Boeing, DOJ Say FAA Fines Don't Sway Conspiracy Case

By Linda Chiem

Boeing and the federal government have told a Texas federal judge that the Federal Aviation Administration's recent proposal to fine Boeing $3.1 million for safety violations shouldn't factor into the 737 Max 8 criminal conspiracy case they're hoping to have wiped from the docket.

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Trump Could Swing Fed With This 1 Weird Trick: Ex-Fed Gov.

By Jon Hill

A former top Federal Reserve official told Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday that if President Donald Trump succeeds in quickly ousting Fed Gov. Lisa Cook, it could unlock an obscure mechanism for his allies at the Fed to sway future interest-rate decisions.

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Analysis

DOJ & Google Going To Trial, Again, On Ad Tech Remedies

By Bryan Koenig

The Justice Department goes to trial next week to try breaking up Google's advertising placement technology business after a Virginia federal court declared the company an illegal monopolist in ad tech.

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NC Loan Servicer Can't Escape Default Warning Letter Suit

By Sydney Price

Housing loan servicer Selene Finance LP must face most of a putative class action accusing it of sending false and deceptive notices regarding loan defaults, with a North Carolina court finding that the plaintiffs have shown various elements of deception.

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Atty Gets $4.3M Judgment Against Crypto Investment Cos.

By Matthew Santoni

A Pennsylvania state court has ordered four cryptocurrency companies to release more than $4.3 million in funds to a Pittsburgh attorney who claims the companies unjustly froze his accounts when he tried to make withdrawals.

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Charter Jet Co. Alleges GE Engine Defect Caused Fatal Crash

By Mike Curley

A charter flight company is suing General Electric Co., Bombardier Inc. and a group of airplane maintenance companies over a fatal crash, saying that GE's engine was defective and prone to corrosion that it didn't warn buyers about and which the maintenance companies failed to detect.

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Movie Chain Shakes Privacy Row Over Meta Data-Sharing

By Allison Grande

A New York federal judge tossed a proposed class action accusing Bow Tie Cinemas of illegally sharing movie ticket buyers' personal information with Facebook parent Meta, finding a recent Second Circuit decision on what qualifies as data covered by the Video Privacy Protection Act was "fatal" to the plaintiff's claims.

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FTC Sends White House List Of Regulations For Deletion

By Matthew Perlman

The Federal Trade Commission provided the White House with a report on Wednesday recommending that more than 125 regulations from agencies across the federal government be modified or deleted because they create barriers to competition.

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Satellites Belong In FCC's Enviro Reviews, Agency Told

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission can't justify excluding potentially luminous satellites from environmental reviews keyed to industries under its jurisdiction, a group fighting light pollution said.

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FCC Told To Take Care When Adding AI To Public Alerts

By Nadia Dreid

As the Federal Communications Commission mulls how to best overhaul its emergency alert rules, one California county is warning the agency to tread carefully when it comes to adopting emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.

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AM Radio Bill Makes It Through House Committee, Again

By Nadia Dreid

More than two-thirds of the House of Representatives have signed on to co-sponsor a bill that would prevent automakers from removing AM radios from their vehicles, so it came as no surprise when the bill sailed through markup Wednesday afternoon.

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NCDOT Dodges Liability In Fatal Snowstorm Accident

By Abigail Harrison

The North Carolina Department of Transportation was freed Wednesday from having to contribute to wrongful death settlements of over $1.6 million after a North Carolina Court of Appeals panel found the department to be immune under the Emergency Management Act.

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Brief

NY Regulator Pushes Blockchain Analytics For Compliance

By Aislinn Keely

New York's Department of Financial Services on Wednesday emphasized that it expects banks under its purview to incorporate blockchain analytics tools as part of their compliance programs if they're engaging in crypto activities.

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Crypto Exec Cops To $200M Bitcoin Ponzi Scheme

By Rae Ann Varona

The chief executive officer of a cryptocurrency trading company pled guilty on Tuesday in Virginia federal court to a $200 million Ponzi scheme that federal prosecutors said defrauded more than 90,000 investors worldwide and allowed the executive to buy luxury vehicles, clothing and homes worth several million dollars.

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FDA Says Vape Manufacturer Lying About Marketing Approval

By Emily Field

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday sued manufacturers of flavored vapes in New Jersey federal court to seek an end to their sales, saying that they are falsely representing that their products had received marketing approval.

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9th Circ. Denies Appeal Of Wash. Anti-Vaxxers' Med Board Suit

By Ben Adlin

The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday rejected an appeal brought by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on behalf of anti-vaxxers challenging a Washington state medical board's disciplinary proceedings against doctors who allegedly spread false information about COVID-19.

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Missouri AG Can Seek Unredacted Trans Care Records

By Yeji Jesse Lee

The Missouri attorney general can demand that a hospital turn over unredacted records on patients getting transgender care as part of a probe of a whistleblower complaint, a state appeals court held Tuesday.

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Hermes Gets Birkin Bag Antitrust Claims Tossed For Good

By Matthew Perlman

A California federal court on Wednesday tossed a proposed class action accusing Hermes of unlawfully tying the sale of its iconic Birkin handbag to other expensive items, finding the latest version of the complaint still fell short of making a plausible antitrust claim.

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Conn. Gallery Owner Must Face 'Fake' Art Sale Claims

By Aaron Keller

A Greenwich, Connecticut-based art seller should face a jury on claims that it sold a fake Keith Haring chalk drawing for $165,000 after vouching for its authenticity, a judge has ruled, denying a gallery's request for a quick win on eight of nine counts.

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Ex-Applicant Sues Walmart, Alleging Consumer Report Misstep

By Emilie Ruscoe

Big box retailer Walmart faces a proposed class action alleging it violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act by running a background check, then rescinding a job offer to an applicant who'd disclosed her criminal record before starting the application process.

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4th Circ. Told Panel's Ruling In Bestwall Ch. 11 Dangerous

By Emlyn Cameron

A group of asbestos claimants has asked the full Fourth Circuit to reconsider a panel's ruling that Georgia-Pacific asbestos unit Bestwall could stay in Chapter 11 despite its parent being solvent, saying the opinion defies U.S. Supreme Court precedent and will enable debtors to abuse the system.

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Chubb Unit Wants Data, Cyber Cos. To Pay Ransomware Cost

By Lauren Berg

A Chubb insurance unit has claimed a data management company and a cybersecurity firm failed to prevent or mitigate a ransomware attack on one of its policyholders, leading to the insurer being on the hook for more than $500,000 in damages, according to a lawsuit filed in New Jersey federal court.

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Fiat Chrysler, Supplier Resolve Dispute Over Pacifica Recall

By Danielle Ferguson

Fiat Chrysler has reached a resolution in its lawsuit against a supplier the automaker alleged was responsible for a faulty part that spurred a recall, according to a stipulated order dismissing the case Tuesday.

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Md. Hemp Cos. Plan To Challenge Cannabis Law At 4th Circ.

By Sam Reisman

A group of hemp companies challenging Maryland's cannabis policies told a federal judge Tuesday that they plan to appeal a pair of recent adverse rulings, citing in part a new federal appellate ruling that pot sellers are entitled to constitutional protections.

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8th Circ. Backs Dismissal Of FDIC Fee Guidance Challenge

By Jon Hill

The Eighth Circuit on Wednesday rejected a banking industry challenge to Biden-era Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. guidance that cautioned banks about charging recurring fees on declined transactions, ruling the matter not ripe for court review.

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BIPA Logic May Sustain Walgreens Data Suit, Ill. Justices Hint

By Celeste Bott

Illinois' highest court Wednesday pressed an attorney for Walgreens to address why the company shouldn't apply its own reasoning that a plaintiff can file suit based solely on a statutory violation of the state's biometric privacy statute to allegations that the retail pharmacy chain printed too much financial information on receipts.

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Yale Health System Settles $435M Hospital Sale Suit

By Brian Steele

Yale New Haven Health Services Corp., Connecticut's largest hospital system, has reached a settlement in principle with bankrupt Prospect Medical Holdings Inc. that would resolve a $435 million contract dispute over the sale of several hospitals in the state.

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Broker Can't Trim Chipwich Maker's $4.5M Recall Loss Suit

By Hope Patti

A Connecticut state court refused to nix a breach of contract claim in an ice cream sandwich maker's $4.5 million suit accusing its insurance broker of failing to recommend and procure insurance that would cover a food recall.

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Pa. State Rep. Returns To Eckert Seamans As Privacy Pro

By James Boyle

A Pennsylvania state representative and attorney specializing in data privacy matters has recently moved her practice to Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC's Pittsburgh office.

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Series

Adapting To Private Practice: From Va. AUSA To Mid-Law

Returning to the firm where I began my career after seven years as an assistant U.S. attorney in Virginia has been complex, nuanced and rewarding, and I’ve learned that the pursuit of justice remains the constant, even as the mindset and client change, says Kristin Johnson at Woods Rogers.

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Genius Act Poses Strategic Hurdles For Community Banks

​​​​​​​The pace of change in digital asset policy, including the recent arrival of the Genius Act, suggests that strategic planning should be a near-term priority for community banks, with careful attention to customer relationships, regulatory developments and the local communities they serve, say attorneys at Jones Walker.

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What Prop 65 Ruling Means For Cosmetics, Personal Care Biz

A California federal court's recent decision on Proposition 65 warnings is good news for companies in the cosmetics and personal care space, as it will relieve businesses of the need to apply such warnings to products containing titanium dioxide and likely stop a wave of pending failure-to-warn litigation, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

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Litigation Spending To Keep Growing As Biz Risks Run High

By Jack Karp

Companies are likely to increase their spending on litigation next year, some by over 10%, as legal disputes become more complex, more contentious and more high-stakes, according to a new report out Thursday.

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Ex-Calif. Judge Gets 35 Years For Shooting Wife To Death

By Gina Kim

Former California state court judge Jeffrey M. Ferguson lost his bid for a new trial Wednesday and was sentenced to 35 years to life in prison for shooting his wife to death at home in a drunken rage, with the presiding judge expressing sympathy for his "extraordinary" son who tried to save his mother's life.

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Feds Want 3 Years For Girardi Son-In-Law's Chicago Contempt

By Lauraann Wood

Tom Girardi's son-in-law should receive a three-year prison sentence for his admitted role in helping the once-celebrated plaintiffs' lawyer steal millions from Lion Air crash victims, federal prosecutors in Chicago argued Wednesday.

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Winston & Strawn Blamed For 'Anti-Woke' Fintech $1.7B Crash

By Lauren Berg

The trustee of bankrupt "anti-woke" financial technology startup GloriFi on Wednesday launched malpractice litigation against Winston & Strawn LLP in Texas bankruptcy court, accusing the firm and one of its managing partners of putting the interests of the company's founder first and costing the business $1.7 billion in valuation.

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7th Circ. Pick Shrugs Off Conservative Group's Opposition

By Courtney Bublé

During her confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Rebecca Taibleson, a federal prosecutor in Wisconsin tapped for the Seventh Circuit, fended off opposition to her nomination from conservative groups, antipathy that the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee called a "new low" for the committee.

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House Votes To End DC Judicial Nominations Commission

By Courtney Bublé

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 218-211 along party lines on Wednesday to eliminate the commission that vets and picks potential judicial nominees for Washington, D.C.'s local courts.

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Retired Judges Speak Out On 'Threats' To Constitution

By Courtney Bublé

More than 40 retired federal judges appointed by presidents of both parties released an open letter Wednesday, the anniversary of the signing of the Constitution, saying they sought to underscore the importance of the rule of law at a time when the nation's ideals "are under historic strain."

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Del. Judge's US Atty Application Plan Draws Blanche's Ire

By Lauren Berg

Delaware's chief district judge, a Trump appointee, is seeking applications for the state's U.S. attorney position to prepare for an upcoming vacancy in the interim position, a move that drew the ire of Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche on Wednesday.

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Giuliani Must Pay Attys $1.4M After Missing Bills Claim Fails

By Adrian Cruz

A New York state judge has awarded nearly $1.4 million to Davidoff Hutcher & Citron LLP in its lawsuit accusing former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani of racking up unpaid legal bills for the firm's work in various criminal, civil and administrative matters.

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Criminal Restitution Fails Defendants, Victims, Report Says

By Brandon Lowrey

Federal criminal restitution often fails to benefit victims of crime and throws defendants into a "Sisyphean struggle" with debt, with $100 billion in outstanding restitution deemed uncollectable, according to a report released this week by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

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SEC Policy Shift Could Foreclose Some Investor Class Actions

By Jessica Corso

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission issued a policy statement Wednesday that allows the use of mandatory arbitration by new publicly traded companies as its chief seeks to "make IPOs great again," but Democrats warned the move could shut the door to shareholder class actions.

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Ex-Law Student's Bias Suit In Wrong Forum, 4th Circ. Told

By Patrick Hoff

A Black former student at Washington University School of Law shouldn't be able to revive claims that she was suspended from campus and lost her scholarship after complaining about a professor's race bias because she filed the suit in the wrong state, the law school told the Fourth Circuit.

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