Trump Files $15B Defamation Suit Against NYT, Penguin

By Carolina Bolado

President Donald Trump filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit in Florida federal court against The New York Times, several of its reporters and publisher Penguin Random House, claiming they published a book and three articles that were "malicious, defamatory and disparaging" and meant to derail his 2024 presidential campaign.

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PacifiCorp Owes $63M In Latest Wildfire Trial

By Cara Salvatore

An Oregon jury on Tuesday ordered utility PacifiCorp to pay $63 million in noneconomic damages to 10 people who fled from a group of 2020 wildfires, after hearing in closing arguments that some plaintiffs "didn't know they were going to make it out."

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TikTok Accused Of Withholding Docs On Anorexic Influencer

By Emily Field

Personal injury plaintiffs have told a California magistrate judge presiding over discovery in multidistrict litigation that TikTok is refusing to hand over more information about the app's relationship with Eugenia Cooney, a TikTok influencer with anorexia and 2.8 million followers, according to a document unsealed on Monday.

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UC Groups Sue Trump Admin Alleging Free Speech Violations

By Craig Clough

A coalition of faculty, staff and unions affiliated with the University of California system sued the Trump administration in federal court Tuesday, arguing the suspension of $584 million in research projects along with threats to terminate billions more violates the law and is an attempt to violate their free speech.

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Tesla Settles Suit Over Fatal 2019 Autopilot Crash In Calif.

By Lauren Berg

Tesla has reached a confidential settlement to resolve a lawsuit over the death of a 15-year-old killed in a 2019 car crash involving a Model 3 that was operating on self-driving, autopilot technology, according to an order in California state court Tuesday.

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Boy Scouts Claimants Voice Frustrations With Ch. 11 Process

By Clara Geoghegan

A Delaware bankruptcy judge said Tuesday she was unable to review or override claim determinations made under procedures laid out in the Boy Scouts' Chapter 11 plan, despite impassioned and frustrated requests from survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

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Roundup User Fights Uphill To Revive Cancer Suit At 9th Circ.

By Dorothy Atkins

A Ninth Circuit judge expressed doubts Tuesday that a lower court erred in tossing a personal-injury plaintiff's claims that Monsanto's Roundup likely caused his non-Hodgkin lymphoma, saying during a hearing the trial judge had a "great deal of discretion" to decide whether a general-causation expert's opinion was based on "junk science."

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Military Contractor Tells Justices To Nix Army Vet's Injury Suit

By Y. Peter Kang

Fluor Corp. has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to toss a suit seeking to hold the defense contractor liable for a military veteran's injuries sustained in a 2016 suicide bombing in Afghanistan, saying federal law preempts the state-based injury claims.

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Judge Seeks Ga. Justices' Input On Bio-Lab Chemical Fire Suit

By Chart Riggall

A Georgia federal judge asked the state's Supreme Court for guidance on whether metro Atlanta residents can force a chemical plant to cover medical monitoring in the aftermath of a 2024 fire, writing that there's "considerable uncertainty" around whether such a remedy is permitted by Peach State law.

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Former Miami City Atty Exits Political Retaliation Suit

By Jake Maher

A former city attorney for Miami on Monday knocked down claims against her from a pair of business owners accusing her of taking part in a political retaliation scheme when a Florida federal judge ruled that she was immune from the allegations.

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DC Circ. Asked To Look At ADA Injunction In Segregation Case

By Nadia Dreid

Washington, D.C., wants the D.C. Circuit to narrow an injunction commanding the district to help people in Medicaid-funded nursing homes move out of those facilities and into less restrictive forms of care, as the litigation approaches its 15th birthday.

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NJ County Must Arbitrate $750K Injury Settlement Coverage

By Ganesh Setty

A New Jersey county must go to arbitration to litigate insurance coverage for its $750,000 settlement with a woman who said she suffered severe injuries while in county jail, a New Jersey federal court ruled, siding with certain underwriters at Lloyd's of London.

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Barge Co. Says Injured Girl's Parents Can't Sue Anonymously

By Carolina Bolado

The owner of the barge that crashed into a youth sailing camp boat — killing three girls and injuring three others — is urging a Florida court to force the parents of an injured girl to refile their claims with their full names, arguing they cannot proceed anonymously.

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Dr.'s COVID Falsehoods Are Free Speech, Wash. Panel Says

By Hannah Albarazi

A Washington state appeals court unanimously ruled Tuesday that the Washington Medical Commission overstepped its authority by punishing a doctor for COVID-19 falsehoods he published to his blog, but affirmed the commission's decision to discipline him for prescribing ivermectin to COVID-19 patients.

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Alleged Uber Assault 'Catalyst' For PTSD Symptoms, Jury Told

By Bonnie Eslinger

A psychologist who treated a woman claiming she was sexually assaulted by her Uber driver told a San Francisco jury Tuesday in a bellwether trial that the alleged 2016 event was the "catalyst" for the post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms the then-college student subsequently displayed.

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Indiana Justices Reinstate $6M Verdict In Bus Stop Death Suit

By Mike Curley

The Indiana Supreme Court has reinstated a $6 million verdict in favor of the mother of a man who died after he fell under an IndyGo Public Transportation bus, finding the video evidence does not establish as a matter of law that his own negligence contributed to his death.

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Insurer Says Overturned Truck In Fatal Crash Not Covered

By Ganesh Setty

A Progressive unit that provided commercial auto insurance for a concrete company told a Texas state court it should owe no defense or indemnity in a wrongful death lawsuit involving an overturned cement truck, arguing the insurer did not directly insure the vehicle.

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Insurer Must Arbitrate Chemical Injury Coverage Dispute

By Hope Patti

An insurer must arbitrate its dispute with a homeowners association over coverage for underlying suits claiming that the association's pool contractor allowed hazardous chemicals to spread and injure patrons, a Virginia federal court ruled, finding that the policy's nonbinding arbitration agreement is enforceable under state law.

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Okla. Tribe Sues Social Platforms Over Youth Mental Health

By Emily Field

The Chickasaw Nation on Monday became the latest Native American tribe to lodge claims against social media giants in California federal court, alleging that the platforms harm their youth who are already at risk of mental health problems and suicidal ideation.

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7th Circ. Judge Questions NCAA's Duty In Harassment Suit

By Lauraann Wood

A Seventh Circuit judge seemed skeptical Tuesday that a district court incorrectly tossed University of San Francisco baseball players' sexual harassment suit at the pleading stage, saying the students seem to be seeking a "fishing expedition" for evidence to support their claims.

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Conn. Ruling May Help Prevent Abuse Of Anti-SLAPP Statute

If the decision in Aguilar v. Eick, where the Connecticut Appellate Court held that the state's anti-SLAPP statute does not authorize the court to conduct an evidentiary hearing, is reconsidered by the state Supreme Court, it could provide an important mechanism for defendants to prevent plaintiffs from pleading around the reach of the statute, say attorneys at McCarter & English.

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7 Document Review Concepts New Attorneys Need To Know

For new associates joining firms this fall, stepping into the world of e-discovery can feel like learning a new language, but understanding a handful of fundamentals — from coding layouts to metadata — can help attorneys become fluent in document review, says Ann Motl at Bowman and Brooke.

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Ex-Calif. Judge Gets 35 Years For Shooting Wife To Death

By Gina Kim

Former California state court judge Jeffrey M. Ferguson lost his bid for a new trial Wednesday and was sentenced to 35 years to life in prison for shooting his wife to death at home in a drunken rage.

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7th Circ. Pick Shrugs Off Conservative Group's Opposition

By Courtney Bublé

During her confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Rebecca Taibleson, a federal prosecutor in Wisconsin tapped for the Seventh Circuit, fended off opposition to her nomination from conservative groups, antipathy that the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee called a "new low" for the committee.

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House Votes To End DC Judicial Nominations Commission

By Courtney Bublé

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 218-211 along party lines on Wednesday to eliminate the commission that vets and picks potential judicial nominees for Washington, D.C.'s local courts.

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Retired Judges Speak Out On 'Threats' To Constitution

By Courtney Bublé

More than 40 retired federal judges appointed by presidents of both parties released an open letter Wednesday, the anniversary of the signing of the Constitution, saying they sought to underscore the importance of the rule of law at a time when the nation's ideals "are under historic strain."

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Giuliani Must Pay Attys $1.4M After Missing Bills Claim Fails

By Adrian Cruz

A New York state judge has awarded nearly $1.4 million to Davidoff Hutcher & Citron LLP in its lawsuit accusing former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani of racking up unpaid legal bills for the firm's work in various criminal, civil and administrative matters.

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SEC Policy Shift Could Foreclose Some Investor Class Actions

By Jessica Corso

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission issued a policy statement Wednesday that allows the use of mandatory arbitration by new publicly traded companies as its chief seeks to "make IPOs great again," but Democrats warned the move could shut the door to shareholder class actions.

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Ex-Law Student's Bias Suit In Wrong Forum, 4th Circ. Told

By Patrick Hoff

A Black former student at Washington University School of Law shouldn't be able to revive claims that she was suspended from campus and lost her scholarship after complaining about a professor's race bias because she filed the suit in the wrong state, the law school told the Fourth Circuit.

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