Feature

FCA In 2025: Trump, A Qui Tam Clash And Whopping Penalties

By Dan McKay

From a 10-figure verdict to shifting Justice Department enforcement priorities, Law360 looks at the major FCA developments of the year.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Corporate Transparency Act Is Constitutional, 11th Circ. Says

By Kevin Pinner

The Corporate Transparency Act is constitutional because it regulates economic activities with a substantial impact on interstate commerce and doesn't violate protections against unreasonable searches, the Eleventh Circuit said Tuesday, reversing a lower court's decision.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Dana-Farber To Pay $15M To Resolve Fraud Allegations

By Rae Ann Varona

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute will pay $15 million to settle allegations that its researchers used inaccurate images in grant applications and research articles, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday.

Settlement attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

La. Social Media Law Violates First Amendment, Judge Rules

By Nadia Dreid

Louisiana cannot enforce a new law that restricts minors' access to social media and bans companies from showing them targeted ads because it is likely unconstitutional and would violate their First Amendment rights, a Louisiana federal judge said Monday.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Hyundai, Kia Ink $9M Deal With AGs Over Theft-Prone Cars

By Hailey Konnath

Hyundai and Kia have agreed to shell out $9 million and add anti-theft devices to millions of vehicles at no cost to owners as part of a settlement with 36 state attorneys general who accused the carmakers of selling vehicles lacking industry-standard anti-theft technology, according to announcements made Tuesday.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Dems Press DOJ On Concerns It's Favoring AG's Atty Brother

By Lauren Berg

A group of Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday asked the U.S. Department of Justice to explain why it keeps intervening in or dismissing cases that involve clients represented by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi's brother, saying the decisions "raise serious questions about whether impartiality has been compromised."

Letter attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

No Jail For Controller Who Assisted Feds In FTE Fraud Case

By Pete Brush

A Manhattan federal judge allowed a former financial controller for FTE Networks to avoid prison Tuesday for participating in a $13 million revenue fraud at the Florida telecom, crediting the "reluctant conspirator" for an extensive, five-year course of cooperation.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Fed Ends Goldman 1MDB, Metropolitan Card Consent Orders

By Jon Hill

The Federal Reserve announced Tuesday it has lifted consent orders against Goldman Sachs and Metropolitan Commercial Bank, closing matters tied to Goldman's purported role in the 1MDB scandal and Metropolitan's oversight of a prepaid-card program that government agencies alleged was fraud-ridden.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Online Gun Co. Settles SEC Probe Over Sanctioned Ex-Exec

By Sarah Jarvis

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has inked a nonmonetary penalty settlement with the corporate owner of an online firearm retailer and separately sued three of its former executives over allegations that the company allowed an SEC-sanctioned accountant to work as an executive officer in violation of his industry ban.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

CFTC Drops Spoofing Case Against Texas Energy Trader

By Celeste Bott

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has agreed to drop a lawsuit claiming a Houston-based energy trading firm manipulated the crude oil market, an outcome the firm hailed as "full and definitive vindication" on Monday.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Custodia Seeks Full 10th Circ. Review Of Master Account Suit

By Katryna Perera

Custodia Bank says the full Tenth Circuit should review a split panel's decision granting Federal Reserve banks the discretion to reject master account access requests from eligible entities, arguing that the "incorrect" ruling wrongly gave Federal Reserve Bank presidents plenary power to determine "whether a bank shall live or die."

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

FDIC Floats Application Process For Stablecoin Issuance

By Aislinn Keely

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Tuesday took its first major step towards implementing the federal stablecoin law known as the Genius Act when it moved forward with plans for an application process by which insured depository institutions can seek to issue stable-value tokens.

Proposed Rule attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

FTC Orders Crypto Firm To Return Losses From $186M Hack

By Allison Grande

Blockchain infrastructure company Illusory Systems has agreed to overhaul its data security protocols and return to consumers money it's been able to recover from hackers who stole $186 million in a 2022 cyberattack in order to resolve the Federal Trade Commission's claims the company shirked its cybersecurity responsibilities, the agency said Tuesday. 

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

SafeMoon CEO Seeks No Prison Time For Looting Conviction

By Katryna Perera

The convicted former CEO of cryptocurrency company SafeMoon has asked a New York federal judge to spare him a prison sentence, pointing to mental health struggles related to his military service and childhood experiences.

Memorandum attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

US, Red States Ask Court To Void Vt. Climate Superfund Law

By Juan-Carlos Rodriguez

The U.S. government and a group of red states on Tuesday asked a federal court to void Vermont's climate Superfund law, saying the statute exceeds the state's powers over air pollution.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

States Sue Trump Admin To Restart EV Infrastructure Funds

By Ben Adlin

Sixteen states and the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration in Washington federal court on Tuesday in an effort to stop the U.S. government from blocking billions of dollars in congressionally approved funds meant to expand the country's electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Enviro Org.: 'Radioactive Road' Completion Doesn't Moot Suit

By Juan-Carlos Rodriguez

The Mosaic Co.'s completion of a road that contains radioactive phosphogypsum doesn't mean a legal challenge to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's approval is moot, the Center for Biological Diversity told the Eleventh Circuit on Monday.

Brief attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Hospital Owners Sue HHS Over Medicare Payment Rule

By Tom Lotshaw

Allina Health System and other nonprofit hospital owners have sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, telling a D.C. federal judge it unlawfully enacted a rule that will cause safety-net hospitals to lose out on billions of dollars of Medicare payments.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ex-Harvard Morgue Manager Gets 8 Years In Body Parts Case

By Phillip Bantz

Former Harvard Medical School morgue manager Cedric Lodge was sentenced Tuesday in Pennsylvania federal court to eight years in prison after pleading guilty earlier this year to trafficking body parts from donated cadavers.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Vax Skeptics Cite High Court In New Challenge To NY Mandate

By Gianna Ferrarin

A vaccine skepticism advocacy group once tied to Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is revamping its fight against New York's school vaccination mandate, arguing recent activity by the U.S. Supreme Court necessitates a fresh analysis.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Judge Blocks T-Mobile From Using Tool To Scrape AT&T Data

By Spencer Brewer

A Texas federal judge blocked T-Mobile from using a price tool to scrape data from AT&T's website, saying that without a temporary restraining order T-Mobile would likely continue to enter into AT&T's password-protected software without permission.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

FTC Retaliation Suits To Be Heard By Different Judges

By Nadia Dreid

A D.C. federal judge has unassigned herself from a suit brought by an antidisinformation nonprofit that says the Federal Trade Commission slapped it with subpoenas as revenge for naming conservative outlets top disinformation risks, agreeing that the matter isn't similar enough to another suit currently before her.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

'Take It Or Leave It' Defines Network-Affiliate Ties, FCC Told

By Christopher Cole

The major TV affiliates' groups have urged the Federal Communications Commission to tackle what they call the "seriously out of balance" relationship that has developed between major national networks and local broadcasters that carry their programs.

Comments attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Learning From 2025 FCA Trends Targeting PE In Healthcare

False Claims Act enforcement trends and legislative developments from this year signal intensifying state and federal scrutiny of private equity's growing footprint in healthcare, and the urgency of compliance, says Lisa Re at Arnold & Porter.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

AG Watch: Texas Junk Fee Deal Shows Enforcement Priorities

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's recent $9.5 million settlement with online travel agency website Booking Holdings for so-called junk fee practices follows a larger trend of state attorneys general who have taken similar action and demonstrates the significant penalties that can follow such allegations, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

New Rule Shows NRC Willing To Move Fast To Reform Regs

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s decision to forgo public comment and immediately rescind certain rules governing adjudicatory procedures, federal tort claims and disclosure of licensee information signals the agency's intent to accelerate the regulatory streamlining efforts ordered by the president this spring, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Investment Advisers Should Stay Apprised Of New AI Risks

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently issued annual examination priorities reiterate a host of regulatory implications for investment advisers using artificial intelligence tools, highlighting that meaningful ongoing due diligence can help mitigate both operational and regulatory surprises amid AI's rapid evolution, says Christopher Mills at Sidley.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

4 Privacy Trends This Year With Lessons For Companies

As organizations plan for ongoing privacy law changes, 2025 trends that include a shift of activity from the federal to the state level mean companies should take an adaptive and principle-based approach to privacy programs rather than trying to memorize constantly changing laws, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

How Workforce, Tech Will Affect 2026 Construction Landscape

As the construction industry's center of gravity shifts from traditional commercial work to infrastructure, energy, industrial and data-hosting facilities, the effects of evolving technology and persistent labor shortages are reshaping real estate dealmaking, immigration policy debates and government contracting risk, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Opinion

A Uniform Federal Rule Would Curb Gen AI Missteps In Court

To address the patchwork of courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence, curbing abuses and relieving the burden on judges, the federal judiciary should consider amending its civil procedure rules to require litigants to certify they’ve reviewed legal filings for accuracy, say attorneys at Shook Hardy.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Bonus Spotlight

Susman Godfrey Bests Market With Bonuses Of Up To $280K

By Andrea Keckley

Susman Godfrey LLP announced on Tuesday that it is topping New York's bonus scale with payouts that range from a median of $120,000 for first-year associates to a median of $280,000 for the most senior associates.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Kasowitz Hid Plummeting Profits From Ex-Partner, Suit Says

By Andrea Keckley

A former Kasowitz LLP partner has accused the firm and its founder, renowned litigator Marc Kasowitz, of misrepresenting its finances and failing to pay him the millions he is owed in a lawsuit in New York state court, alleging the firm's profits have plummeted due to poor management.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Hagens Berman Sanctioned For Bot Errors In OnlyFans Case

By Emily Sawicki

A California federal judge sanctioned Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP for submitting four briefs that contained errors blamed on ChatGPT while representing OnlyFans users pursuing proposed class fraud claims against the online platform, tossing the suit but allowing the users a chance to refile.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DOJ Says NY Court Can't Handle Maurene Comey Firing Suit

By Adrian Cruz

The U.S. Department of Justice has said former prosecutor Maurene Comey's suit challenging the circumstances of her firing should be dismissed, arguing that it is an attempt to sidestep the Civil Service Reform Act.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Fired Top Antitrust Official Warns Of 'Politicization'

By Courtney Bublé

The former No. 2 at the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division until he was terminated this year testified Tuesday about the "politicization" of antitrust enforcement.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Levona Says New Docs Show Reed Smith Lied In $102M Feud

By Emily Sawicki

Levona Holdings Ltd. is pressing a Manhattan federal court to vacate what it calls a fraudulent $102 million arbitral award issued to international shipping company Eletson, arguing that new documents released under the crime-fraud exception show that the company and its prior attorneys at Reed Smith LLP lied during the arbitration.

Brief attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ex-State High Court Chiefs Start Group To Defend Rule Of Law

By Jake Maher

A group of over 40 former chief judges of state supreme courts across the country this week launched a new project to speak out against attacks on the judiciary's independence and educate about the rule of law. 

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Quinn Emanuel Fee Fight Bound For Texas Or Mass. Court

By Carolyn Muyskens

A Massachusetts federal judge is weighing whether to kick Quinn Emanuel's bid for $30 million in legal fees from a former client's parent company, Nano Dimension Ltd., to state court or to the Texas bankruptcy court where the client is undergoing Chapter 11 proceedings.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Bullivant Houser Files For Ch. 11 After November Closure

By Rose Krebs

The now-shuttered Bullivant Houser Bailey PC has filed for Chapter 11 protection in California, with its chief dissolution officer saying the bankruptcy was filed so the firm can liquidate its assets as it continues "an orderly wind-down" of its operations.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »