1st Circ. Sends Maine's 3M PFAS Suit Back To Federal Court

By Mike Curley

A First Circuit panel has sent a suit from the state of Maine against 3M Co. over so-called forever chemical contamination back to federal court, saying its disclaimer that it wasn't pursuing federal claims does not on its own put the case in state court.

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

Conn. Faces Tough 2nd Circ. In 3M PFAS Enforcement Dispute

By Juan-Carlos Rodriguez

A Second Circuit panel on Thursday appeared receptive to 3M's argument that Connecticut's state lawsuit accusing it of polluting the environment with forever chemicals contained in consumer products actually belongs in federal court, where a similar lawsuit against the company is playing out.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

New Trial Bid Denied After $57M Coal Emissions IP Verdict

By Adam Lidgett

A Delaware federal magistrate judge won't order a new trial after a jury found in 2024 that companies affiliated with CERT Operations owed Midwest Energy Emissions Corp. more than $57 million for infringing patents on technology for refining coal to reduce mercury in emissions from power plants.

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

FERC Looks To Put LNG Project Work On A Faster Track

By Keith Goldberg

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday said it will explore speeding up its permitting of liquefied natural gas projects by creating a blanket authorization process for certain project activities that wouldn't require individual approvals.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

Importers Left With Uncertainty After US-China Trade Truce

By Dylan Moroses

U.S. importers have welcomed the latest trade truce with China and the ability to obtain key minerals without new licensing requirements for the next year, but continue to have questions about how commitments in the bilateral agreement will be met and concerns about risks of escalation.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

EU Needs Unified Tax Benefits For Electricity, Experts Say

By Kevin Pinner

The European Union needs a unified approach to tax benefits that would treat electricity more favorably than fossil fuels amid an impasse surrounding its overhaul to the energy taxation system, experts told the European Parliament's tax committee Thursday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

'Not Well-Taken': 2nd Bid To Halt CFPB Energy Loan Rule Fails

By Jon Hill

A Florida federal judge on Thursday smacked down a lender trade group's renewed bid to halt a Biden-era Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule that will tighten standards on clean-energy home improvement loans, calling the emergency request wasteful and "not well-taken."

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

How Cos. Should Prepare For Prop 65 Listing Of Bisphenols

California regulators are moving toward classifying all p,p'-bisphenol chemicals as causing reproductive toxicity under Proposition 65, which could require warning notices for a vast range of consumer and industrial products, and open the floodgates to private litigation — so companies should proactively review their suppy chains, says Gregory Berlin at Alston & Bird.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Rule Amendments Pave Path For A Privilege Claim 'Offensive'

Litigators should consider leveraging forthcoming amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which will require early negotiations of privilege-related discovery claims, by taking an offensive posture toward privilege logs at the outset of discovery, says David Ben-Meir at Ben-Meir Law.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

How New Law Transforms Large-Load Power Projects In Texas

S.B. 6 — the new Texas law that revises state regulations for large electrical loads and related behind-the-meter projects — introduces higher up-front costs for developers and more flexible operating models for large-load customers, but should provide the certainty needed for greater investment in generation, say attorneys at Sidley.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Series

My Miniature Livestock Farm Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Raising miniature livestock on my farm, where I am fully present with the animals, is an almost meditative time that allows me to return to work invigorated, ready to juggle numerous responsibilities and motivated to tackle hard issues in new ways, says Ted Kobus at BakerHostetler.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

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.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

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.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

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.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

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."

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

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.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

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.

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

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.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »