NY AG Applauds Reports Grand Jury Declined To Reindict

By Lauren Berg

New York Attorney General Letitia James Thursday hailed reports that a Norfolk, Virginia, federal grand jury had declined to reindict her on charges of mortgage fraud, refusing to revive a case that President Donald Trump had pushed prosecutors to pursue against his "guilty as hell" political opponent.

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Analysis

Appeal Of US Atty Invalidations May Be 'Devastating' To DOJ

By Phillip Bantz

As the list of interim and acting U.S. attorneys found to be unlawfully appointed under President Donald Trump grows, so too does the pressure on his administration to make the next move, which could force a risky strategic decision on whether to push the issue up to the U.S. Supreme Court, experts said.

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NY Law Firm Files Ch. 11 After Hostile Takeover Allegations

By Ben Zigterman

A New York law firm filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy relief a week after its creditors filed involuntary Chapter 7 liquidation petitions and more than a month after the firm's founder accused the creditors of a hostile takeover of his firm.

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Analysis

Wheeling & Appealing: The Latest Must-Know Appellate Action

By Jeff Overley

Is the False Claims Act constitutional? Will Mark Zuckerberg be deposed in high-profile privacy litigation? Did a major drugmaker's shenanigans cost investors nearly $7 billion? That's a small sample of the intriguing legal questions we're exploring in this preview of December's top appellate action.

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SDNY Judge Unsure Of Jurisdiction In Maurene Comey Suit

By Pete Brush

A Manhattan federal judge said Thursday he may not have jurisdiction over former prosecutor Maurene Comey's suit claiming President Donald Trump's rivalry with her father, former FBI Director James Comey, led to her firing.

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Trans Defendants Deserve 'Basic Respect,' Experts Say

By Parker Quinlan

The case of Justice Brett Kavanaugh's would-be assassin, who came out as a transgender woman following her arrest, illustrates how criminal courts can be unprepared for, or even hostile to, trans defendants, and experts tell Law360 that courts can make significant inroads by showing trans people a modicum of respect.

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2nd Circ. Restores Ex-Union Boss' Bribery Sentence

By Rae Ann Varona

The Second Circuit on Thursday ordered a Manhattan federal court to reinstate a nearly five-year prison sentence for a former boss in New York City's largest correction officers union, saying disparities between his bribery sentence and those given to his co-defendants didn't warrant his early release.

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Gov't Watchdog To Probe FHFA Mortgage Fraud Referrals

By Grace Dixon

The Government Accountability Office will review whether Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte weaponized mortgage fraud investigations against the president's perceived political opponents and flouted the agency's typical investigation process.

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Geico Claims Cos. Ran $2.7M Medical Device Billing Scheme

By Mark Payne

Two New York companies exploited the state's no-fault insurance laws by fraudulently billing Geico more than $2.7 million for unnecessary durable medical equipment for drivers involved in auto accidents who could receive no-fault coverage, the insurer told a New York federal court Thursday.

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Photographer Gets $51K In Copyright Case Against Website

By Elliot Weld

A Manhattan federal judge has ordered the publisher of an online photography magazine to pay $51,000 in total damages and fees to a photographer after the Second Circuit said its publishing of her work was not fair use.

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OFAC Fines Real Estate Firm $7M Over Sanctions Violations

By Sarah Jarvis

The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control on Thursday fined a New York property management company more than $7 million for allegedly violating Russian sanctions by receiving payments on behalf of a company owned by a sanctioned Russian oligarch.

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Blue Owl Capital Faces Investor Suit Over Redemption Woes

By Emilie Ruscoe

Alternative investment manager Blue Owl Capital Inc. faces a proposed investor class action alleging that it concealed financial stress related to shareholder redemptions, hurting investors when it disclosed a quarterly earnings miss and announced a merger that could have halted certain private fund redemptions.

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Brief

TaskUs' $17.5M Investor Settlement, Atty Fees Get Final OK

By Sydney Price

Final approval has been granted to the $17.5 million deal settling claims between outsourced digital customer service company TaskUs and its investors who allege that the company improperly influenced its ratings on the employer review website Glassdoor, according to an order on Thursday.

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Pharma Cos. Denied Early Win In States' Price-Fixing Suit

By Aaron Keller

Twenty-six pharmaceutical companies failed to secure a quick win on overarching conspiracy claims in an antitrust case by the attorneys general of Connecticut and most other states, with a federal judge finding the "substantial bulk of evidence" points toward a broad industry scheme to fix 98 dermatology drug prices.

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Cayman Parent Of Canterbury Securities Files Ch. 15 Case

By Vince Sullivan

The Cayman Islands parent company of Chapter 15 debtor Canterbury Securities filed for its own insolvency case late Wednesday in New York, with the same joint liquidators seeking recognition of a foreign proceeding in the new case.

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Banks Ask Justices To Review Class Cert. In $12B VRDO Suit

By Katryna Perera

A group of major banks has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Second Circuit decision upholding class certification in a $12 billion municipal-bond antitrust lawsuit, arguing the district court erred in not resolving an expert witness evidence dispute before granting certification.

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Mt. Hawley Nabs Full Win In Citibank Landlord's Coverage Bid

By Gianna Ferrarin

A New York federal court handed Mt. Hawley Insurance Co. a complete win over a Bronx property owner's claim that the insurer had a duty to defend it from a suit brought by a security guard who tripped in a Citibank parking lot.

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NY Fed. Court Urged To Vacate ICE's Courthouse Arrest Policy

By Ganesh Setty

Two New York-based nonprofit organizations that provide immigration and settlement services are urging a federal court to halt arrests of noncitizens at immigration courts, while the Trump administration has responded that such arrests are discretionary decisions outside the court's purview.

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Pot Shop Associate Doubts Judge's Neutrality In RICO Case

By Jonathan Capriel

A landlord accused of allowing an unauthorized cannabis shop to operate within the Cayuga Nation is asking a New York federal judge to recuse herself less than a week before trial is set to begin, suggesting that the jurist might not be unbiased because counsel for the tribe "helped" her "son get a job."

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Squire Patton Hires Foley & Lardner's Bankruptcy Vice Chair

By Andrea Keckley

Squire Patton Boggs LLP announced Wednesday that it has hired the former vice chair of Foley & Lardner LLP's bankruptcy and restructuring practice.

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Goldberg Segalla Adds New Special Counsel To NYC Office

By Isaac Monterose

Goldberg Segalla LLP has hired an experienced commercial litigation attorney as special counsel for its real estate litigation and title disputes team in New York City, the firm recently announced.

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NY Tax Talk: New ALJs, New Rules, Apportionment, Bundling

Attorneys at Eversheds review the top New York tax law developments from last quarter, including appointments to the New York City Tax Appeals Tribunal and the city's proposed rules to clarify income taxation of foreign corporations, and highlight two litigation matters to watch.

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Series

Preaching Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Becoming a Gospel preacher has enhanced my success as a trial lawyer by teaching me the importance of credibility, relatability, persuasiveness and thorough preparation for my congregants, the same skills needed with judges and juries in the courtroom, says Reginald Harris at Stinson.

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Bonus Spotlight

Katten Exceeds Market Bonus Scale, Orrick Matches

By Tracey Read

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP has joined a select few law firms that have gone beyond the BigLaw norm for year-end and special bonuses.

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Immigration Lawyers Battle Burnout Amid Deportation Surge

By Daniel Connolly

As the Trump administration carries out a mass deportation campaign across the country, immigration attorneys faced with heavy demand and changing norms are feeling the impact of burnout and stress on their practices and emotions, they told Law360.

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Judges Beat Ethics Suits For Dropping Retirement Post-Trump

By Jake Maher

A Fourth Circuit judge and two district court judges have defeated ethics complaints from a conservative legal organization alleging they improperly reversed their decisions to take senior status after President Donald Trump was elected.

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Fla. Judge OKs Release Of Epstein Grand Jury Transcripts

By Rae Ann Varona

A Florida federal judge on Friday ordered the release of grand jury transcripts from an investigation of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, citing a newly enacted law that the government said overrides a prohibition on disclosing the documents to the public.

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Roundup

GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Michele Gorman

An SEC panel has asked the agency to adopt regulations that could standardize the way publicly traded companies report details about AI use. Meanwhile, the FCC approved AT&T's $1 billion UScellular deal after AT&T became the latest of the big three mobile carriers to agree to do away with diversity, equity and inclusion policies. These are some of the stories in corporate legal news you may have missed in the past week.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Gupta Wessler LLP and Block & Leviton LLP lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the Eleventh Circuit revived a proposed class action against NextEra Energy Inc. that seeks to hold the energy company liable for a share price drop that followed political interference allegations involving a subsidiary.

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In Case You Missed It: Hottest Firms And Stories On Law360

For those who missed out, here's a look back at the law firms, stories and expert analyses that generated the most buzz on Law360 last week.

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