Pfizer To Pay $41.5M To Settle Adulterated ADHD Drug Claims

By Spencer Brewer

Pfizer Inc. and Tris Pharma Inc. agreed Wednesday to cough up $41.5 million to settle claims brought by Texas that it gave adulterated ADHD drugs to children, ending a lawsuit alleging the companies violated a state healthcare fraud law.

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Justices Told Presidential Firing Limits Is An 'Originalist' Idea

By Katie Buehler

A bipartisan collection of current and former government officials has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a 90-year-old ruling that empowers Congress to prohibit the president from firing certain agency officials at will, claiming the precedent has roots that date back to the country's founding and reflects key separation of powers principles.

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8th Circ. Hears PBMs' Bid To Pause FTC Insulin Pricing Case

By Matthew Perlman

An Eighth Circuit panel had only a handful of questions on Wednesday for the pharmacy benefit managers accused of inflating insulin prices, though one of the judges expressed skepticism about pausing the Federal Trade Commission's in-house enforcement action on constitutional grounds.

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Greystar Cuts $7M Deal With 9 AGs In Rent Price-Fixing Suit

By Dorothy Atkins

Greystar Management Services LLC has agreed to pay North Carolina, California and seven other states $7 million to resolve allegations against it in a sprawling antitrust lawsuit alleging major landlords used software company RealPage to fix rent prices, according to documents filed in North Carolina federal court Tuesday.

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Judge OKs $5.75M Subprime Credit Card Deal, Cuts Atty Fees

By Katryna Perera

A Maryland federal judge has given the final sign-off on a $5.75 million settlement in a class action alleging subprime credit card company Mercury Financial did business without a license, though the judge reduced the requested attorney fee award for class counsel from 33% of the settlement fund to 25%.

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Whole Foods' $1M Asbestos Suit Survives Dismissal Bid

By Abigail Harrison

Whole Foods can proceed with its $1 million lawsuit over construction work that freed asbestos and forced a store to close temporarily, after a North Carolina Business Court judge ruled the grocer alleged enough to support contract breach claims against a plaza owner and sublessor.

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Cresco Gets THC Potency Suit Tossed In Federal Court

By Jonathan Capriel

Cannabis giant Cresco Labs has, for now, beaten a proposed class action accusing it and its subsidiaries of mislabeling their cannabis oil to get around Illinois THC potency limits, after a federal judge ruled on Wednesday that the consumer's suit, at best, points to a mistake in law, and not an instance of fraud.

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GTCR Wants FTC's In-House Merge Case Withdrawn Too

By Bryan Koenig

GTCR BC Holdings LLC wants the Federal Trade Commission to rethink its in-house challenge to a medical coatings supplier merger after an Illinois federal judge refused a temporary block and the FTC opted not to appeal that rejection.

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Trump's New Pick For CFPB Director Is OMB Energy Official

By Jon Hill

President Donald Trump has tapped an energy official at the Office of Management and Budget to become permanent director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a key regulator whose future remains in doubt after months of turmoil and dwindling finances.

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FDIC's Hill Advances In Senate Amid Dem Stonewalling Claims

By Jon Hill

Acting Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Travis Hill's bid for a permanent term cleared a key hurdle Wednesday as the U.S. Senate Banking Committee advanced his nomination along with several other picks from the Trump White House.

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La. Gets Access To BEAD Funds, 17 Other State Plans Get OK

By Nadia Dreid

Louisiana has become the first state to gain access to Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program funds, according to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which said it has also given the green light to 17 other states and territories' final plans.

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Nexstar Asks FCC To Waive Ownership Cap In Tegna Takeover

By Christopher Cole

TV station giant Nexstar has asked the Federal Communications Commission to sign off on its pending acquisition of Tegna Inc. even though the $6.2 billion deal would breach existing FCC limits on national media ownership.

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Calif. Dems File Bill To Expand Tribal Internet Service

By Christopher Cole

Two California Democrats have introduced legislation aiming to explicitly include tribal lands under the Communications Act to make sure they can gain access to federal support for broadband connectivity in rural areas.

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4 Groups Urge FCC To Reject Charter, Cox Merger

By Christopher Cole

Four public interest groups petitioned the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday to block the $34.5 billion merger agreement between cable giants Charter and Cox.

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Rand Paul Eyes Returning Hemp Policy To The States

By Sam Reisman

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who unsuccessfully sought to strike hemp ban language from the government spending bill, told Kentucky hemp interests Wednesday that he was considering legislative language that would return the issue to the states.

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Mich. Judge Questions AG's Role In Roku Privacy Suit

By Danielle Ferguson

A Michigan federal judge on Wednesday questioned the state attorney general's authority to pursue privacy violation claims against Roku Inc. on behalf of residents and children, saying that such allegations can also be brought as a private class action.

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Calif. Privacy Agency Targets Data Brokers With 'Strike Force'

By Allison Grande

The California Privacy Protection Agency is stepping up its oversight of the data broker industry, revealing Wednesday that it is establishing a dedicated "strike force" within its enforcement division to monitor whether these companies are meeting registration requirements and properly handling consumers' personal data.

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YouTube's 'Nelk Boys' Can't Nix Crypto Fraud Claims

By Emilie Ruscoe

The influencers behind the YouTube channel "Nelk Boys" must face civil fraud and conspiracy claims stemming from a $23 million offering and sale of digital assets, in a lawsuit a buyer has brought alleging they largely failed to make good on delivering certain perks they promised purchasers.

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Samourai Wallet Tech Gets 4 Years In Crypto Laundering Case

By Pete Brush

A Manhattan federal judge sentenced a self-taught coder who managed the day-to-day tech side of crypto mixer Samourai Wallet to four years in prison Wednesday, after he admitted that he knew the business facilitated bitcoin transfers derived from criminal activity.

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Senior Living Co. Inks $7.2M Deal To End Wash. AG's Probe

By Rachel Riley

Oregon-based senior living provider Bonaventure will invest $7 million in staffing and upgrades and shell out $200,000 in resident credits to resolve allegations of substandard care at 10 Washington state facilities, under a settlement filed Wednesday.

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DaVita Reaches Tentative Deal In Patients' Data Breach Suit

By Rachel Konieczny

DaVita Inc. has reached a settlement in principle with current and former patients of the healthcare company who alleged in Colorado federal court that it did not adequately protect their personal information, resulting in an April data breach.

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Nestle Asks 9th Circ. To Nix False Ad Class In Child Labor Suit

By Bonnie Eslinger

Nestle urged the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday to reverse certification of a class of millions of consumers who purchased chocolate labeled "sustainably sourced," saying claims the chocolate is produced through child labor and deforestation are untrue and the question of whether consumers purchased due to the labeling is highly individualized.

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Kalshi Says Sports 'Swaps' Not Bets In Bid To End Mass. Suit

By Julie Manganis

Prediction market KalshiEX asked a Massachusetts state court to throw out a suit by state regulators alleging that its sports "event contracts" are illegal gambling, saying the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has already given its imprimatur to the products.

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DraftKings Must Face Fraud Claims Over 'No-Risk' Betting Ads

By David Steele

A suit accusing DraftKings of defrauding and deceiving bettors with its "risk-free" promotions will continue after a New Jersey federal judge on Wednesday rejected the betting platform's attempt to throw it out.

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Conn. Officials Say Feds' Bill Moots Challenge To Hemp Law

By Mike Curley

Connecticut state officials are urging a federal court to throw out a suit from hemp producers challenging the state's regulation of intoxicating hemp products, saying the redefinition of hemp in the recently signed bill reopening the government is even stricter than the state's regulations, making the case moot.

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Whoop Blood Pressure Tracker Hit With False Ad Suit

By Emily Field

A consumer on Tuesday hit health and wellness wearable tech company Whoop Inc. with a proposed class action in California federal court alleging that its boasting of the blood pressure features of its fitness tracker duped consumers and prompted a warning from health regulators.

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Re/Max Enabled DR Property Sales Scheme, Buyers Say

By Isaac Monterose

A proposed class of U.S. consumers accused Re/Max in New Jersey federal court of doing nothing to stop a multimillion-dollar scheme that involved franchisee real estate agents selling fake developments in the Dominican Republic.

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Sara Lee Falsely Claims 'No Preservatives,' Suit Says

By Mike Curley

A proposed class of consumers is suing the company behind Sara Lee in New York federal court, alleging its bread products contain citric acid even though the labels indicate they are made without "artificial colors, flavors & preservatives."

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Widener U. To Pay $800K To End COVID Refund Lawsuit

By Carla Baranauckas

Widener University has agreed to pay $800,000 to settle a proposed class action accusing the school of failing to provide the in-person education and campus services students paid for during the spring 2020 semester, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced classes online.

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NJ Panel Revives Fraud Claim Against Towing Company

By Carla Baranauckas

A New Jersey appeals panel partly revived a consumer fraud claim Wednesday against a towing company, ruling that the trial court failed to make required factual findings before rejecting allegations that the business misled a Newark man about the price of his junk car.

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Live Nation Looks To End DOJ's Antitrust Case

By Matthew Perlman

Live Nation told a New York federal court there's no need for a trial in the antitrust case from the U.S. Department of Justice and a contingent of states because enforcers have not shown that it has monopoly power over any live entertainment market or that it hurt competition.

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Princeton Sued Over Student, Alumni Data Exposed In Breach

By Lauren Berg

Princeton University faces two proposed class actions in New Jersey federal court accusing it of failing to take the necessary measures to protect the personally identifiable information of thousands of students, alumni, donors, faculty and other members of the university community, which was exposed during a data breach this month.

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Wash. Judge Narrows Claims In Seaplane Crash Dispute

By Tom Lotshaw

A Washington state judge largely denied a charter flight company's attempt to put blame for a seaplane crash that killed 10 people onto an aircraft company, and said there are genuine questions about whether sole cause can be attributed to either party.

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Trio Accused Of $30M Crypto Theft Can't Dodge Wiretap Claim

By Joyce Hanson

Three individuals accused of conspiring to steal approximately $30 million in cryptocurrency via decentralized artificial-intelligence collaboration hub Bittensor have failed to convince a California federal judge to toss a wiretap claim against them.

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23andMe Seeks OK For Ch. 11 Plan With Release Tweaks

By Clara Geoghegan

Attorneys for former DNA testing company 23andMe urged a Missouri bankruptcy judge Wednesday to approve its Chapter 11 liquidation plan, which resolved objections from states and the U.S. Trustee tied to claim releases.

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4chan's US Lawsuit May Affect UK Online Safety Law Reach

4chan and Kiwi Farms’ pending case against the Office of Communications in a D.C. federal court, arguing that their constitutional rights have been violated, could have far-reaching implications for the extraterritorial enforcement of the U.K. Online Safety Act and other laws if successful, say lawyers at Taylor Wessing.

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Bonus Spotlight

Law Firms Begin Upping The Ante For Associate Bonuses

By Tracey Read

Trial boutique Wilkinson Stekloff LLP is exceeding the year-end associate bonus scale set by Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP, announcing bonuses late Wednesday that are 150% of market.

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CFPB Will Shift Remaining Lawsuits Over To DOJ

By Jon Hill

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will be handing off its enforcement lawsuits and other litigation to the U.S. Department of Justice as the Trump administration prepares for the consumer agency to run out of money, Law360 has learned.

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Analysis

Trump's Epstein Directive Puts SDNY Prosecutor In A 'Pickle'

By Phillip Bantz

Manhattan chief federal prosecutor Jay Clayton appears to have been backed into a "horrible" corner with a "no-win" outcome as a result of a directive from President Donald Trump and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate Jeffrey Epstein's ties to prominent Democrats, experts say.

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Comey Says DOJ's Conduct 'Shocks The Conscience'

By Hailey Konnath

James Comey on Thursday reiterated his request that the U.S. Department of Justice be forced to disclose all grand jury materials related to his indictment, noting the government has conceded that the grand jury never saw the operative indictment and saying the purported misconduct "shocks the conscience."

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NJ Panel Expands Scope Of Ex-Reed Smith Atty's Bias Claims

By Rose Krebs

A New Jersey appellate panel on Thursday ruled that a former Reed Smith LLP attorney is entitled to pursue more damages and obtain expanded wage data in her gender discrimination suit against the firm, saying a trial court incorrectly applied certain statutes when it limited the damages and data she could seek.

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X Corp. Ends $90M Fee Suit Against Wachtell

By James Mills

X Corp. has ended its California state lawsuit against Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz over $90 million in legal fees tied to the fight over Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter, according to a court filing.

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Analysis

Meta Loss Shows Time Not On Enforcers' Side In Tech Cases

By Bryan Koenig

Meta's triumph over a Federal Trade Commission antitrust case Tuesday hinged on a D.C. federal judge's finding that the company lacks a monopoly in the present day, highlighting some of the challenges of using slow-moving litigation to challenge fast-moving markets.

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Senate Panel OKs Miss. Judge, US Atty Nominees After Delay

By Courtney Bublé

After weeks of holdup, nominees for Mississippi federal courts and U.S. attorneys were voted out of committee on Thursday, following an impasse between Republican senators.

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Brief

Senate Passes Bill To Protect State Judges From Threats

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a bipartisan bill to beef up security for state and local judges.

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DOJ Antitrust Chief Says Agriculture A 'Top Priority'

By Matthew Perlman

The U.S. Department of Justice's top antitrust official said enforcers have already opened several investigations in the agriculture sector, including into meatpackers at the direction of President Donald Trump, and called the industry a "top priority" for the agency.

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