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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Habeas Cases Flood Courts After Immigrant Detention Shift

By Jack Karp

Federal courts have been inundated with a flood of cases stemming from the Trump administration's revised approach to the detention of unauthorized immigrants, with judges routinely ruling against the government as immigration attorneys scramble to keep up.

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Baker McKenzie Describes Client Fallout After Assault Claims

By Alison Knezevich

Several clients asked the leader of Baker McKenzie's Washington, D.C., office to stop handling work for them after he was accused of sexual assault, according to a new filing in a defamation case against the former firm associate who made the allegations.

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Goldstein Knew What Was On His Returns, Accountant Claims

By Jared Foretek

The top outside accountant handling tax returns for SCOTUSblog founder Thomas Goldstein and his law firm said Tuesday that Goldstein wasn't forthcoming about his gambling records and that he firmly believed the former U.S. Supreme Court attorney knew what was in his allegedly false tax returns when they were filed.

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Approach The Bench: Judge Yew Warns Of Deepfake Evidence

By Cara Bayles and Steven Trader

After decades on the bench of the Santa Clara County Superior Court, Judge Erica Yew began to regard the future of courtroom evidence with some trepidation, as the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence made it easier to falsify documents, photos and videos.

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4 Attys Sanctioned Over AI Hallucinations In Legal Brief

By Elliot Weld

A Kansas federal judge has issued sanctions against a group of lawyers representing a technology company in a patent dispute and has referred one attorney for disciplinary action over case citations hallucinated by ChatGPT appearing in a legal brief.

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Pretti Killing Highlights Free Speech And Gun Rights Tension

By Marco Poggio

The killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen and lawful gun owner, by federal immigration enforcement agents in Minneapolis last month brought to the fore a long-standing tension between two constitutional rights that the U.S. Supreme Court has never resolved, legal experts say.

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Floyd Prosecutor, Defense Atty To Represent Pretti's Family

By Lynn LaRowe

The relatives of a Minnesota intensive care nurse killed by ICE agents have secured legal representation from a former federal prosecutor who helped secure the conviction of an ex-police officer in the killing of George Floyd, and a criminal defense attorney coming off a high-profile murder case.

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Feds Fight Cyberstalking Atty's Bid For Pretrial Release

By Adrian Cruz

The U.S. government has asked a Texas federal judge to reject a bid for pretrial release from a currently detained attorney charged with cyberstalking other attorneys at BigLaw firms.

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Queens Defenders Ex-Director Admits Embezzling Over $100K

By Pete Brush

The former longtime head of Queens Defenders copped to a count of fraud conspiracy in Brooklyn federal court Tuesday after prosecutors said she diverted over $100,000 intended for indigent residents and used the money for a lavish lifestyle.

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Analysis

Squires And Stewart's Patent Office, By The Numbers

By Theresa Schliep

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has seen sweeping changes under Director John Squires and Deputy Director Coke Morgan Stewart, ranging from pro-patent owner policies at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board to employment shake-ups that have prompted departures from the agency.

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Senate Confirms Picks For Texas, Ark. District Court Seats

By Courtney Buble

The Senate confirmed two U.S. district court judges, for Texas and Arkansas, on Tuesday.

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