Apple's $490M Investor Deal Needs 'A Little Bit More Work'

By Bonnie Eslinger

A California federal judge refused Tuesday to preliminarily approve Apple's $490 million deal to end investors' class action alleging they were misled about iPhone sales in China, saying that while key terms are "satisfactory," the plan needs "a little bit more work," like fixing a "convoluted" notice to investors.

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$55M Hospital Merger Suit Deal OK'd, UHC Objection Rejected

By Bryan Koenig

An Illinois federal judge has given final approval to a $55 million class settlement, with $23.5 million in legal costs and attorney fees, resolving patient antitrust claims over a NorthShore University HealthSystem merger, all while finding that United Healthcare Services had no standing to object to the deal.

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7th Circ. Ruling Imperils Anonymity In NCAA, Netflix Cases

By Rose Krebs

Anonymous plaintiffs suing the NCAA and Netflix in separate cases in Indiana federal court must explain why they should be allowed to keep their identities hidden following a recent Seventh Circuit ruling that established "a stringent standard" relating to anonymity, a magistrate judge has ruled.

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Atty Dons Muppet Head To Open Sesame Place Race Bias Trial

By P.J. D'Annunzio

A federal jury in Philadelphia on Tuesday gazed at the googly eyes and blue fur of an attorney who donned the head of Sesame Street's Grover to tell them that performers wearing the fluorescent bodysuits of other beloved Muppets discriminated against children at a Pennsylvania theme park because of the color of their skin.

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NJ Law Firm Scores Exit In Benicar MDL Fees Suit

By George Woolston

A New Jersey federal judge on Tuesday granted Mazie Slater Katz & Freeman LLC attorneys a quick win in a proposed class action claiming they took excessive fees from plaintiffs' settlements in multidistrict litigation over the blood pressure drug Benicar, ruling the suit alleges identical claims to another suit that has been dismissed.

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Titans Of The Plaintiffs Bar: Susman's Brook, Shackelford

By Sydney Price

Susman Godfrey LLP attorneys Davida Brook and Stephen Shackelford Jr. learned very early on in their working relationship that they needed to trust each other. That concept, they say, has been foundational to their success as defamation attorneys, and those who have worked alongside them say everyone else has reason to trust them, too.

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Astec Inks $13.7M Investor Deal Over Wood Pellet Plant Woes

By Emilie Ruscoe

An investor in manufacturer Astec Industries Inc. has asked a Tennessee federal judge for an initial green light on a $13.7 million deal to end claims the company misrepresented business prospects for its wood pellet plants.

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Bloom Energy Gets Final OK For $3M Settlement Over IPO

By Katryna Perera

A California federal judge has granted final approval to a $3 million settlement between Bloom Energy Corp. and investors to resolve claims that the company, its leadership and underwriters for its initial public offering misrepresented or omitted key information in the IPO registration statement.

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Gronk, Others To Pay $2.4M In Voyager Crypto Promoter Suit

By Katryna Perera

Retired football star Rob Gronkowski, NBA player Victor Oladipo and NASCAR driver Landon Cassill have agreed to collectively pay $2.4 million to settle allegations they helped promote failed cryptocurrency exchange Voyager Digital Holdings Inc.

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Starbucks Can't End Investor Suit Over Union-Busting Stance

By Rachel Riley

A Washington state judge won't toss a shareholder suit accusing Starbucks' corporate leadership of diminishing stock values by allowing store managers to quash baristas' organizing efforts.

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Paycom Brass Face Investor Suit Over Future Revenue Woes

By Donald Morrison

The top brass of human resources technology company Paycom Software Inc. have been hit with a shareholder derivative suit alleging that executives failed to disclose that a new product to streamline payroll processes was threatening its future revenue by helping companies avoid errors they would otherwise pay to fix.

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Plastics Recycler Sued In Del. After Stock Drop, Investigations

By Jeff Montgomery

A PureCycle Inc. stockholder has launched a multicount derivative suit against the plastics recycling company's officers and directors in Delaware's Court of Chancery, seeking damages tied to a stock drop, alleged disclosure failures and insider dealings before and after a 2021 take-public merger.

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MultiPlan, Insurance Cos. Accused Of Algorithmic Collusion

By Matthew Perlman

A medical provider has lodged a proposed class action in Illinois federal court accusing MultiPlan and major insurance companies, including UnitedHealth, Aetna, Kaiser Permanente and Cigna, of using pricing tools to systematically underpay out-of-network providers.

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New IPad Buyers And Complaint OK'd In Amazon-Apple Suit

By Bryan Koenig

Two new iPad buyers filed an amended antitrust complaint Tuesday over the Amazon-Apple pact restricting iPhone and iPad sales to approved vendors after a Washington federal judge overrode defense arguments that the named plaintiff swap is too late and replaces an unsuitable class representative.

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DOL Official Says Expect Pension De-Risking Report Soon

By Kellie Mejdrich

The U.S. Department of Labor's employee benefits chief said Tuesday the agency expects to submit a report to Congress shortly on so-called pension risk transfers, which involve the exchange of defined benefit pension plan liabilities for annuity insurance contracts.

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Cigna Escapes Post-Judgment Accounting Bid In ERISA Row

By Brian Steele

A federal judge in Connecticut has denied a bid by a class of 25,000 Cigna Corp. workers for post-judgment discovery in an ERISA feud that has stretched on for 23 years, shutting down claims that the insurer violated court orders by improperly calculating award payments to class members.

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NYC Eatery Asks 2nd Circ. To Undo Revival Of Workers' Suit

By Emlyn Cameron

A New York City restaurant operator urged the Second Circuit Tuesday to reject a lower court finding that its workers' federal wage claims may be cut from their class action but can also be reinstated if the appeals court were to vacate their state wage claims, insisting the decision is unfair.

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Amazon Worker Wants Class Cert. In Military Leave Suit

By Emmy Freedman

A former Amazon worker urged a New York federal court to greenlight a more than 9,000-member class of military reservists in her lawsuit accusing the e-commerce giant of failing to provide paid leave for employees on active duty, saying the dispute is best suited for class treatment.

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Organic Grocery Chain Settles COBRA Notice Suit For $400K

By Grace Elletson

An organic grocery store chain will pay $400,000 to close a proposed class action claiming it regularly failed to alert workers that they could extend their health insurance benefits if their coverage ended after losing their jobs, according to a Pennsylvania federal court filing.

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Target Sued Over Citric Acid In Good & Gather Pasta Sauce

By Gina Kim

Target has been hit with a putative class action in California federal court by a shopper who alleges the retail giant falsely touts that its line of Good & Gather pasta sauces contain no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives despite containing citric acid.

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Attys Denied $10M Fees As Family Dollar Deal Is Approved

By Mike Curley

A Tennessee federal judge has given final approval to a settlement to end consumer claims stemming from a rodent infestation at a Family Dollar Stores Inc. warehouse, but denied a bid by class counsel for $10 million in fees.

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Faegre Drinker Adds Business, Environmental Litigators In Pa.

By James Boyle

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP expanded its Philadelphia office this week with the addition of two partners whose practices specialize in commercial and securities litigation and environmental law.

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Breaking Down 4th Circ. Pendent Appellate Jurisdiction Ruling

As illustrated by the Fourth Circuit's recent decision in Elegant Massage v. State Farm, denying class certification and granting a motion to dismiss, federal appellate courts continue to struggle with defining the scope of pendent appellate jurisdiction — or jurisdiction over nonfinal orders below, says Joan Steinman at the Chicago-Kent College of Law.

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Analysis

In Story Of Sex And Lies, Can Cohen Write Final Chapter?

By Phillip Bantz

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office has told a story of scandal and scheming to the jury in Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial, setting the stage for the prosecution's star witness to take the stand and wrap up the narrative.

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Ex-McElroy Deutsch CFO Cops To $1.5M Theft From Firm

By George Woolston

McElroy Deutsch Mulvaney & Carpenter LLP's former chief financial officer admitted Wednesday to embezzling more than $1.5 million from the firm and failing to pay income tax, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced.

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Lewis Brisbois Atty Fatally Shot In McDonald's Altercation

By Ryan Boysen

A Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP attorney was fatally shot at a McDonald's in Houston after reportedly stepping in as a good Samaritan and attempting to calm down an irate customer who'd been arguing with staff at the fast food restaurant.

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Titan Of The Plaintiffs Bar: Lieff Cabraser's Kelly Dermody

By Irene Spezzamonte

A semester off from Harvard University in the late 1980s meant for reflection instead turned into a pivotal moment in Kelly Dermody's life, settling the roots for her successful career during which she has become a lighthouse for employment and discrimination cases.

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ABA Will Study Rape Questions' Necessity For Bar Applicants

By Cara Bayles

An American Bar Association commission will issue a report and recommendations by August on the practice of requiring would-be lawyers to disclose and discuss their experiences of sexual violence during the attorney licensure process.

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ABA Directs Attys To Avoid Sharing Client Info On Listservs

By Emily Sawicki

It is in the best interest of clients for their legal counsel to avoid sharing information related to representation while seeking advice in an online listserv forum, if the comments or questions could be connected to a client's identity, according to American Bar Association guidance published Wednesday.

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Ga. Appeals Court Will Review Trump DQ Bid In Election Case

By Kelcey Caulder

The Georgia Court of Appeals on Wednesday agreed to review a judge's ruling allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis to continue prosecuting the election interference case she brought against former President Donald Trump.

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Fani Willis Is Outraising Primary Challenger More Than 5 To 1

By Chart Riggall

Less than two weeks from the first hurdle in her bid for reelection, Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis is boasting a​​ campaign war chest more than five times heftier than her Democratic challenger's, according to campaign finance disclosures filed this week.

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Biden Picks US Magistrate Judge In Fla. For 11th Circ.

By Courtney Bublé

President Joe Biden announced Wednesday his intent to nominate U.S. Magistrate Judge Embry J. Kidd to the Eleventh Circuit.

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Robins Kaplan File Flub Bad Look For Both Sides, Panel Says

By Rachel Scharf

A Manhattan appeals panel expressed concern Wednesday that Robins Kaplan LLP had poked through an opposing party's Dropbox database that was accidentally shared in investor litigation, while also criticizing the other side for failing to catch the error.

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NJ Justices Approve Measures For Helping Atty Well-Being

By Emily Johnson

The New Jersey Supreme Court has accepted several recommendations from its committee focused on attorney well-being, paving the way for the committee to examine how attorneys can briefly postpone court dates or possibly receive an extension to meet deadlines so they can handle pressing wellness needs.

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Legal Access Program Being Set Up For Separated Families

By Alyssa Aquino

The Biden administration has tapped the Acacia Center for Justice to manage a court-ordered legal access program to help migrant families stay in the U.S. after they were separated under a Trump-era policy to prosecute anybody caught entering the country unlawfully.

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Colo. Judges Urge Attys To Take On More Pro Se Cases

By Thy Vo

A group of Colorado federal judges tried Wednesday to recruit more lawyers to help pro se litigants, who file about a third of the district's cases each year, with the judges recounting tactical mistakes and case delays that attorneys could have prevented.

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