Split Pa. Justices Say Prosecutors Not Bound By Wiretap Law

By Matthew Santoni

Prosecutors like those at the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office can't be sued for using secret recordings obtained in violation of Pennsylvania's wiretap act, a split state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.

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Is 'Red Book' Best For Drug Pricing? Pa. Justices Ask

By P.J. D'Annunzio

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court seemed skeptical Wednesday that the state workers' compensation authorities were using the best guide to calculate pharmacy reimbursements for injured workers' prescription drugs, with the justices questioning the fairness of the industry's long-used "red book" method.

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Disbarred Pa. Atty Gets 15 Mos. For Forging Judge's Signature

By P.J. D'Annunzio

A disbarred central Pennsylvania attorney has been sentenced to 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to forging a federal judge's signature on phony court orders he showed to a client as proof he'd won money for his client in a case that was never filed.

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Pennsylvania Justices Order Resentencing For Arsonist

By Elizabeth Daley

A Pittsburgh man sentenced to up to 52 years in prison for killing two men and igniting the house containing their bodies when police entered shouldn't have faced multiple arson counts, Pennsylvania's highest court said Wednesday in a reversal, clarifying state law on the matter.

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Widener U. To Pay $800K To End COVID Refund Lawsuit

By Carla Baranauckas

Widener University has agreed to pay $800,000 to settle a proposed class action accusing the school of failing to provide the in-person education and campus services students paid for during the spring 2020 semester, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced classes online.

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NJ Construction Co. Sues Over Hudson Tunnel Union Limits

By Matthew Santoni

A New Jersey construction company wants to delay bidding for part of the $16 billion Hudson Tunnel Project, claiming in a federal lawsuit that the multistate commission overseeing the project unlawfully barred employing the United Steelworkers union currently representing the company's workers.

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Samourai Wallet Tech Gets 4 Years In Crypto Laundering Case

By Pete Brush

A Manhattan federal judge sentenced a self-taught coder who managed the day-to-day tech side of crypto mixer Samourai Wallet to four years in prison Wednesday, after he admitted that he knew the business facilitated bitcoin transfers derived from criminal activity.

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Eco Orgs. Ask 2nd Circ. To Undo NY, NJ Pipeline Project Nods

By Keith Goldberg

Environmental groups have sued New York and New Jersey environmental regulators over their issuance of Clean Water Act permits for a controversial Williams Cos. pipeline upgrade after previously denying the permits over pollution concerns.

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Brief

Pa. Health Network's $1.15M 401(k) Suit Deal Gets Initial OK

By Patrick Hoff

A healthcare system Wednesday secured initial approval from a Pennsylvania federal court for a $1.15 million settlement agreement that would resolve a proposed class action alleging the company misused forfeited retirement plan funds and allowed the plan's administrative costs to soar.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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."

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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