Analysis

Justices' Whistleblower Denial Has Some Attys Fearing A Chill

By Sarah Jarvis

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision not to take up a whistleblower award calculation appeal has highlighted a long-running concern that whistleblowers could be left out in the cold if the company they expose falls into bankruptcy before they get awards to which they would otherwise be entitled.

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2 Texas Justices Say Qui Tam Constitutionality Needs Review

By Spencer Brewer

The Texas Supreme Court has rejected a bid from Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. to examine the constitutionality of state law-based qui tam claims, but on Friday two justices submitted a statement saying the court will have to address the issue eventually.

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Groups Ask Justices To Limit Jurisdiction In Audi Defect Fight

By Linda Chiem

A leading automotive industry group asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to tighten the limits on specific personal jurisdiction over foreign defendants, saying a California state appeals court improperly held that personal injury plaintiffs could haul German auto giant Audi AG to court in California.

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Analysis

FDIC's Signage Rule Revamp Sparks Clash Over Flexibility

By Jon Hill

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s proposal to loosen Biden-era requirements for displaying its official logo on digital banking channels is drawing mixed reactions, with consumer advocates warning it goes too far while bank groups say it "does not go far enough."

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USAA Defends Medical Reimbursement Cuts In Coverage Row

By Ganesh Setty

Two USAA units sought to toss two insureds' proposed class action accusing the companies of under-reimbursing their medical providers via claim handling software, telling a Washington federal court "there is no admissible evidence that plaintiffs' treatments were medically necessary and related to their auto accidents."

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CMA Concerned Over Aramark Deal For Scottish Catering Co.

By Matthew Perlman

Britain's antitrust enforcer has clarified its concerns with Aramark Group's completed acquisition of Scottish catering company Entier Ltd. over the supply of catering and related services for the offshore energy sector.

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FCC Poised To Pull 5 China-Linked Cos. From Lab Testing

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission Friday started the formal process of removing five telecoms linked to the Chinese government from the FCC's equipment testing process.

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FCC Can't Justify New Prison Call Fee, Advocates Say

By Christopher Cole

A group pressing the Federal Communications Commission for lower prison phone calling told the FCC it cannot justify how it calculates a fee for jail and prison security costs in an upcoming new rate rule.

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Crypto.com Joins Wave Of Crypto Trust Charter Bids

By Aislinn Keely

Digital asset platform Crypto.com said Friday that it has applied for a national trust charter with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to boost its custody services, becoming the latest crypto-focused firm to approach the OCC.

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Meta To Face Sanctions Bid Over Alleged Atty-Advice Fraud

By Dorothy Atkins

Plaintiffs told the California federal judge presiding over social media-addiction multidistrict litigation that Meta should be sanctioned after a D.C. court found Meta likely engaged in "crime, fraud, and/or misconduct" when, on the advice of counsel, it modified its research into Facebook's effects on teens' mental health to limit its liability.

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FCC Knocked For Weakening Broadband Nutrition Labels

By Nadia Dreid

The Federal Communications Commission should be more concerned with ensuring that consumers can find the agency-mandated nutrition-style broadband labels meant to inform them about prices and fees than it is with stripping away the labels' various requirements, says a left-leaning think tank.

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FPI's $3M Deal Gets Initial OK In Yardi Price-Fixing Suit

By Bryan Koenig

A Washington federal judge has granted preliminary approval to property management firm FPI Management Inc.'s $2.8 million deal settling out of a proposed price-fixing class action accusing it and others of using Yardi Systems Inc.'s third-party software to inflate residential rents.

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Buyer Sues Target, Says Heated Blanket Burned Her

By Mike Curley

A Washington woman is suing Target Corp. and Berkshire Blanket & Home Co. Inc. in federal court, alleging she suffered severe burns to her toes when a heated blanket she bought overheated.

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Generic-Drug Makers Want Conn. Price Cap Blocked During Suit

By Brian Steele

A trade group for generic and biosimilar drugmakers is asking a Connecticut federal judge to block the state's new drug price cap during the pendency of its challenge, saying it illegally controls prices on sales made outside the state.

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Pfizer Hit With More Suits Over Depo-Provera

By Emily Field

Three women sued Pfizer this week in Florida federal court, alleging its hormonal contraceptive birth control shot Depo-Provera caused their brain tumors in the latest claims that the major drugmaker failed to warn of the link.

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Experian Faces 4th Circ. Fight Over Credit Probe Dispute

By Hayley Fowler

The named plaintiff in a proposed class action accusing Experian of not properly reinvestigating credit reports with alleged inaccuracies is appealing a North Carolina federal judge's opinion that dismissed the last vestiges of his complaint, court records show.

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Bettor Says Rigged AI Horse Betting Scheme Favors Wealthy

By Rae Ann Varona

A seasoned horse race bettor on Friday lodged a putative class action accusing major racetrack owners and related entities of using computer-assisted wagering platforms to rig betting pools in favor of a privileged "insider betting group," the same week a massive sports betting scandal rocked the National Basketball Association.

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Campbell's Sued Over 'No Artificial Flavors' Cape Cod Chips

By Gina Kim

Campbell's falsely advertises its Cape Cod Kettle Cooked Potato Chips as containing "no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives" despite citric acid being an ingredient, which deceives consumers who prefer foods they think are healthier to consume, according to a proposed class action filed Thursday in New York federal court.

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Cannabis Company Cresco Wants Potency Suit Tossed

By Jonathan Capriel

Cannabis giant Cresco Labs asked an Illinois federal judge to end a proposed class action accusing it and its subsidiaries of mislabeling their products to get around state-mandated THC potency limits, arguing that this is an issue for state lawmakers to handle, not the judiciary.

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Tips For Cos. Crafting Enforceable Online Arbitration Clauses

Recent rulings from the Ninth Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California indicate that courts are carefully examining the enforceability of online arbitration clauses, so businesses should review the design of their websites and consider specific language next to the "purchase" button, say attorneys at DTO Law.

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Who Will Regulate Insider Trading In Prediction Markets?

The possibilities for insider trading have greatly expanded in the brave new world of prediction markets, and both the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and U.S. Department of Justice could bring enforcement actions in the space, so businesses should revisit their insider trading and confidential information policies, say attorneys at Fenwick.

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Identifying The Sources And Impacts Of Juror Contamination

Jury contamination can be pervasive, so it is important that trial teams be able to spot its sources and take specific mitigation steps, says consultant Clint Townson.

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8th Circ. Jurist To Take Senior Status, Giving Trump Open Seat

By Dorothy Atkins

U.S. Circuit Judge William Duane Benton of the Eighth Circuit notified the judiciary on Friday that he plans to step back from active service, opening up another seat on the court for President Donald Trump to fill, according to the federal judiciary's online list of future judiciary vacancies.

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Former Mintz Client Files Negligence Suit Over Patent Work

By Adam Lidgett

A former Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC client has hit the firm with a professional negligence suit in Texas federal court, saying the firm's allegedly "shoddy, substandard" legal work led to one of the company's patents being almost completely wiped out.

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Trump Taps Ex-Willkie Atty For 2nd Shot At Filling CFTC Chair

By Jessica Corso

President Donald Trump has chosen a former Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP partner and top attorney on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's cryptocurrency task force to head the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, tapping the crypto industry advocate to lead an agency struggling with a leadership void.

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Analysis

PTAB Judges Alarmed By Squires' Moves To Limit Their Power

By Theresa Schliep

With U.S. Patent and Trademark Office leadership limiting the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's oversight of patent validity disputes, current judges for the tribunal say they are distressed by the recent moves to curb their authority and are looking for work elsewhere amid the instability.

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Brief

DOJ Hires 36 New Immigration Judges After Dozens Of Firings

By Britain Eakin

The Executive Office for Immigration Review has hired 11 new permanent immigration judges and 25 temporary ones after more than 100 judges were terminated, reassigned or retired early.

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Who Watches The Watchers? Conn. Justices Mull Court Bias

By Brian Steele

A Connecticut Supreme Court justice said Monday that if the state's human rights watchdog cannot address claims of racial discrimination in attorney licensing, then there is "no oversight" when bias infects the process.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court and Delaware Supreme Court saw another busy week of disputes spanning biotech milestones, reincorporation showdowns, shareholder voting schemes and cryptocurrency fiduciary rights.

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