Meta Seeks Punitives For NSO WhatsApp Hack As Trial Opens

By Dorothy Atkins

Meta's counsel told a California federal jury during trial openings Tuesday that Israeli spyware-maker NSO Group owes nearly $445,000 plus punitive damages for its "despicable" conduct hacking 1,400 WhatsApp users' devices, while NSO's counsel denied owing Meta anything and criticized Meta's case as a PR attempt to "own the narrative."

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

Judge Mulls If Google Could Still Vie To Be Default Search

By Bryan Koenig

A D.C. federal judge probed potential middle grounds Tuesday for how to give Google's search engine rivals a leg up against the company's monopoly, asking how to avoid a "duopoly" with Microsoft and if Google might be permitted to continue paying browsers and phonemakers for default placement.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Highmark Must Face Bulk Of Data Breach Lawsuit

By Ganesh Setty

A group of individuals who said their personal information was compromised in a phishing attack against health insurer Highmark can largely proceed with their proposed class action against the company, a Pennsylvania federal court ruled, finding the plaintiffs sufficiently alleged they'll suffer imminent and concrete injuries, thereby establishing standing.

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

23andMe Agrees To Privacy Ombudsman In Ch. 11

By Clara Geoghegan

A Missouri bankruptcy judge on Tuesday signed off on a consumer privacy watchdog for 23andMe's Chapter 11 after the genetic testing group and 30 states agreed that a statutorily authorized ombudsman would be the best way to vet a Chapter 11 sale that includes 15 million users' DNA information.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

2nd Circ. Not Sure FCC Fine Denied Verizon's Trial Right

By Christopher Cole

Second Circuit judges questioned Tuesday why the feds couldn't fine Verizon millions of dollars for location data misuse since the telecom carrier has the option of refusing to pay and demanding a jury trial if the U.S. Department of Justice comes to collect.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Meta Looks To Delete User Antitrust Claims Over Pay For Data

By Craig Clough

Meta urged a California federal court Monday to end antitrust claims from consumers alleging they should be paid for their data, saying flawed expert theories that doomed class certification also sink the entire case for the remaining individual plaintiffs.

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

State Telecom Roundup: Funding Security Without The Feds

By Nadia Dreid

The Trump administration has made it clear that it expects states to take the reins regarding cybersecurity infrastructure and disaster preparedness and that the feds plan to step back, but not all states are equally prepared for that task.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

5th Circ. Hints Exclusivity Could End Tata's $168M Woe

By Spencer Brewer

A Fifth Circuit panel asked whether Tata Consultancy Services had taken trade secrets to solely build a product for a specific customer, questioning Tuesday whether to keep intact a $168 million judgment finding Tata stole an IT company's technology concerning source code and life insurance software documentation.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Florida, 20 Other States Back FTC Commissioner Firings

By Jared Foretek

A group of 21 Republican-led states and the Arizona Legislature are backing President Donald Trump's firing of two Democratic Federal Trade Commission members, telling the D.C. federal judge hearing the commissioners' case that the president has absolute authority over the commission.

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

Fla. Bitcoin Scammer Warned That 20-Year Sentence On Table

By Pete Brush

A Manhattan federal judge told a Florida bitcoin scammer on Tuesday that he may face 20 years for refusing to repay $20 million to an entrepreneur whose cryptocurrency he stole, citing the defendant's alleged preference for doing time over making restitution.

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

Mich. AG Says Roku Breached Children's Data Privacy

By Elaine Briseño

The Michigan Department of Attorney General sued Roku in federal court Tuesday, accusing the streaming platform of illegally collecting the data and personal information of its underage users and sharing it with third parties without parental consent or the notice required by law.

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

Conn. Watchdog Urges Probe Into Avangrid Phishing Scam

By Brian Steele

Connecticut's Office of Consumer Counsel has asked the state utilities regulator to open a probe into Avangrid Inc.'s alleged public dissemination of customer information, telling the agency in a petition that two of its natural gas subsidiaries in the state fell victim to a phishing scam.

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

Alex Jones Wants High Court Look At $1.3B Sandy Hook Case

By Brian Steele

Bankrupt Infowars host Alex Jones will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate a mammoth libel judgment that families of Sandy Hook shooting victims secured against him and his company over his conspiratorial broadcasts calling the massacre a hoax, he told a Connecticut appellate court in seeking to extend a pause on the payout.

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

FTX Ch. 11 Trust Asks To Keep Customer Info Confidential

By Jeff Montgomery

In a just-under-the-wire move, the FTX bankruptcy recovery trust has sought a seventh extension for a mid-2023 ruling by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware allowing confidential treatment of its 9 million customers' information, citing the data's continued value to the estate.

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

2 Insurance Firms Join Frozen IPO Pipeline Seeking $440M

By Tom Zanki

Two insurance companies joined the roster of candidates for initial public offerings on Tuesday by launching plans to raise about $440 million combined under guidance from six law firms, potentially unlocking a stalled pipeline.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

OKCoin Says Crypto Holders Can't Tie Firm To $2M Theft

By Sydney Price

Digital asset exchange OKCoin and its affiliates urged a California federal judge to dismiss a proposed class action accusing them of enabling cryptocurrency thieves, arguing the real cause of the plaintiffs' losses was the initial theft, not any actions by the exchange.

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

North Georgia Healthcare Provider Sued Over Data Breach

By Kelcey Caulder

A regional healthcare provider and a collections agency have been hit with a proposed class action in Georgia federal court over allegations that their lax cybersecurity practices allowed hackers to steal the protected health information of patients during a July 2024 data breach.

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

3 Change Management Tools To Boost Compliance Efforts

As companies grapple with rapidly changing regulations and expectations, leaders charged with implementing their organizations’ compliance programs should look to change management principles to make the process less costly and more effective, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

A Look At Probabilistic Tracing After High Court's Slack Ruling

Recent decisions following the U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 ruling in Slack v. Pirani have increased the difficulty of pleading Securities Act claims for securities issued in direct listings by rejecting the use of statistical probabilities to establish that share purchases were traceable to a challenged registration statement, says Jonathan Richman at Brown Rudnick.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

The 2025 Lawyer Satisfaction Survey

Law firms and the legal profession are facing new uncertainties, shifting the stress levels, economic pressures, and overall contentment of lawyers in private practice, according to the 2025 Law360 Pulse Lawyer Satisfaction Survey.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

'The Court Is Not A Cartoon': Judge Rips Dragon Watermark

By Hailey Konnath

A Michigan federal magistrate judge Monday ordered an East Lansing, Michigan, firm called Dragon Lawyers PC to stop plastering its pleadings with a large, suit-clad purple cartoon dragon watermark on each page, saying it's not only "distracting, it's juvenile and impertinent."

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

Analysis

Feds Have Strong Hand On Judge Charged With Blocking ICE

By Danielle Ferguson and Carolyn Muyskens

A Wisconsin state judge faces an uphill battle in defending against federal criminal allegations that she helped a man evade immigration officials at a Wisconsin courthouse, but she may be able to stake out a defense in arguing the government can't prove intent, experts told Law360. 

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

California Judge Loses Pay After Conviction For Murdering Wife

By Gina Kim

The California Commission on Judicial Performance formally suspended a California judge without pay after a state jury found him guilty of second-degree murder last week for shooting his wife to death in their Anaheim Hills home on Aug. 3, 2023, following a heated argument. 

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

Q&A

Sullivan M&A Chief Sees Opportunities Amid Tariff Turmoil

By Al Barbarino

After a rocky start to 2025, the mergers and acquisitions landscape is grappling with economic volatility, shifting trade policies and a complex regulatory environment. But even in a "choppy" market, there are always deals to be made, says Melissa Sawyer, global head of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP's M&A group and co-head of its corporate governance practice.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

NJ Judge Apologizes Through Waylon Jennings Lyrics

By George Woolston

Clark Township, New Jersey, Municipal Judge Antonio Inacio said Tuesday that he isn't proud of all the things that led him to appear before a Garden State judiciary disciplinary committee, but he can say that he never intentionally hurt anyone by his conduct.

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

$10M Brown Rudnick Deal With Guo Trustee Gets Judge's OK

By Aaron Keller

A Connecticut bankruptcy judge on Tuesday approved a $10 million deal between Miles Guo's Chapter 11 trustee and the Chinese exile's onetime attorneys at Brown Rudnick LLP, and greenlighted 10 lesser settlements with other firms and luxury retailer Versace.

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

Analysis

GOP Plan To Shutter Audit Watchdog Could Strain SEC

By Jessica Corso

Congressional Republicans are renewing the push to get rid of a financial regulator that conservatives have complained is costly and lacks proper oversight, but some former staffers at the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board wonder whether the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has the manpower or expertise to take over the board's duties.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Federal Defenders Of NY Staff Announce Union Drive

By Andrea Keckley

Staff members at the Federal Defenders of New York have announced their plans to join their attorney colleagues as members of the Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Justices Scoff At Feds' Defenses In Mistaken FBI Raid Case

By Chart Riggall

Supreme Court justices Tuesday appeared flummoxed by the government's "ridiculous" arguments it should be immune to a Georgia resident's lawsuit over a mistaken FBI raid on her house, but seemed unlikely to issue a blanket ruling on when an officer's discretion trumps their liability for injuries caused by their actions.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Breyer To Talk Pragmatism At NJ Bar Association Convention

By Carla Baranauckas

Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer will bring his pragmatic legal philosophy to center stage when he appears at the New Jersey State Bar Association Convention on May 16 in Atlantic City.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »