revive a proposed class action alleging that the tech giant hid problems with the production of its highly anticipated new computer processors, arguing that Intel repeatedly assured investors that production was "on track," even when Intel management allegedly knew Intel wouldn't meet certain deadlines.
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April 01, 2024
Chinese Investment Fund Looks To Enforce $4.4M Award
A Chinese investment fund has asked a California federal court to enforce a $4.4 million arbitral award against a businessman, saying he reneged on his promise to acquire a stake in an energy management company and now won't appear before an arbitration tribunal.
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April 01, 2024
States Want Justices To Send Ozone Fight Back To 10th Circ.
Oklahoma, Utah and a coalition of industry groups are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to declare that their fight over compliance with federal ozone standards belongs in the Tenth Circuit, not the D.C. Circuit.
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April 01, 2024
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
Last week, Delaware's Court of Chancery saw a $42.5 million settlement, dismissal of two big suits with two more remanded back, and new cases from shareholders of Walt Disney, Donald Trump's Truth Social, Rivian Automotive and BarkBox.
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April 01, 2024
Shell Ordered To Hand Over Docs In Conn. Climate Dispute
Shell Oil Co. must hand over several documents by the end of April in litigation concerning the company's alleged failure to take into account climate change risks at a fuel storage facility in New Haven, Connecticut, a federal magistrate judge has ruled in an attempt to end the parties' long-running discovery dispute.
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April 01, 2024
Tribe, Allies Defend Standing To Fight Corps' Fish Farm Permit
The Army Corps of Engineers is trying to "muddy the water" to fend off a challenge to a nationwide permit opening ocean waters to aquaculture operations, failing to justify why the permit shouldn't be scrapped, the Quinault Indian Nation and nonprofit allies have told a Washington federal judge.
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April 01, 2024
BNSF Says Tribe Can't Claim $1.3B For Oil Train Trespassings
BNSF Railway Co. has asserted a Washington tribe is not entitled to $1.3 billion for the shipping of crude oil across its reservation for nearly a decade, arguing the tribe wants to strip railroad profits from a 1,500-mile route when the illegal trespassing occurred across an easement less than a mile long.
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April 01, 2024
AIG Unit Can't Toss Conn. Utility's $3M Defense Cost Bid
An AIG unit can't escape the Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative's third-party suit seeking to recoup $3 million in legal expenses, a Connecticut federal court ruled, saying the cooperative has standing to pursue coverage on behalf of its former CEO who was convicted of stealing public funds.
Expert Analysis
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Series
The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Espinosa On 'Lincoln Lawyer'
The murder trials in Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer” illustrate the stark contrast between the ethical high ground that fosters and maintains the criminal justice system's integrity, and the ethical abyss that can undermine it, with an important reminder for all legal practitioners, say Judge Adam Espinosa and Andrew Howard at the Colorado 2nd Judicial District Court.
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Calif. GHG Disclosure Law Will Affect Companies Worldwide
California's Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act, which will require comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions disclosures from large companies operating in the state, will mean compliance challenges for a wide range of industries, nationally and globally, as the law's requirements will ultimately trickle out and down, say attorneys at Brownstein Hyatt.
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What ESG Investing Ruling Means For Fiduciaries
A Texas federal court’s recent ruling — upholding a U.S. Department of Labor rule allowing retirement plan fiduciaries to consider ESG factors in certain investment decisions — provides welcome clarity for plans governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act that have long been buffeted by partisan noise and misinformation, say attorneys at Covington.
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New DOJ Roles Underscore National Security Focus
The U.S. Department of Justice’s recent creation of two new leadership positions signals to the private sector that federal law enforcement is pouring resources into corporate investigations to identify potential national security violations, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.
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Louisiana's Toxic Tort Barrier May Be Weakening
Louisiana's short prescriptive period to bring a survival action has long served as an important barrier against toxic tort claims, but the plaintiffs bar will likely rely on the recent Fifth Circuit decision in Jack v. Evonik to argue that anyone who arguably suffered injury based on exposure to some toxic substance may have a claim, say attorneys at Kirkland.
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Opinion
Newman Suspension Shows Need For Judicial Reform
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.
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How 2 Cases Could Undermine The Anti-ESG Movement
A decision from a federal court in Texas and another case currently making its way through Missouri federal court signal an emerging judicial recognition of the link between environmental, social and governance considerations and maximizing financial returns, say Amy Roy and Robert Skinner at Ropes & Gray.
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EPA Report A Reminder That Fuel Credits Are 'Buyer Beware'
A recent report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Inspector General is a reminder that fraud risk in the renewable fuel identification number market remains, and that purchasers are ultimately responsible for ensuring the validity of credits they buy, say David McIndoe and Nick Hillman at Eversheds Sutherland.
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Considerations And Calculations For DOJ Clawback Program
The U.S. Department of Justice’s clawback pilot program announced earlier this year presents numerous questions for businesses, and both hypothetical and recent real-world examples capture how companies’ cost-benefit analyses about whether to claw back compensation in exchange for penalty reductions may differ, say Yogesh Bahl and Jonathan Hecht at Resolution Economics.
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Extreme Weather And Renewable Project Insurance Coverage
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
The regularity and severity of extreme weather events driven by climate change are putting renewable energy projects increasingly at risk — so project owners, contractors and investors should understand the issues that can arise in these situations when seeking recovery under a builder's risk insurance policy, say Paul Ferland and Joshua Tumen at Cozen O'Connor.
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Series
ESG Around The World: Japan
Japan is witnessing rapid developments in environmental, social and corporate governance policies by making efforts to adopt a soft law approach, which has been effective in encouraging companies to embrace ESG practices and address the diversity of boards of directors, say Akira Karasawa and Landry Guesdon at Iwata Godo.
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How And Why Your Firm Should Implement Fixed-Fee Billing
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.
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A Case For The Green Investment Regime Under The ECT
The EU and U.K.'s potential plans to exit the Energy Charter Treaty, which has been criticized as protecting fossil fuel investments to the detriment of energy transition, ignore the significant strides taken to modernize the treaty and its ability to promote investment in cleaner energy forms, say Amy Frey and Simon Maynard at King & Spalding.
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Opinion
Judicial Independence Needs Defense Amid Political Threats
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.
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ESG Accountability: From Reactive To Proactive
As more standards bodies and regulators develop and release their rules for sustainability and climate disclosures, organizations have an opportunity to establish leadership and unlock opportunities by making proactive commitments to tracking and reporting on environmental, social and governance issues, says Anthony Campanelli at Deloitte.