Environmental

  • May 10, 2024

    Solar Co. Stockholders Claim Execs, Board Caused Losses

    SunPower's current and former leadership was accused in a derivative shareholder suit of sending the residential solar power company into a financial tailspin by revising financial statements multiple times and causing the stock value to drop.

  • May 10, 2024

    Enviro Groups Say Colo. Rule Gives Many Polluters An Out

    Environmental justice groups say a Colorado regulation that was supposed to require on-site monitoring of air pollution in disproportionately impacted communities allows many polluters to get out of the requirement by paying one-time fees, according to a brief filed in a lawsuit challenging the rule.

  • May 10, 2024

    EPA Tightens Copper-Smelting Toxic Emissions Standards

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is finalizing regulations it says will reduce toxic, cancer-causing emissions from copper-smelting facilities.

  • May 10, 2024

    Signal Peak Asks Court To Block DOI's Coal Mine 'Delay'

    Signal Peak Energy is asking a D.C. federal court to force the U.S. Department of the Interior to speed up its "unlawfully lengthy" timeline for an environmental review needed for the planned expansion of a Montana coal mine.

  • May 10, 2024

    Altman's Nuclear Fission Biz Fizzles After SPAC Deal Closes

    Shares of Oklo Inc., a nuclear-fission startup backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, were down nearly 50% on Friday, the company's first day of trading after completing its merger with Altman's special-purpose acquisition company AltC Acquisition Corp.

  • 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.

  • May 10, 2024

    Climate Group Settles DOJ Claims It Shut Out Noncitizens

    A Massachusetts-based nonprofit organization focused on climate action agreed to settle claims it discriminated against non-U.S. citizen job seekers including asylees and green-card holders by inviting only U.S. citizens to apply for jobs, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

  • May 10, 2024

    Now Hiring: Michigan AG Seeks Attys For Climate Change Suits

    Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is looking for attorneys and law firms to serve as assistant attorneys general to pursue litigation related to climate change on behalf of the state of Michigan.

  • May 09, 2024

    3M, Dupont Want Conn. AG's PFAS Suit To Stay In Fed. Court

    Stressing their work for the military, 3M Co. and several entities tied to what was once E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. have opposed a motion by the Connecticut Attorney General's Office to send a PFAS forever chemicals environmental pollution case back to state court.

  • May 09, 2024

    CARB Chief Slams Truckers' Bid To Void 'Clean Fleets' Rule

    A California regulation requiring commercial truck and bus operators to transition to zero-emission vehicle fleets over the next decade doesn't flout federal law and hasn't even been enforced yet, a state official said Wednesday in a court filing seeking to nullify a legal challenge from a trucking group.

  • May 09, 2024

    Davis Polk, Simpson Thacher Drive EV Maker's $441M IPO

    Chinese electrical vehicle maker Zeekr on Thursday priced an upsized $441 million initial public offering, represented by Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and underwriters' counsel Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, marking the largest U.S. IPO by a China-based company since 2021.

  • 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.

  • May 09, 2024

    NYC Wins Remand Of Climate Deception Suit Against Exxon

    A New York federal judge on Wednesday returned to state court the Big Apple's lawsuit alleging Exxon, BP, Shell and the American Petroleum Institute violated a city consumer protection law by systematically deceiving the public about the climate change impacts of their operations.

  • May 09, 2024

    Gov't Says It's Already Yielded Camp Lejeune Muster Rolls

    The federal government on Wednesday told the North Carolina federal court overseeing litigation over water contamination at the Camp Lejeune base that it has already produced muster rolls and that the court should deny the service members' request to produce more records.

  • May 09, 2024

    6th Circ. Judge Doubts GM Drivers Can Revive Emissions Suit

    A Sixth Circuit judge suggested Thursday that drivers are second-guessing a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency stamp of approval with their claims that General Motors marketed its Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra vehicles as more eco-friendly than they really were.

  • May 09, 2024

    4th Circ. Chides Insurer For Bid To Escape $5.8M Payout

    A Fourth Circuit judge scolded an insurance company in its attempt to get out of a $5.8 million verdict through an exclusion in a general contractor's policy that it tried to trigger for mold cleanup, leaving little doubt Thursday that the panel will uphold the award.

  • May 09, 2024

    Red States, Electric Co-Ops Challenge EPA Power Plant Rules

    Twenty-seven Republican-led states and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association called on the D.C. Circuit Thursday to unravel the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's new source performance standards for greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-fired electric generating units.

  • May 09, 2024

    GOP Sens. Call Biden's Bluff On US Steel-Nippon

    Three Republican senators urged President Joe Biden on Thursday to block Nippon Steel's planned $14.9 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel, calling his prior comments opposing the deal "worthless" while claiming he has the authority to terminate the deal immediately under laws that address "a national emergency." 

  • May 09, 2024

    EPA Beats Youths' Constitutional Climate Suit, For Now

    A California federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit from a group of children accusing the federal government of allowing unsafe levels of climate pollution in the air, noting it's unclear how a declaratory order from the court would redress their harms, but gave them one final chance to amend their allegations.

  • May 09, 2024

    Okla. Law Curbing Anti-Oil Pension Fund Investments Blocked

    Oklahoma can't enforce a law prohibiting the state pension system from investing in companies that limit oil and gas industry assets, a state judge ruled, finding the retiree leading the suit is likely to succeed on arguments that the statute is vague and violates the state constitution.

  • May 09, 2024

    Biden Seeks To Elevate Interior Dept. Official To No. 2 Post

    The White House announced Thursday that President Joe Biden intends to nominate Fish and Wildlife Assistant Secretary Shannon A. Estenoz as deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

  • May 09, 2024

    EPA Defends Factory Farm Water Pollution Regs At 9th Circ.

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday urged the Ninth Circuit to toss green groups' lawsuit seeking to revive their petition for new, stronger Clean Water Act regulations for large animal feeding facilities.

  • May 09, 2024

    Armstrong Teasdale Litigator Joins Dentons In St. Louis

    A longtime Armstrong Teasdale litigator who's spent over a decade working on insurance coverage disputes has joined Dentons' St. Louis office as a partner.

  • May 09, 2024

    GE Dropped From Louisiana Factory Contamination Suit

    A Louisiana federal judge has dropped General Electric from property owners' suit alleging widespread contamination caused by a now-closed manufacturing facility, finding an earlier merger by a subsidiary did not make the company a liable successor.

  • May 09, 2024

    Del. Supreme Court Rejects Mid-Case Appeals In Oil Harm Suit

    Observing a mid-case appeal would "further complicate and delay an already complex litigation," Delaware's Supreme Court has refused to review claims dismissed or retained in an ongoing, potential landmark suit seeking state-level damages for fossil-fuel company emissions tied to climate change.

Expert Analysis

  • What To Expect From High Court In Corp. Disclosure Case

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    Oral argument in Macquarie v. Moab Partners — a case with the potential to significantly alter corporate disclosures and private securities litigation liability — suggests that the U.S. Supreme Court is focused on answering the narrow question presented, say Elizabeth Gingold Clark and Madeleine Juszynski Davidson at Alston & Bird.

  • After Watershed Year, Clean Hydrogen Faces New Challenges

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    Clean hydrogen is on the verge of taking off — but over the course of 2023, it became clear that the regulatory landscape will be more stringent than expected, and the cost and timing of major projects will depend on a number of key developments anticipated in 2024, say attorneys at Weil.

  • Series

    Baking Bread Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    After many years practicing law, and a few years baking bread, I have learned that there are a few keys to success in both endeavors, including the assembly of a nourishing and resilient culture, and the ability to learn from failure and exercise patience, says Rick Robinson at Reed Smith.

  • Federal Courts And AI Standing Orders: Safety Or Overkill?

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    Several district court judges have issued standing orders regulating the use of artificial intelligence in their courts, but courts should consider following ordinary notice and comment procedures before implementing sweeping mandates that could be unnecessarily burdensome and counterproductive, say attorneys at Curtis.

  • Time To Step Up PFAS Due Diligence In Cross-Border M&A

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    Regulations in the U.S. and EU governing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances will likely evolve to become global standards out of necessity and scale, so PFAS due diligence — particularly for buyers, sellers, and lenders and investors involved in multijurisdictional mergers and acquisitions — will be essential in 2024, say attorneys at Shipman & Goodwin.

  • Series

    NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q4

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    New York's banking and financial sector saw a number of notable regulatory and legislative changes in the final quarter of 2023, including guidance on climate risks and heightened cybersecurity protocols issued by the New York State Department of Financial Services, as well as final revisions to virtual currency listings in the state, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • 3 Significant Ohio Insurance Updates From 2023

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    The past year saw some significant changes and developments in Ohio's insurance coverage landscape, from new bad faith discovery mechanisms relating to out-of-state property to the Ohio Supreme Court's interpretation of what constitutes an assault or battery for coverage purposes, say Jenna Pletcher and William Peseski at Brouse McDowell. 

  • 7 E-Discovery Predictions For 2024 And Beyond

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    The legal and technical issues of e-discovery now affect virtually every lawsuit, and in the year to come, practitioners can expect practices and policies to evolve in a number of ways, from the expanded use of relevancy redactions to mandated information security provisions in protective orders, say attorneys at Littler.

  • Securities Class Actions Show No Signs of Slowing In 2024

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    Plaintiffs asserted securities class actions at elevated levels in 2023 — a sign that filings will remain high in the year ahead — as they switched gears to target companies that allegedly have failed to anticipate supply chain disruptions, persistent inflation, rising interest rates and other macroeconomic headwinds, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Consider A Key Insurance Tool For Environmental M&A Deals

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    Transactional liability insurance can be a useful risk allocation tool for completing mergers and acquisitions in the renewable energy and climate and clean technology sectors, though policies must be structured carefully to achieve maximum coverage, say Joseph Castelluccio and Paul de Bernier at Mayer Brown.

  • ESG Concerns Can No Longer Be Ignored In 2024

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    While the long wait for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's ESG rule continues, government attention to regulations, increased litigation efforts and shareholder resolutions seeking transparency highlight the importance of placing an emphasis on ESG considerations, say attorneys at Wollmuth Maher.

  • How DOI Aims To Modernize Resource Damage Assessments

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    The U.S. Department of the Interior's recent proposal to redesign its Type A rule for conducting natural resource damage assessment and restoration activities could lead to a more streamlined, flexible assessment process that would benefit both natural resource trustees and potentially responsible parties, says Brian Ferrasci-O'Malley at Nossaman.

  • 5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2024

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    Over the next year and beyond, litigation funding will continue to evolve in ways that affect attorneys and the larger litigation landscape, from the growth of a secondary market for funded claims, to rising interest rates restricting the availability of capital, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.

  • 5 Securities Litigation Issues To Watch In 2024

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    There is yet another exciting year ahead for securities litigation, starting with the U.S. Supreme Court hearing argument next week in a case presenting a key securities class action question that has eluded review for the last eight years, say attorneys at Willkie.

  • Antitrust And ESG: Maximizing Targets, Ensuring Compliance

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    Jennifer McAlpin at Verizon and Michaela Spero at Amadeus consider the convergence of antitrust and environmental, social and corporate governance factors, providing an executive overview of areas to watch, including mergers and acquisitions, as well as practical implementation tips for general counsel.

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