Environmental

April 08, 2024
Feds Can't Believe Steel Factory Doesn't Know Own Directors

The U.S. government told a Michigan federal judge that a steel input manufacturer can't try to avoid questions about business decisions by claiming it can't identify company leaders, asking the judge to make the factory answer key inquiries about its practices when it sought to remove oven gas limits.
April 08, 2024
Hogan Lovells Recruits 3M Atty In DC Amid PFAS Focus

A former U.S. Department of Justice trial attorney has joined Hogan Lovells in Washington, D.C., from 3M Co. as businesses face growing regulatory scrutiny and litigation over chemicals known as PFAS, the firm announced Monday.
April 05, 2024
Bayer Verdict In Mo. Roundup Cases Reduced To $611M

A Missouri state judge has significantly reduced the $1.56 billion jury verdict awarded to three people who claimed their cancer was caused by Bayer unit Monsanto Co.'s Roundup weedkiller, cutting the damages awarded to just $611 million.
April 05, 2024
Baltimore Bridge: Biden's Visit, Recovery, Supply Chain

Nearly two weeks after the Francis Scott Key Bridge's collapse, government and legal maneuvers are taking shape as the Biden administration pledged to fully reopen the Port of Baltimore before June, while the owner and operator of the ship that caused the collapse sought to limit its financial liability.
April 05, 2024
Colo. Judge Rejects Coal Mine's Water Permit Challenge

A Colorado state judge upheld a state environmental agency's decision to require a coal mine to monitor and limit water pollution from a series of stormwater discharge sources flowing into the North Fork Gunnison River, finding evidence that the discharge sources are connected to the mine's industrial activity.
April 05, 2024
DeSantis Directs Gambling Funds Toward Conservation Efforts

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation providing $150 million for state water infrastructure improvements and directed most of the revenue generated from the state's gambling compact with the Seminole Tribe to conservation efforts, including trail management, invasive species removal and Everglades restoration.
April 05, 2024
Crow Tribe Can Hunt In Bighorn National Forest In Wyoming

A Wyoming federal judge has upheld the Crow Tribe of Indians' right to hunt in the Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming, following a Tenth Circuit decision that vacated and remanded his earlier ruling that the tribe's treaty rights had been extinguished by Wyoming's 1890 statehood.
April 05, 2024
Utah Says It Stands To Lose Big In BLM Oil Lease Challenge

Utah is asking a federal judge for permission to defend the Bureau of Land Management's decision to sell oil and gas leases on more than 200,000 acres of public land, an action under legal attack from environmental groups.
April 05, 2024
Arkema Hit Again With Suit By Residents Over Texas Chemical Fire

Hundreds of Texas residents near an Arkema Inc. chemical plant have accused the company in state court of exposing them to toxic fire during a hurricane almost seven years ago, in a suit filed just months after a federal court approved a multimillion-dollar deal to settle similar allegations.
April 05, 2024
Carl Sagan Co. Says It Owns Astronomer's Rights In TM Fight

A company managing the works of famed astronomer Carl Sagan said it has the rights to the scientist's name and likeness, telling a Michigan federal judge that it has the standing to sue a software company for allegedly using Sagan's name without permission.
April 05, 2024
Miner Faces Mounting Financial Woes After Failed Arbitration

Nearly a month after losing its $4.4 billion arbitration against Romania over a blocked gold and silver mining project, Canadian mining company Gabriel Resources said Thursday that it's facing a major cash crunch as it continues to weigh its options to try to revive its claims.
April 05, 2024
NJ Recycler's Fire Damage Suit To Remain In NJ, Judge Rules

A New Jersey federal judge declined to move a paper recycler's fire coverage dispute to New York, but did agree to toss one of its claims against its insurer, finding the recycler's declaratory judgment and breach of contract claims were duplicative.
April 05, 2024
Insurers Fight Kidde-Fenwal's Bid For Coverage Of Foam Suits

Two AIG units and another insurer have told a Delaware bankruptcy court it should reject fire-suppression company Kidde-Fenwal Inc.'s bid to secure their coverage for a bevy of underlying suits alleging the company exposed those plaintiffs to so-called forever chemicals via its production of firefighting foam.
April 05, 2024
Solar Company Hit With TCPA Suit After $13.8M FTC Fine

Months after the Federal Trade Commission slapped lead generation firm Solar Xchange with a $13.8 million fine for sending out millions of pestering calls to people on the National Do-Not-Call Registry, one recipient of those calls has filed suit in Massachusetts federal court to seek his own recompense.
April 05, 2024
Homeowners' Energy Efficient Rebates Not Income, IRS Says

The U.S. Department of Energy rebates awarded to taxpayers who bought an energy efficient home or retrofitted their current residence to reduce energy consumption won't need to be reported in the property owner's gross income, the IRS announced Friday.
April 05, 2024
Green Energy Co. Duped Investors Out Of $40M, Suit Says

A proposed class of investors has hit a purported Chicago green energy outfit and its executives with a federal suit claiming they used promises of extravagant returns to get the plaintiffs to invest but never created any energy or produced the returns they promised.
April 05, 2024
5th Circ. Won't Touch Texas Oil Export Terminal License

The Fifth Circuit has rejected environmentalists' attempt to undo federal approval for a deepwater oil export terminal off Texas' Gulf Coast, finding the U.S. Coast Guard adequately considered the environmental consequences of the facility in its environmental assessment.
April 05, 2024
Utility Atty Who Advised Google JV Opens Environmental Firm

An attorney who advised a Google joint venture on a group of master-planned communities and a California utility on billions of dollars in infrastructure work has launched boutique firm Forrest Environmental Law.
April 05, 2024
US Gas Cos. Delay $7.4B Deal Closing Date Amid FTC Scrutiny

A month after a group of 50 lawmakers urged the Federal Trade Commission to investigate a recent string of mergers and acquisitions in the oil industry, the regulatory agency is putting Chesapeake Energy and Southwestern Energy's planned $7.4 billion merger under the microscope.
April 04, 2024
NY Congestion Pricing Judge Pleads For Predictability

New Jersey state and local governments fighting New York's congestion toll-pricing vision urged a federal judge on Thursday to order environmental justification for the plan, while the judge in turn implored all parties to rely more heavily on precedent and the law.
April 04, 2024
NY Judge Says 'Defeat Device' Co. Protected By Section 230

A New York federal judge tossed part of the federal government's lawsuit against the manufacturers of devices and software that allegedly allow vehicles to bypass pollution control mechanisms, saying the technology itself is "neutral" and has no effect on emissions without third-party content.
April 04, 2024
Homeowner Asks 9th Circ. To Rethink Fire Coverage Ruling

A woman who was prevented from coverage of a 2021 house fire by the Ninth Circuit asked the court to rehear her case, arguing among other things that she did not lie to her insurer about renting her home, because she didn't fill out the insurance application.
April 04, 2024
ND Judge Tosses DAPL Protester's Claims Against Police

A North Dakota federal judge said he is dismissing claims a woman filed against police after suffering "horrific injuries" when she was hit by a flashbang during the Dakota Access Pipeline protests in 2016.
April 04, 2024
Steel Talks Absent From Start Of US-EU Trade Ministerial

Conversations on the first day of the EU-U.S. Trade and Technology Council on Thursday focused on sustainability for both the planet and the transatlantic partnership, but noticeably skirted the pair's foundered effort to reshape the global steel market.
April 04, 2024
NTIA Knocks Out Enviro Hurdles For Broadband Permitting

The list of things that broadband deployment projects will have to conduct in-depth environmental assessments for is getting shorter after the National Telecommunications and Information Administration created 30 new "categorical exclusions" in the hopes of cutting red tape.

Expert Analysis

Series

ESG Around The World: South Africa

While South Africa has yet to mandate the reporting of nonfinancial and environmental, social, and corporate governance issues, policy documents and recent legislative developments are likely to have a material impact in the country's transition to a low-carbon economy and in meeting its international obligations, say Glynn Kent at Eversheds Sutherland.
4 Legal Ethics Considerations For The New Year

As attorneys and clients reset for a new year, now is a good time to take a step back and review some core ethical issues that attorneys should keep front of mind in 2024, including approaching generative artificial intelligence with caution and care, and avoiding pitfalls in outside counsel guidelines, say attorneys at HWG.
Environmental Justice: A 2023 Recap And 2024 Forecast

A 2023 executive order directing each federal agency to make environmental justice part of its mission, as well as the many lawsuits and enforcement actions last year, demonstrates that EJ will increasingly surface in all areas of law and regulation, from technically challenging to seemingly ordinary permitting and construction matters, say attorneys at King & Spalding.
What The Law Firm Of The Future Will Look Like

As the legal landscape shifts, it’s become increasingly clear that the BigLaw business model must adapt in four key ways to remain viable, from fostering workplace flexibility to embracing technology, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
4 PR Pointers When Your Case Is In The News

Media coverage of new lawsuits exploded last year, demonstrating why defense attorneys should devise a public relations plan that complements their legal strategy, incorporating several objectives to balance ethical obligations and advocacy, say Nathan Burchfiel at Pinkston and Ryan June at Castañeda + Heidelman.
Food And Beverage Policy Trends Cos. Should Track In 2024

The list of legal issues food and beverage companies should watch out for in 2024 include the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Human Foods Program, the Food Safety and Inspection Service’s salmonella proposal, Proposition 12 and more, say Bob Hibbert and Amaru Sánchez at Wiley.
How 2023 Shaped Drug And Medical Device Legal Trends

2023 brought a number of positive developments for the life sciences industry, including great trial and multidistrict litigation outcomes, but also some heavy-handed regulations and other concerning developments that lay the groundwork for significant litigation, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.
Opinion

What Insurers Gain When Litigating Coverage Denials

Lately, insurance companies have denied coverage for lawsuits alleging liability relating to the ordinary operations of highly regulated businesses, such as those in the pharmaceutical and energy sectors — demonstrating time and again how litigation can be a vehicle for carriers to mitigate their own costs, say attorneys at Reed Smith.
After Headwinds, 2024 May See Offshore Wind Momentum

Despite skyrocketing raw material costs, conflicting state and federal policies, and other setbacks for the offshore wind sector in 2023, the industry appears poised for growth in the coming year, with improving economics, more flexible procurement procedures and increasing legislative support, say Emily Huggins Jones and Ben Cowan at Locke Lord.
5 Trends That Will Affect Food Litigation In 2024

In 2024, food and beverage companies are likely to continue to face threats of litigation relating to so-called forever chemicals, citric and malic acid, and ESG claims, but recent developments in case law have created potential avenues for defense, say Abby Meyer and Khirin Bunker at Sheppard Mullin.
10 Issues To Watch As ESG Remains Alive And Well In 2024

Practitioners and stakeholders should watch a number of key environmental, social and corporate governance issues in the new year, including court rulings and comprehensive research, as the data shows ESG is here to stay, says Heidi Friedman at Thompson Hine.
Law Firm Strategies For Successfully Navigating 2024 Trends

Though law firms face the dual challenge of external and internal pressures as they enter 2024, firms willing to pivot will be able to stand out by adapting to stakeholder needs and reimagining their infrastructure, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants.
Top 10 Employer Resolutions For 2024

From technological leaps to sea changes in labor policy to literal sea changes, 2024 provides opportunities for employers to face big-picture questions that will shape their business for years to come, say Allegra Lawrence-Hardy and Lisa Haldar at Lawrence & Bundy.
The Most-Read Legal Industry Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

A range of legal industry topics drew readers' attention in Law360's Expert Analysis section this year, from associate retention strategies to ethical billing practices.
Considerations for In-House Counsel Before Testing For PFAS

In 2024, federal and state agencies are expected to introduce a plethora of new rules regulating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, with private litigation sure to follow — but in-house counsel should first weigh the risks and benefits before companies proactively investigate their historical PFAS use, say attorneys at Stinson.