Gibson Dunn, Sullivan & Cromwell Lead SpaceX, XAI Merger

By Lauren Berg

Elon Musk announced Monday that SpaceX, represented by Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP, has acquired his artificial intelligence startup xAI, advised by Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, in a bid to launch space-based data centers, amid plans for an initial public offering that would value the aerospace company at more than $1 trillion.

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Exxon Sued For 'Rockefeller-Style' Ammonia Market Maneuver

By José Luis Martínez

Exxon Mobil Corp. was hit with antitrust claims on Monday accusing it of leveraging control over the Gulf Coast's only operating carbon dioxide pipeline to gain dominance in the blue ammonia market.

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Vape Sellers Say Texas' China Liquid Ban Is Unconstitutional

By Mike Curley

A group of vape distributors and retailers is suing to block enforcement of a new Texas law prohibiting the sale of e-cigarettes using liquid from China and other "adversaries" of the U.S., saying the law is unconstitutional as only Congress can regulate trade with foreign countries.

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Mark Wahlberg-Backed F45 Training Signs Deal With Investors

By Sydney Price

Fitness franchise company F45 Training, which counts the actor Mark Wahlberg as an investor and board member, has reached a deal with investors over claims that it failed to disclose information about the sustainability of its once-rapid growth.

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Logan Paul Says CryptoZoo Buyers' Latest Complaint Fails

By Emilie Ruscoe

YouTuber Logan Paul seeks to once again shed a lawsuit accusing him of using his CryptoZoo game project to conduct a so-called rug pull, arguing that the latest version of a suit filed in Texas federal court doesn't show he can be held liable for the entity's conduct.

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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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ITC Issues Rechargeable Battery Import Ban On Chinese Co.

By Adam Lidgett

The U.S. International Trade Commission has issued an order blocking a Chinese company from importing rechargeable batteries that infringe a pair of LithiumHub patents, after the foreign manufacturer was found to be in default in the case.

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Advocates Urge Justices To Overturn Cannabis Gun Ban

By Sam Reisman

Cannabis consumer advocates, guns rights activists and libertarian think tanks have all filed friend-of-the-court briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court urging the justices to find that a law disarming marijuana users runs afoul of the Second Amendment.

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Chancery Keeps Coinbase Insider Trading Suit Alive

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court has refused to shut down a stockholder derivative suit accusing Coinbase Global Inc. insiders of reaping billions by selling shares ahead of a steep stock drop, concluding that the company's special litigation committee failed to meet Delaware's exacting independence standards.

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Army Corps Contractor Says Law Firm Sent $1.3M To Hackers

By José Luis Martínez

A Houston-based law firm sent $1.3 million in settlement proceeds won by a government contractor to cyber thieves after failing to verify transmission details, according to a petition filed in Texas state court.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jeff Montgomery

A pair of new high-dollar suits in Delaware's Court of Chancery showed last week that post-deal stock appraisal suits still have legs, despite some efforts to reduce potential from deal-price gains challenges. The week ended with Delaware's justices nipping $100 million from the attorney fees owed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk from $176.2 million to roughly $70.9 million, rejecting part of a Court of Chancery fee calculation.

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Analysis

Wheeling & Appealing: The Latest Must-Know Appellate Action

By Jeff Overley

What happened to a GOP donor's $250,000 Swiss watch? Can cigarette warnings show jarring medical images? Will a circuit split of "far-reaching importance" for arbitration get even wider? That's a taste of the oral argument menu we'll help you digest in this preview of February's top appellate action.

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5th Circ. Panel Blushes At Starbucks Worker's Snapchat Notes

By Spencer Brewer

A Fifth Circuit panel pressed the National Labor Relations Board to explain why Starbucks lacks the ability to fire a union organizer who used excessively colorful language in private messages to co-workers, saying Monday the language used would "make any of us blush."

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Oilfield Co. Nine Energy Hits Ch. 11 To Cut $320M In Debt

By Rick Archer

Oilfield services provider Nine Energy Services filed for Chapter 11 protection in a Texas bankruptcy court Monday with a prepackaged plan to cut $320 million of its $388 million in debt with an equity swap.

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Urgent Care Co. Carbon Health Hits Ch. 11 With $100M+ Debt

By Ben Zigterman

Carbon Health Technologies Inc., an urgent care provider based in California, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy relief Monday in Texas, listing more than $100 million in liabilities.

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PTAB Sinks Samsung Challenge To Ouraring Patent

By Adam Lidgett

The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has shot down Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.'s challenge to an Ouraring Inc. smart ring patent amid an ongoing legal dispute that has spanned the board, federal district court and the U.S. International Trade Commission.

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Modelo, Constellation Seek Permanent Ban On Fake Beers

By Ivan Moreno

Constellation Brands, the exclusive licensee of Modelo's beer brands in the U.S., has asked a Texas federal judge for a permanent injunction against a beer distributor accused of importing and selling counterfeit beers that use labels that copy major Mexican beer brands.

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Wireless Charger Rivals Settle Patent Suit On Eve Of Trial

By Adam Lidgett

An Israeli wireless power technology company has agreed to settle its suit alleging a Chinese electronics manufacturer infringed various power transmission patents, a move that came the day before trial was set to commence.

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Skadden, Gibson Dunn Steer $58B Devon, Coterra Deal

By Al Barbarino

Devon Energy and Coterra Energy said Monday they have agreed to merge in a roughly $58 billion all-stock transaction, including debt, with Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP advising Devon and Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP representing Coterra.

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Weil Launches Austin Shop With Firm's IP Co-Chair

By Lynn LaRowe

Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP announced Monday that it has planted its flag in the Lone Star State's capital city with the firm's co-head of intellectual property, technology and life science litigation practice anchoring the new Austin shop.

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Defense Strategy Takeaways From Recent TCPA Class Actions

Although recent Telephone Consumer Protection Act decisions do not establish any bright-line tests for defeating predominance based on an argument that class members provided consent for the calls, certain trends have emerged that should inform defense strategies at class certification, say attorneys at Womble Bond.

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NYC Bar Opinion Warns Attys On Use Of AI Recording Tools

Attorneys who use artificial intelligence tools to record, transcribe and summarize conversations with clients should heed the New York City Bar Association’s recent opinion addressing the legal and ethical risks posed by such tools, and follow several best practices to avoid violating the Rules of Professional Conduct, say attorneys at Smith Gambrell.

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FTC Focus: Testing Joint Enforcement Over Loyalty Programs

The Federal Trade Commission's case against Syngenta can be understood both as a canary for further scrutiny over loyalty-discount practices and a signal of the durability of joint federal-state antitrust enforcement, with key takeaways for practitioners and those subject to regulatory antitrust scrutiny alike, say attorneys at Proskauer.

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5th Circ. Ruling Clarifies Tax Rules For Limited Partners

The Fifth Circuit’s Jan. 16 decision in Sirius Solutions v. Commissioner provides greater tax planning certainty by adopting a bright-line test for determining when partners in limited liability companies are exempt from self-employment tax, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

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Series

The Biz Court Digest: Dispatches From Utah's Newest Court

While a robust body of law hasn't yet developed since the Utah Business and Chancery Court's founding in October 2024, the number of cases filed there has recently picked up, and its existence illustrates Utah's desire to be top of mind for businesses across the country, says Evan Strassberg at Michael Best.

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Paul Weiss Chair's Emails To Epstein Include Apollo Info

By Aebra Coe

Files released by the Department of Justice over the weekend belonging to the late billionaire Jeffrey Epstein show a yearslong relationship between Epstein and Paul Weiss chair Brad Karp, which included dinners, phone calls and meetings, as well as communication related to Paul Weiss client Apollo Global Management.

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Ex-Goldstein Employee Claims Accountants Made Mistakes

By Jared Foretek

Defense attorneys for SCOTUSblog founder Thomas Goldstein presented evidence Monday that his firm's tax accountants made serious mistakes in tax filings for Goldstein's wife, Amy Howe, in 2021.

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6th Circ. Clears Judge Boasberg In DOJ Ethics Complaint

By Courtney Bublé

The complaint the U.S. Department of Justice filed against Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg of the District of Columbia has been dismissed.

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Fenwick Reaches Deal In FTX Crypto Scam Suit

By Madison Arnold

Fenwick & West LLP and victims of the infamous FTX Trading Ltd. cryptocurrency scam are working toward a settlement in a case over the firm's alleged role in the trading platform's collapse.

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Watchdog Renews Halligan Bar Complaint After Court Rulings

By Emily Sawicki

The nonprofit Campaign for Accountability on Monday once again launched a bar complaint against former interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan in Virginia, after the Virginia State Bar declined to pursue an ethics investigation against the attorney last year, calling it a matter for the courts to determine.

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Brief

Judiciary Open As Usual Until Thursday Despite Shutdown

By Courtney Bublé

The federal judiciary has enough funding to sustain normal operations until Thursday, following the partial government shutdown that started at midnight on Saturday.

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DOJ Defends NJ US Atty Office Funding Amid Scrutiny

By Matthew Santoni

Defending the three-person leadership structure of New Jersey's federal prosecution operations since the departure of Alina Habba, an administrator told a federal court that two of the attorneys running the office are paid through the office's budget and the third is funded through the U.S. Department of Justice.

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Monthly Merger Review Snapshot

By Matthew Perlman

U.S. enforcers reached three new merger settlements, while the Federal Trade Commission successfully blocked a $945 million heart valve deal and lodged an appeal for its case targeting Meta's past acquisitions.

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The Top In-House Hires Of January

By Sue Reisinger

Legal department hires over the first month of 2026 included high-profile appointments at SiriusXM, at a host of West Coast tech companies including Microsoft and Meta, and at Black & Decker. Law360 Pulse looks at some of the top in-house announcements from January.

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