9th Circ. Won't Revive Google Maps Antitrust Suit

By Bryan Koenig

A Ninth Circuit panel gave short shrift Thursday to app-makers trying to revive a proposed antitrust class action accusing Google of locking out rival maps products, rejecting the appeal because Google doesn't actually bar "the use or display of non-Google maps content to a Google Map."

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Prolonged FTC Review Kills $615M Healthcare Staffing Deal

By Matthew Perlman

Talent software and staffing company Aya Healthcare Inc. abandoned its planned $615 million deal for Cross Country Healthcare Inc. on Thursday, citing uncertainty from an ongoing Federal Trade Commission review that was extended by the government shutdown.

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'Gun At My Head': Jury Hears From NASCAR Contract Holdout

By Hayley Fowler

Team owners felt strong-armed into signing their 2025 race agreements with NASCAR despite the "egregious" terms, owner Bob Jenkins told a federal jury in North Carolina Thursday on his second day testifying in the high-profile antitrust case against the league.

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Live Nation Customers Appear Poised For Antitrust Class Cert.

By Craig Clough

Consumers accusing Live Nation of monopolizing the live entertainment industry were in a good position Thursday for class certification after a California federal judge issued a tentative ruling that would approve the request and appeared skeptical of the entertainment giant's arguments at a hearing.

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Google Asks 5th Circ. To Transfer Monopoly Suit To Calif.

By Rae Ann Varona

Google on Thursday urged the Fifth Circuit to transfer mobile analytics software company Branch Metric's lawsuit accusing the search giant of monopolizing several markets related to mobile device searches, saying a lower court was wrong to keep the suit in Texas since California is the "clearly more convenient forum."

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Google Fights Unlockd's Judge Recusal Bid In Antitrust Case

By Christine DeRosa

Google is opposing a move by Unlockd Media seeking the recusal of U.S. District Judge Haywood S. Gilliam Jr. in an antitrust lawsuit in California federal court, arguing that the judge's close relationship with Google's vice president for litigation and discovery doesn't require him to step away from the case.

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Kimmel Brouhaha Brings Out Levity At DC's 'Telecom Prom'

By Christopher Cole

ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel's roller coaster ride at the hands of the Federal Communications Commission took center stage Wednesday at a light-hearted Washington dinner for telecom lawyers, as FCC Chair Brendan Carr served up a comedic bit over the controversy that followed Kimmel's recent war of words with the agency chief.

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Rural Carriers Upset Over FCC's AT&T Deal Approval

By Christopher Cole

Wireless carriers serving rural regions are dismayed at the Federal Communications Commission's staff decision this week to approve AT&T's $1 billion spectrum license deal with UScellular, saying it relies on flawed market analysis.

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EU To Probe Meta's WhatsApp Restrictions On AI Providers

By Matthew Perlman

European enforcers have launched an investigation into recent changes Meta made to its WhatsApp policies over concerns that they block artificial intelligence providers from communicating with their users on the messaging platform.

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Banks Ask Justices To Review Class Cert. In $12B VRDO Suit

By Katryna Perera

A group of major banks has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Second Circuit decision upholding class certification in a $12 billion municipal-bond antitrust lawsuit, arguing the district court erred in not resolving an expert witness evidence dispute before granting certification.

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Insurance Broker Tech Leader Sued In Del. Over Market Power

By Jeff Montgomery

Alleging potential "mid-nine figures" in damages, insurance broker software venture Ardent Labs Inc. has filed a five-count suit in Delaware's Court of Chancery accusing an industry leader — Applied Systems Inc. — of "anticompetitive conduct that violates the letter and spirit of antitrust law."

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Pharma Cos. Denied Early Win In States' Price-Fixing Suit

By Aaron Keller

Twenty-six pharmaceutical companies failed to secure a quick win on overarching conspiracy claims in an antitrust case by the attorneys general of Connecticut and most other states, with a federal judge finding the "substantial bulk of evidence" points toward a broad industry scheme to fix 98 dermatology drug prices.

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Credit Bureaus Can't Duck Suit Over Excluded Medical Debt

By Bryan Koenig

A California federal judge has found that Equifax, Experian and TransUnion must face key parts of a rejiggered proposed antitrust class action from medical practices and collection agencies targeting the credit reporting agencies' decision to exclude medical debt under $500 from consumer credit reports.

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NAR Says Realtor Rule Changes Not Relevant To Antitrust Suit

By Grace Dixon

The National Association of Realtors and local Realtor groups at the center of a proposed class action have urged a Michigan federal court not to allow real estate brokers and agents to bring recent NAR handbook changes before the court in their antitrust suit.

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Fed. Circ. Mulls If Switching $104M Verdict For $3 Was Fair

By Nadia Dreid

The Federal Circuit didn't seem to be buying Versata Software's argument Thursday morning that a Michigan federal judge made a big mistake by clearing a nearly $105 million trade secrets and breach of contract verdict it won against Ford and replacing it with just $3 in damages.

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Sunday Ticket Subscribers Claim NFL Added Late Arguments

By David Steele

The National Football League improperly introduced new arguments into their defense of the decision to dismiss the $4.7 billion verdict in their favor in the Sunday Ticket antitrust trial last year, a group of subscribers told the Ninth Circuit.

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Traffic Safety Exec Joined Rival After $77K Bonus, Court Told

By George Woolston

A traffic safety company has alleged in North Carolina federal court that the person who was in charge of expanding its business in the Southeast resigned just hours after receiving a $77,000 bonus check and took a trove of trade secrets, a slew of employees and customer lists to his new job for a rival.

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Brief

Ohio Football Player's Mother Drops Suit After NIL Approval

By Tom Lotshaw

The football player's mother who sued the Ohio High School Athletic Association over a bylaw banning athletes from receiving name, image and likeness compensation dropped the suit after the association recently voted to rescind the ban.

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Series

Preaching Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Becoming a Gospel preacher has enhanced my success as a trial lawyer by teaching me the importance of credibility, relatability, persuasiveness and thorough preparation for my congregants, the same skills needed with judges and juries in the courtroom, says Reginald Harris at Stinson.

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Immigration Lawyers Battle Burnout Amid Deportation Surge

By Daniel Connolly

As the Trump administration carries out a mass deportation campaign across the country, immigration attorneys faced with heavy demand and changing norms are feeling the impact of burnout and stress on their practices and emotions, they told Law360.

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Calif. Agency Hires Ex-DOJ Crypto Enforcement Director

By Sarah Jarvis

The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation has brought on a new general counsel who previously served in leadership positions with the U.S. Department of Justice, including director of its cryptocurrency enforcement team.

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Fla. Judge OKs Release Of Epstein Grand Jury Transcripts

By Rae Ann Varona

A Florida federal judge on Friday ordered the release of grand jury transcripts from an investigation of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, citing a newly enacted law that the government said overrides a prohibition on disclosing the documents to the public.

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Bonus Spotlight

Katten Exceeds Market Bonus Scale, Orrick Matches

By Tracey Read

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP has joined a select few law firms that have gone beyond the BigLaw norm for year-end and special bonuses.

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Brief

Holland & Knight Adds Ex-House Speaker's Adviser In DC

By Tracey Read

Holland & Knight LLP has added the former senior policy adviser and counsel to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., as a public policy and regulation practice group partner.

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Roundup

GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Michele Gorman

An SEC panel has asked the agency to adopt regulations that could standardize the way publicly traded companies report details about AI use. Meanwhile, the FCC approved AT&T's $1 billion UScellular deal after AT&T became the latest of the big three mobile carriers to agree to do away with diversity, equity and inclusion policies. These are some of the stories in corporate legal news you may have missed in the past week.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Gupta Wessler LLP and Block & Leviton LLP lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the Eleventh Circuit revived a proposed class action against NextEra Energy Inc. that seeks to hold the energy company liable for a share price drop that followed political interference allegations involving a subsidiary.

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Mass. IOLTA Panel Says It's Owed Slice Of Residual Funds

By Julie Manganis

A Massachusetts panel that oversees Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts asked the state's highest court Friday to at least partially unwind a $4 million class action settlement, saying a lower court didn't give it a chance to argue for a portion of what it says are "significant" residual funds.

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Judges Beat Ethics Suits For Dropping Retirement Post-Trump

By Jake Maher

A Fourth Circuit judge and two district court judges have defeated ethics complaints from a conservative legal organization alleging they improperly reversed their decisions to take senior status after President Donald Trump was elected.

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Court Staff Attys Settle Claims Of Undermining Colleague

By Julie Manganis

Six months after Massachusetts' highest court revived some of a former Appeals Court staff attorney's claims in a suit alleging two supervisors intentionally undermined him, the parties have reported reaching a settlement in the case.

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