Former First Brands Execs Indicted On Fraud Charges

By Ben Zigterman

Patrick James, the founder of bankrupt auto parts maker First Brands Group, and his brother Edward James were indicted by federal prosecutors in New York, who accused the pair of inflating invoices, double pledging collateral and concealing liabilities from lenders.

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Rick Perry's AI Energy Co. Ensnared In Broker's Fee Suit

By José Luis Martínez

A Texas energy broker affiliate has alleged that a "calculated scheme" deprived the broker of a nearly $6 million commission fee after it helped secure a $399 million natural gas turbine contract between a liquefied natural gas company and a data center developer.

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J&J, Talc Unit Get Patients' Bankruptcy Fraud Claims Tossed

By Lauren Berg

A New Jersey federal judge Thursday tossed a proposed class action brought by cancer patients who allege that Johnson & Johnson's maneuvers to settle thousands of tort claims through Chapter 11 involved fraud, saying the plaintiffs have not asserted an injury that confers standing to sue.

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No New Trial For Atty Who Sued For Nassar Scandal Work Pay

By Spencer Brewer

A former associate from a Houston-based law firm lost his request to revive his wage and hour suit stemming from purported missteps he made while working as a defense attorney for former Olympic gymnastics coaches Bela and Martha Karolyi following the Larry Nassar scandal, after a Texas appeals court said Thursday he neglected to preserve the alleged errors he challenged.

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Frito-Lay Hit With Wage Claims By Wash. Machine Operator

By José Luis Martínez

A Frito-Lay Inc. employee launched a proposed class action in Washington state court, accusing the company of violating state labor law.

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Law360 Seeks Members For Its 2026 Editorial Boards

Law360 is looking for avid readers of our publications to serve as members of our 2026 editorial advisory boards.

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Legal Group Tells Justices Pot User Gun Ban Unconstitutional

By Mike Curley

Libertarian group Liberty Justice Center is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a Fifth Circuit ruling that found disarming a cannabis user based solely on that use is unconstitutional, saying it's not consistent with historical analogues barring "dangerous" people from owning guns.

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Saks To Close 57 Saks Off 5th Stores In Bankruptcy

By Alex Wittenberg

Saks Global announced Thursday it would close the majority of its Saks Off 5th retail locations and its remaining Neiman Marcus Last Call stores as the company attempts to turn around its business in Chapter 11.

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Luminar Sues Semiconductor Co. To Recover On $2.2M Loan

By Gina Kim

Bankrupt self-driving vehicle technology developer Luminar Technologies has hit Next Semiconductor with a suit in Texas bankruptcy court alleging the chipmaker has defaulted on a $2.2 million loan while "wrongly" suggesting Luminar's Chapter 11 proceedings somehow exempt it from paying the debt. 

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Optis' Patent Case Against Apple Inches Closer To 3rd Trial

By Elliot Weld

A Texas federal judge has denied competing motions for summary judgment from Apple Inc. and Optis Wireless Technology LLC and preserved a claim accusing Apple of willfully infringing Optis patents.

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Analysis

3 Fed. Circ. Clashes To Watch In February

By Ryan Davis

The Federal Circuit's argument calendar for next month includes the latest round of the patent slugfest between VLSI Technology and Intel Corp. as well as a patent owner's bid to escape a ruling that it must pay $4 million in attorney fees for a "baseless" suit against EMC Corp.

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Latham Adds Energy Ace In Houston From Bracewell

By Lynn LaRowe

Latham & Watkins LLP has boosted its energy sector offerings with the addition of a Houston-based oil and gas partner who came aboard from Bracewell LLP.

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Series

Playing Tennis Makes Me A Better Lawyer

An instinct to turn pain into purpose meant frequent trips to the tennis court, where learning to move ahead one point at a time was a lesson that also applied to the steep learning curve of patent prosecution law, says Daniel Henry at Marshall Gerstein.

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Feature

From TikTok To The Courtroom, The Rise Of Lawfluencers

By Chris Villani

A growing group of legal influencers with huge followings say social media use is helping them expand their practices along with their brands and offering marketing lessons that even BigLaw can learn from.

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Ex-Worker Says Goldstein Offered Crypto, Gifts As IRS Probed

By Jared Foretek

A former employee at Thomas Goldstein's law firm who resigned after the Internal Revenue Service began investigating the firm said that the SCOTUSblog founder suddenly began offering her bitcoin, payment from case settlements and potential student loan relief after federal agents visited the office.

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Clemency Favors White Collar Offenders, New Study Shows

By Phillip Bantz

White collar criminal defendants are more likely than other types of offenders to receive presidential pardons, especially under the Trump administration, a new analysis of clemency actions shows, raising concerns about a system one expert called "broken."

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Attacks Haven't Killed Judiciary's AI Rule, May Strengthen It

By Jeff Overley

Federal judiciary advisers Thursday confronted the most extensive opposition yet in their campaign to ensure the reliability of evidence utilizing artificial intelligence, but the criticism appeared constructive, possibly upping the odds of a digital age addition to U.S. court rules.

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DOJ Awards $1M In First For Antitrust Whistleblower Program

By Rae Ann Varona

The U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division awarded a whistleblower $1 million for providing information that led to charges and a $3.28 million criminal fine against used-vehicle auction site EBlock, marking the first-ever award under a new antitrust whistleblower program, the DOJ announced Thursday.

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Crowell & Moring Loses DC Appeal In $30M COVID Rent Dispute

By Isaac Monterose

The District of Columbia Court of Appeals on Thursday ruled against Crowell & Moring LLP's appeal for its $30 million rent dispute with a D.C. office landlord that refused to grant a coronavirus-related rent abatement.

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Bondi Elevates Pa. US Atty Amid Appointments Scrutiny

By Matthew Santoni

The first assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania is being retained and elevated to full U.S. attorney, Attorney General Pamela Bondi announced Thursday, though the appointment will have to remain temporary or he could face the same questions about his appointment as other top prosecutors in President Donald Trump's administration.

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