Fired UMich Coach Sherrone Moore Charged With Stalking

By Danielle Ferguson

Former University of Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore "barged" into an unnamed victim's home and "terrorized" her hours after being fired from the university, Washtenaw County prosecutors said Friday in Moore's first court appearance on charges of home invasion and stalking.

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J&J Hit With $40M Verdict In Bellwether Talc Trial In LA

By Craig Clough

A Los Angeles jury on Friday hit Johnson & Johnson with a $40 million verdict after a month-long bellwether trial, finding its talc products were a substantial factor in causing two women's ovarian cancer but declining to award punitive damages against J&J, which is facing thousands of talc claims nationwide.

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Lockheed Martin Must Face Parents' Suit Over Birth Defects

By Elaine Briseño

A Florida federal judge said Friday that Lockheed Martin Corp. must face claims from three families that allege chemicals produced at a research and development facility contaminated the surrounding environment and caused birth defects in their children.

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CooperSurgical Escapes Repeat Filshie Clip Claims In Conn.

By Aaron Keller

Medical device maker CooperSurgical Inc. has scored a quick win on some women's claims that the Filshie Clip, a coated titanium birth control device, detached and migrated within their bodies, with a Connecticut state judge finding certain plaintiffs could not advance cases similar to claims they lost elsewhere.

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Alex Jones Atty's Pared-Down Suspension Upheld On Appeal

By Aaron Keller

A Connecticut appeals court on Friday upheld the two-week suspension of former Alex Jones lawyer Norm Pattis, agreeing that a trial court judge was within her discretion to bench the attorney over his law firm's handling of Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre victims' medical records.

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Analysis

Tort Reform Fight Dominated 2025 For Ga. Lawmakers

By Chart Riggall

Sweeping changes to Georgia's civil practice rules amid a Republican-led tort reform push took center stage in the state's legislative session in 2025, shaking up how litigators navigate new claims and setting the stage for years of appellate battles, attorneys in the state say.

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Fla. Judge Allows Deceptive Trade Claim In Zyn Suit

By David Minsky

A Florida federal judge on Friday rejected Philip Morris International Inc.'s attempt to toss a deceptive business practices count in a lawsuit accusing the company of mislabeling Zyn nicotine pouches as "tobacco-free," disagreeing that the allegation is a relabeled fraud claim. 

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Roblox Child Abuse Cases Sent To Calif.

By Emily Field

The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation on Friday sent cases alleging that children were groomed and exploited by sexual predators on Roblox's popular gaming platform to federal court in California, given the likelihood more claims will be brought.

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Full 3rd Circ. Will Review NJ 'Sensitive Places' Gun Law

By Carla Baranauckas

The Third Circuit has agreed to rehear en banc a high‑profile challenge to New Jersey's firearms law, vacating a September panel decision that upheld major portions of the state's sweeping "sensitive places" restrictions while striking down others.

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Texas Justices Broaden Protections For Road Contractors

By Spencer Brewer

The Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that contractors doing work superintended by the state Department of Transportation may be able to avoid personal injury liability, reasoning that an appellate panel erroneously found the department had to hire the contractors for the statute's protections to apply.

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Court Nixes NY Nursing Home's Win In COVID Immunity Suit

By Gianna Ferrarin

It was premature for a trial court to find that a liability statute protected a Bronx-based nursing home from a suit over a patient's death, a New York appellate court ruled Thursday, concluding further fact inquiry is needed in the case. 

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Insurer Seeks To Deny $2.4M Coverage In Harassment Suits

By Mark Payne

An insurer told an Iowa federal court it shouldn't have to pay $2.4 million in coverage to a warehouse and its owner for several underlying judgments related to sexual harassment and employment discrimination lawsuits, and that the case belongs in Iowa, according to an amended complaint filed Friday. 

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UPPAbaby Moves To Toss Suit Claiming Car Seat Defects

By Emily Field

The maker of UPPAbaby infant products urged a New Jersey federal judge on Thursday to toss a grandmother's proposed class action alleging that three of its infant car seat models are defective, saying the suit "piggybacks" on some parents' grievances about their children's discomfort.

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Ore. Justices Rule Docs Can Be Liable For Nonpatient Deaths

By Gianna Ferrarin

Oregon's highest court ruled that medical professionals can be held liable if their negligence results in a nonpatient's death, settling a split between a trial and appeals court in a case over a cyclist struck and killed by a driver under the influence of prescription drugs.

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Prospect Medical Wins OK For Chapter 11 Plan

By Clara Geoghegan

A Texas bankruptcy judge approved Prospect Medical Holdings Inc.'s Chapter 11 plan after overruling a slew of objections during an all-day hearing Friday and allowing the healthcare group to hand off its remaining hospitals and pursue litigation to repay creditors.

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Opinion

Supreme Court Term Limits Would Carry Hidden Risk

While proposals for limiting the terms of U.S. Supreme Court justices are popular, a steady stream of relatively young, highly marketable ex-justices with unique knowledge and influence entering the marketplace of law and politics could create new problems, say Michael Broyde at Emory University and Hayden Hall at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

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Former DLA Piper Associate Alleges Ex-Partner Raped Her

By Lynn LaRowe

A former Boston-based DLA Piper associate on Monday launched a state lawsuit alleging she was raped at the firm's Delaware office by a former partner purportedly known for heavy drinking and inappropriate workplace conduct toward female subordinates.

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Bonus Spotlight

Elsberg Baker Exceeds, Cohen Ziffer Matches Atty Bonuses

By Tracey Read

Trial boutique Elsberg Baker & Maruri PLLC announced Monday that its associates will earn up to $226,250 in extra cash this year.

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'Hardworking' 9th Circ. Senior Judge Sandra Ikuta Dies At 71

By Hailey Konnath

Senior U.S. Circuit Judge Sandra Segal Ikuta of the Ninth Circuit, who has been semi-retired since early November, died on Dec. 7 at the age of 71, exactly one month after assuming senior status, according to the Federal Judicial Center.

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ABA Flags AI Fears: Making Attys 'Worse At Their Jobs'

By Steven Lerner

The erosion of skills for junior associates, deepfakes as evidence in court and the lack of technical knowledge in law firms were among the top fears and challenges listed by the American Bar Association in a new report about artificial intelligence in the legal profession.

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Ex-US Attys Say Pardons, Loyalty Demands Hurt Rule Of Law

By Adrian Cruz

A bipartisan group of former U.S. attorneys spoke publicly Monday on their concerns regarding the direction the U.S. justice system has taken since the start of the second Trump administration and the potential risks that may pose to the rule of law.

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Arbitration Ruling Stands In Morgan & Morgan Class Action

By Chart Riggall

A Georgia federal judge said Monday she won't backtrack on her decision to send a malpractice lawsuit from a former client of Morgan & Morgan PA to arbitration, once again rejecting his arguments that his proposed class claims were exempt from an agreement to arbitrate disputes.

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Atty Seeks To Block Law Banning Fee-Sharing With ABS Firms

By Emily Sawicki

The attorney challenging a California law that blocks fee-sharing with out-of-state law firms owned by nonlawyers has petitioned for enforcement of the law to be suspended before it is set to go into effect on Jan. 1.

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Judge Won't Boot Bondi-Appointed Prosecutor In LA

By Emily Sawicki

A federal judge has refused to reconsider his ruling disqualifying Bill Essayli from holding the role of U.S. attorney but allowing him to serve as the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, finding that Essayli's appointment by U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi is valid.

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Judge Willing To Take 'Heat' For Blocking ICE Arrest, Jury Told

By Nate Beck

A Wisconsin judge was willing to "take the heat" for using a staff hallway to usher an unauthorized immigrant out of her courtroom, a federal jury heard Monday, as a defense attorney argued she can't be found guilty by association just because someone in her courtroom tried to flee immigration agents.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jeff Montgomery

Litigation in Delaware's Court of Chancery sprawled from a dispute over control of banana plantations along Africa's Congo River to a fight over the late musician Prince's estate last week. Along the way, a court ruling rejected a motion for a quick decision favoring Blue Bell Creameries director and officer calls for liability releases in a tainted ice cream saga that dates to 2015.

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