Oil Giants Sued Over Climate-Linked Rise In Insurance Costs

By Ben Adlin

The fossil fuel industry spent decades pushing a coordinated disinformation campaign to conceal its central role in climate change, saddling homeowners with a multibillion-dollar increase in insurance costs as disasters grew more frequent and severe, according to a proposed class action filed Tuesday in Washington federal court.

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

Texas Woman Says Business Group CEO Assaulted Her

By Mike Curley

The founder of a Texas business advocacy group is suing the state's largest business association and its CEO, saying he maneuvered his way to head her group and used his leverage to try to coerce her into a sexual relationship, then assaulted her.

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

Anthropic Judge Warns Firm Against 'Extortion' In Opt-Out Bid

By Bonnie Eslinger

A California federal judge doubled down Tuesday on his concerns that Arizona law firm ClaimsHero is misleading authors to opt out of AI company Anthropic's $1.5 billion deal to end copyright infringement claims, saying the firm appears to be seeking "a nuisance settlement" and warning it against a legal strategy he called "extortion."

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Delaware Judge Accepts $5.89B Bid For Control Of Citgo

By Caroline Simson

A Delaware federal judge on Tuesday approved a $5.892 billion bid from hedge fund Elliott Investment Management LP to purchase shares in Citgo's parent company and satisfy billions of dollars' worth of Venezuelan debt, moving a step closer to ending the long-delayed sale.

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

Kaiser Cleared To Pay $46M For Sharing Data With Tech Cos.

By Bonnie Eslinger

A California federal judge granted preliminary approval Tuesday to a settlement of at least $46 million from three Kaiser Permanente entities to resolve claims by 13.1 million patients across the country who say it disclosed their information to Google, Microsoft, Twitter and other third parties without consent.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Legal Challenge To EEOC Disparate Impact Pivot Tossed Out

By Vin Gurrieri

A D.C. federal judge on Tuesday threw out a suit from a former Amazon delivery driver who accused the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission of unlawfully refusing to investigate charges premised on a disparate impact theory, finding the worker didn't have standing to bring the case. 

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

Warner Music, Suno Settle AI Suit, Unveil Partnership

By Rae Ann Varona

Warner Music Group and artificial intelligence music startup Suno entered a new music creation partnership that also resolves WMG's copyright lawsuit against the AI-powered platform, the companies announced Tuesday, nearly a week after WMG also announced a settlement and collaboration with another AI music generator.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

ISS Updates Policy For Climate Change, Diversity Proxy Bids

By Sarah Jarvis

Proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. indicated Tuesday it has updated its policies for backing controversial shareholder proposals on corporate proxy ballots, opting to endorse diversity and climate change-related proposals on a case-by-case basis starting next year.

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

Lowe's To Pay $12.5M To Settle Lead Safety Allegations

By Rae Ann Varona

Lowe's will pay $12.5 million as part of a proposed settlement resolving the federal government's claims that its contractors failed to follow certain requirements to minimize lead exposure when renovating older homes, the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ex-Nikola CEO Milton Can't Decertify Investor Suit

By Sydney Price

An Arizona federal judge Tuesday rejected former Nikola CEO Trevor Milton's objections to certifying a class of shareholders accusing him and the electric vehicle startup of exaggerating the viability of its prospects, finding the investors have made reasonable progress toward contacting class members.

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

Ex-Bank GC Faces Garnishments After $7M Restitution Order

By Aaron Keller

Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC has told the Connecticut federal court it blocked a former Webster Bank general counsel from drawing money from five accounts totaling close to $178,000 in response to recent garnishment actions, presumably filed by prosecutors to satisfy part of a $7.4 million fraud restitution order.

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

9th Circ. Slams 'Unimpressive Excuses' In L'Oréal Rival's Suit

By Lauren Berg

The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday refused to revive a trade secrets case against L'Oréal USA Inc., saying the plaintiff company's "unimpressive excuses" for fabricating evidence and other misconduct do not override the district court's conclusion that the proper sanction was to dismiss the case.

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

AI Jury Simulator Says Fired Co-Founder Stole Trade Secrets

By Hailey Konnath

Artificial intelligence jury simulator Juries.ai sued its recently fired co-founder, claiming he has refused to hand over control of a number of the company's accounts or return its source code and other confidential information, according to a complaint filed in California federal court.

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

9th Circ. Offers Mixed Ruling On Jack In The Box Wage Claims

By Irene Spezzamonte

A trial must address whether Jack in the Box willfully deducted too much from workers' wages, the Ninth Circuit ruled on Tuesday, flipping workers' win on claims the fast-food company over-deducted their wages while reviving their claims over deductions for nonslip shoes.

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

11th Circ. Lets Fla. Enforce Social Media Law Amid Appeal

By Hailey Konnath

A split Eleventh Circuit panel on Tuesday allowed Florida to enforce its law banning children 13 and under from social media while the Sunshine State appeals a lower court's injunction, ruling that Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is likely to succeed in his argument that the law is constitutional.

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

Medical AI Co. Accused Of 'Smear Campaign' Against Rivals

By Julie Manganis

Two rivals of medical artificial intelligence platform OpenEvidence have told a Massachusetts federal judge the startup has used the courts in a campaign of "deceit, harassment and defamation" against competitors.

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

Maryland Judge Keeps Kids' Privacy Law Challenge

By Jared Foretek

NetChoice's challenge to Maryland's "Kids Code" law regulating online privacy protections for children survived the state's motion to dismiss, after a Maryland federal judge Monday said the trade association had made sufficient claims that the law burdens protected speech.

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

DOL Seeks To End 5th Circ. Fiduciary Rule Battle

By Kellie Mejdrich

The U.S. Department of Labor asked the Fifth Circuit to dismiss two appeals defending a package of Biden-era investment advice regulations that had expanded the definition of a fiduciary under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, which two Texas courts had blocked in 2024.

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

Del. Supreme Court Backs FloSports In Records Fight

By Jarek Rutz

A fight among siblings over access to corporate records ended with the Delaware Supreme Court affirming that three stockholders of sports streaming platform FloSports Inc. failed to follow the procedural steps required under the Delaware General Corporation Law.

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

Holtec Can Pursue Suit Over Alleged Scheme Involving Ex-GC

By Jake Maher

Holtec International prevailed over motions to dismiss its lawsuit in New Jersey state court accusing its former general counsel and others of running an embezzlement scheme that cost the company over $700,000.

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

Ogletree Deakins Welcomes Saber Law Employment Atty In SF

By James Mills

Labor and employment firm Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC is expanding its West Coast team, bringing in a Saber Law Group employment litigator as a shareholder in its San Francisco office.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

How In-House Counsel Can Prep Corp. Reps For Depositions

With anticorporate sentiment on the rise and jury verdicts against businesses growing larger, it is crucial that witnesses designated to be deposed on behalf of a company be well-prepared — and there are several key points in-house counsel should keep in mind to facilitate this process, says Joseph Altieri at Hollingsworth.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Considerations When Invoking The Common-Interest Privilege

To successfully leverage the common-interest doctrine in a multiparty transaction or complex litigation, practitioners should be able to demonstrate that the parties intended for it to apply, that an underlying privilege like attorney-client has attached, and guard against disclosures that could waive privilege and defeat its purpose, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Bonus Spotlight

Magic Circle Firms Enchant Associates With Top-Tier Bonuses

By Tracey Read

U.S. associates at Linklaters LLP and Clifford Chance LLP have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season, as the Magic Circle firms Wednesday became the latest to match the BigLaw standard for this year's associate bonuses.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

After Big Win For 2 Trump Foes, A Third Faces 'Tougher Job'

By Phillip Bantz

The recent dismissal of federal criminal charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI director James Comey does little to help President Donald Trump's ex-national security adviser John Bolton, whose defense in a classified-materials case presents a thornier set of legal and factual issues, experts say.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Roundup

Up Next At High Court: ISP Liability & State Subpoena Suits

By Katie Buehler

The U.S. Supreme Court will return Monday for the first week of its December oral argument session, during which the justices will consider whether internet service providers can be held liable for contributing to their customers' infringing activity online and whether the subjects of state subpoenas are required to first challenge them in state court. 

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Interview

For Covington's Adrian Perry, Music Is A Family Affair

By Theresa Schliep

Despite having a famous rock star dad, Covington & Burling LLP partner Adrian J. Perry wasn't all that interested in being a musician as a young child, but he knew as early as 6 years old that he wanted to be a lawyer.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

Calif. Privacy Agency Gaining Steam Ahead Of 5th Anniversary

By Allison Grande

California's data privacy regulator has taken several notable steps in recent months, including handing down its first penalty upward of $1 million dollars and finalizing long-awaited rules on topics such as cybersecurity audits and technologies that use artificial intelligence, and the groundbreaking agency shows no signs of slowing down as its fifth anniversary approaches. 

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Split 6th Circ. Shields Baker Donelson, Not City Councilman

By Matt Perez

In a published opinion, the Sixth Circuit has found that Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC is shielded by qualified immunity as outside counsel for the city of Nashville in litigation over the law firm's firing of a city election commission chair and member of the firm.

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

Foley & Lardner Hit With Malpractice Suit Over Chancery Loss

By Rose Krebs

Foley & Lardner LLP has been sued in Delaware Superior Court by three officers of a now-defunct food recycling company who say the firm was negligent when representing them in a Chancery Court case that led to a $1.6 million judgment against them and another officer.

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

DOJ Asks Court If It Can Release Epstein Files Under New Law

By Lauren Berg

The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking a New York federal court's permission to publicly release the files related to the investigation of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, clarifying Wednesday that it wants to release search warrant results, travel and financial records, police reports, and other materials.

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

Keesal Young Poaching Suit Against Stradley Ronon Trimmed

By Madison Arnold

A California state judge cleared Keesal Young & Logan to pursue most of its lawsuit alleging Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young crossed the line when it recruited 10 former Keesal Young attorneys, finding that claims such as inducing breach of contract could move forward, in part, because of conversations among the attorneys.

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

DOJ Says Ex-Employees Can't Challenge Firings In Fed. Court

By Rose Krebs

The government says a D.C. federal court lacks jurisdiction to adjudicate a lawsuit filed by a former assistant U.S. attorney who prosecuted defendants charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and two other ex-Department of Justice employees, alleging they were unlawfully fired.

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

Hub Hires: Todd & Weld, Freshfields, Shipman

By Julie Manganis

It was a busy November in Boston's legal community as another firm expanded into the market, and a longtime judge traded his gavel for the ability to address his growing concerns about the Trump administration.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »