Georgia

May 20, 2024
Lethal Injection 'Not Rocket Science,' Ga. Says As Trial Begins

As Georgia began a bench trial Monday against a death row inmate who is suing to be executed by firing squad, counsel for the state told a federal judge that she expected the inmate to have "a hard road to hoe" in disproving that the state's use of lethal injection is safe, effective and can be carried out with relative ease.
May 20, 2024
Ga. Judge OKs $5M Atty Fees In $41M Acella Thyroid Deal

A Georgia federal judge has signed off on a nearly $41.5 million class action settlement with Acella Pharmaceuticals LLC over faulty thyroid medication, while awarding the class attorneys another $5 million in legal fees courtesy of the pharma company.
May 20, 2024
Settlement Ends Insurer's Stormwater Coverage Suit

An H.W. Kaufman Group insurer settled a lawsuit seeking a declaration that it owed no coverage to a home construction company or its owner in an underlying suit accusing the company of performing defective work that led to pooling stormwater, according to a notice filed in Georgia federal court.
May 17, 2024
Aramark Spinoff Faces Investor Action Over Slow Growth

Uniform supplier Vestis Corp. was hit with a proposed class action on Friday alleging that it concealed years of underfunding prior to being spunoff by Aramark last year, leaving it unable to grow its revenue and retain customers.
May 17, 2024
$440M Cruise Line Ruling Over Cuba Dock May Be In Jeopardy

An Eleventh Circuit panel appeared reluctant Friday to affirm a nearly half-billion-dollar judgment against four major cruise lines for "trafficking" in property seized by the communist Cuban government, as the underlying concession for a port facility in Havana expired in 2004.
May 17, 2024
Ga. Baseball Player's Family Says Negligence Caused Death

The family of a Georgia high school baseball player who died after a batting practice accident in 2023 has sued a slew of employees of his school district for their alleged negligence in a preventable incident.
May 17, 2024
Ga. Police Officer Asks For New Trial In $40M Force Suit

Atlanta police officer Jon Grubbs, who was ordered by a Georgia jury to pay $40 million to a man who was rendered quadriplegic after Grubbs shocked him with a Taser over suspicions of panhandling, has asked a federal judge for a new trial.
May 17, 2024
Koch-Tied Group Says Transparency Law Offends Federalism

The Corporate Transparency Act is unconstitutional because it does not regulate interstate commerce yet mandates that state-registered entities disclose personal information, a conservative group affiliated with the billionaire Koch brothers told the Eleventh Circuit on Friday.
May 17, 2024
EEOC Sues Smithfield Foods In Ga. For Age Discrimination

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed suit against Smithfield Foods Inc. and Smithfield Fresh Meats Sales Corp. in Georgia federal court on Friday for age discrimination, alleging the companies violated federal law by firing a senior sales employee because of her age.
May 17, 2024
Ga. OB-GYN Office Says Data Breach Class Action Falls Flat

An Atlanta OB-GYN practice has urged a Georgia federal judge to dismiss a proposed class suit over a data breach that allegedly impacted the personal and protected health information of tens of thousands of patients, arguing the lead plaintiff has failed to meet the requirements of the Class Action Fairness Act.
May 17, 2024
DC Circ. Won't Immediately Block EPA Power Plant GHG Rule

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is clear to implement its new greenhouse gas emissions rule for power plants — at least for now — after the D.C. Circuit on Friday rejected an effort to temporarily block it.
May 17, 2024
Judge Will Drop Some Charges For Convicted Atlanta Exec

A Georgia federal judge moved forward Thursday with the government's request to drop four criminal counts against convicted Atlanta city hall official Mitzi Bickers after recent case law made the wire fraud charges nonviable.
May 17, 2024
Ga. Judge In 2020 Election Cases To Take Senior Status

U.S. District Judge Steve Jones of the Northern District of Georgia, who has presided over high-profile cases involving the 2020 election, voting rights and abortion, will take senior status on Jan. 1, 2025, according to an update Friday.
May 17, 2024
Kilpatrick Brings On Nelson Mullins Energy Pro In Atlanta, DC

Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP has picked up a new energy regulatory attorney in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., with a diverse background, including working for Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP as well as Google and the South Carolina House of Representatives.
May 17, 2024
Trump's Potential Witness Could Be Defense 'Dynamite'

As Donald Trump's hush money trial in Manhattan nears its end, experts say criminal defense attorney Robert Costello, who once advised the former president's ex-fixer and key prosecution witness Michael Cohen, has surfaced as a potentially bombshell witness for the defense.
May 17, 2024
Many Plans Already In Front Of 11th Circ. Trans Health Ruling

The Eleventh Circuit's recent decision that a county health plan's coverage exclusion for gender transition surgery violated federal anti-discrimination law likely won't have a big impact on plans because they have already made adjustments for the U.S. Supreme Court ruling the appeals court applied, experts say.
May 16, 2024
Trump Says 1890 Ruling Can't Be 'Pigeonholed' By Ga. DA

Former President Donald Trump has renewed his bid to have two of his Georgia election interference charges dropped under an 1890 U.S. Supreme Court case, arguing prosecutors are trying to "improperly pigeonhole" the ruling as irrelevant to his criminal case.
May 16, 2024
Ga. Judge Cites 'Exemplary Life' In 3-Year PPP Fraud Sentence

A Georgia woman convicted earlier this year of helping to launder the proceeds of a pandemic loan fraud scheme was hit with a three-year prison sentence on Thursday by a federal judge, who noted the woman has otherwise led an "exemplary life," warranting a sentence lower than what prosecutors had sought.
May 16, 2024
11th Circ. Denies Ayahuasca Church's Bid For Rehearing

The Eleventh Circuit has refused to grant an en banc rehearing to a Florida church that wanted to use ayahuasca as a sacrament, leaving in place an appellate ruling that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration properly denied a religious exemption from federal law against the psychedelic substance.
May 16, 2024
Ex-Ga. Coach Says Earlier Race Suit Doesn't Bar Title VII Suit

A former Georgia high school football coach, who alleged his contract was terminated because of his race, urged the Eleventh Circuit to revive his suit against the Valdosta City School District on Thursday, arguing the dismissal of an earlier suit against school board members does not bar this suit.
May 16, 2024
11th Circ. Tries To Untangle Aftermath Of Judge's Early Exit

An Eleventh Circuit panel on Thursday quizzed attorneys for rival breeders of disease-resistant shrimp about whether a $10 million trade-secrets jury verdict should be overturned after a federal magistrate judge presided over the trial's ending because a federal district judge had to catch a flight, with one of the panel judges saying the parties had been put "in a very difficult position."
May 16, 2024
AI Study Tool Student Creator Sues Emory Over Suspension

A student who received a $10,000 prize last year from Emory University for helping to create an artificially intelligent study tool is now suing the university for suspending him on the basis that using the tool could be a violation of the academic honor code.
May 16, 2024
Mass. Business Owner Charged In $18M Pandemic Loan Scam

A Massachusetts man was arrested Wednesday on federal charges that he fraudulently sought $18 million in pandemic relief loans for multiple companies and used some of the proceeds to purchase a luxury condo while wiring other funds overseas.
May 16, 2024
Ga. High Court Candidate Can't Stop Abortion Remarks Probe

Georgia Supreme Court candidate John Barrow can't pause a state ethics commission's investigation into his pro-abortion rights comments on the campaign trail, a federal judge ruled on Thursday, tossing Barrow's lawsuit and citing several flaws right out of the gate.
May 16, 2024
Apt. Complex Must Face Insurer's Mold Death Coverage Suit

A Georgia federal judge has refused to toss an insurer's suit seeking to evade coverage of an apartment complex accused of failing to stop a mold infestation that killed a tenant, finding the insurer has plausibly alleged it does not have a duty to defend under the prevailing insurance policy.

Expert Analysis

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.
5 Most Notable Class Action Standing Cases Of 2023

Key appellate class action decisions this past year continued the trend of a more demanding approach to the threshold issue of standing during each phase of litigation, say attorneys at MoFo.
Attorneys' Busiest Times Can Be Business Opportunities

Attorneys who resolve to grow their revenue and client base in 2024 should be careful not to abandon their goals when they get too busy with client work, because these periods of zero bandwidth can actually be a catalyst for future growth, says Amy Drysdale at Alchemy Consulting.
In The World Of Legal Ethics, 10 Trends To Note From 2023

Lucian Pera at Adams and Reese and Trisha Rich at Holland & Knight identify the top legal ethics trends from 2023 — including issues related to hot documents, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity — that lawyers should be aware of to put their best foot forward.
What's Ahead For Immigrant Employee Rights Enforcement

The U.S. Department of Justice’s increased enforcement related to immigration-based employment discrimination is coupled with pending constitutional challenges to administrative tribunals, suggesting employers should leverage those headwinds when facing investigations or class action-style litigation, say attorneys at Jones Day.
How Attorneys Can Be More Efficient This Holiday Season

Attorneys should consider a few key tips to speed up their work during the holidays so they can join the festivities — from streamlining the document review process to creating similar folder structures, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
Top 10 Whistleblowing And Retaliation Events Of 2023

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and federal and state courts made 2023 another groundbreaking year for whistleblower litigation and retaliation developments, including the SEC’s massive whistleblower awards, which are likely to continue into 2024 and further incentivize individuals to submit tips, say attorneys at Proskauer.
Clean Water Act Jurisdiction Still Murky After A Choppy 2023

This year brought several important Clean Water Act jurisdictional developments, including multiple agency rules and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that substantially altered the definition of "waters of the United States," but a new wave of litigation challenges has already begun, with no clear end in sight, say attorneys at Nossaman.
Series

Children's Book Writing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Becoming a children's book author has opened doors to incredible new experiences of which I barely dared to dream, but the process has also changed my life by serving as a reminder that strong writing, networking and public speaking skills are hugely beneficial to a legal career, says Shaunna Bailey at Sheppard Mullin.
How Clients May Use AI To Monitor Attorneys

Excerpt from Practical Guidance

Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly enable clients to monitor and evaluate their counsel’s activities, so attorneys must clearly define the terms of engagement and likewise take advantage of the efficiencies offered by AI, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.
Series

The Pop Culture Docket: Judge D'Emic On Moby Grape

The 1968 Moby Grape song "Murder in My Heart for the Judge" tells the tale of a fictional defendant treated with scorn by the judge, illustrating how much the legal system has evolved in the past 50 years, largely due to problem-solving courts and the principles of procedural justice, says Kings County Supreme Court Administrative Judge Matthew D'Emic.
Series

Performing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer

The discipline of performing live music has directly and positively influenced my effectiveness as a litigator — serving as a reminder that practice, intuition and team building are all important elements of a successful law practice, says Jeff Wakolbinger at Bryan Cave.
Breaking Down High Court's New Code Of Conduct

The U.S. Supreme Court recently adopted its first-ever code of conduct, and counsel will need to work closely with clients in navigating its provisions, from gift-giving to recusal bids, say Phillip Gordon and Mateo Forero at Holtzman Vogel.
Trump NY Fraud Trial Shows Civil, Criminal Case Differences

Former President Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial currently unfolding in New York provides a reminder that civil bench trials can be just as damaging, if not more so, than criminal prosecutions, due to several key elements of civil litigation procedure, says retired attorney David Moskowitz.
Opinion

Legal Profession Gender Parity Requires Equal Parental Leave

To truly foster equity in the legal profession and to promote attorney retention, workplaces need to better support all parents, regardless of gender — starting by offering equal and robust parental leave to both birthing and non-birthing parents, says Ali Spindler at Irwin Fritchie.