Search Continues For Missing Dallas Firm Co-Founder In Ga.

By Emily Johnson

Dozens of people are searching the wooded terrain of northern Georgia for Charles M. Hosch, co-founder of Dallas boutique Hosch & Morris PLLC, who has been missing for nearly a week, having last been seen on the Appalachian Trail on Veterans Day. 

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Texas Court Says Hospital Sex Assault Isn't Medical Claim

By Mike Curley

A Texas appeals court has found that allegations that a hospital staffer sexually assaulted a minor patient do not constitute medical liability claims, saying the family of the patient do not need an expert report to continue the case under state law.

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American Airlines Beats Investor Suit Over Sales Strategy

By Sydney Price

American Airlines has won dismissal of an investor suit that alleged it implemented a botched sales and distribution strategy, with the court finding the suit's reliance on vague statements of optimism and faulty confidential witness claims aren't enough to show the company acted fraudulently.

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GOP States Urge Justices To Clarify Collective Cert. Standard

By Patrick Hoff

A coalition of 21 states and two business groups told the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday that lower courts' allegedly premature certification of collective actions drives up the cost of litigation and forces employers into multimillion-dollar settlements, backing Eli Lilly & Co. in a worker's age bias case.

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Online Star Defends Actions In Megan Thee Stallion Scandal

By Carolina Bolado

Online personality Milagro "Mobz World" Cooper deflected blame for drawing attention to a deepfake porn video of rapper Megan Thee Stallion, saying she did not know it was fake as she took the stand Monday in Miami in the defamation trial against her.

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Home Depot Fails In Bid To Ditch Slip-And-Fall Suit

By Jonathan Capriel

Home Depot must face a man's slip-and-fall lawsuit, a Texas federal judge ruled last week, saying a jury needs to determine whether signage alerting consumers about the potential for slippery floors was at all useful, given that the warning — placed on sliding glass doors — slid out of view when the doors opened.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court and Delaware Supreme Court last week had a dense slate of fiduciary duty battles, merger-process challenges, post-bankruptcy fights and a series of cases probing the limits of fraud pleading, credible-basis inspections and board-level disclosure duties.

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First Brands Judge Plans To OK Ch. 11 Examiner

By Clara Geoghegan

A Texas bankruptcy judge Monday said he plans to approve the appointment of an examiner for auto parts maker First Brands' Chapter 11, but held off on entering an order while parties decide the probe's scope and direction.

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UConn Health Poised To Buy Hospital In $35M Ch. 11 Deal

By Aaron Keller

Bankrupt for-profit hospital operator Prospect Medical Holdings Inc. on Monday sought approval for the $35 million sale of Waterbury Hospital in Connecticut to two UConn Health units under a stalking horse bid package filed in early November.

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Micron Tells Fed. Circ. $445M Netlist Verdict Was 'Overreach'

By Adam Lidgett

Micron wants the Federal Circuit to undo a Texas federal jury's finding that it owes $445 million for infringing Netlist computer memory patents, saying the verdict came "from overreach at every turn."

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Willkie-Led Rockland Clinches 5th Fund With $1.2B In Tow

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP-advised private equity shop Rockland Capital announced Monday that it wrapped fundraising for its fifth fund after securing $1.2 billion in investor commitments.

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E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Dynamic Databases

Several recent federal court decisions illustrate how parties continue to grapple with the discovery of data in dynamic databases, so counsel involved in these disputes must consider how structured data should be produced consistent with the requirements of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, say attorneys at Sidley.

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Analysis

UK Firms Drive Transatlantic Appetite For M&A Dealmaking

By Aebra Coe and Chris Villani

The merger announced Monday between British legal giant Ashurst LLP and American law firm Perkins Coie LLP is the latest in a spate of deals driven, in part, by an appetite among global firms to gain a strong presence in the U.S.

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'Astounding' Holland & Knight Conduct Drives Liability Ruling

By Ryan Boysen

Holland & Knight LLP has forfeited a malpractice lawsuit in Alaska by refusing to turn over information to a Native American tribal corporation, with a state judge entering a default judgment as a sanction and calling the firm's conduct "a head scratcher" and "astounding."

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Brief

ABA Decries Lawmaker Calls For Impeachments Of Judges

By Courtney Bublé

The American Bar Association said on Monday it's "alarmed" by lawmakers' interest in impeaching judges just because they don't like their rulings.

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Judge Orders Grand Jury Docs Released In Comey Case

By Brandon Lowrey

A Virginia federal magistrate judge Monday ordered the disclosure of all grand jury materials related to the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, saying government misconduct may have tainted the grand jury proceedings.

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DOJ Backs White House's Military Lawyer Transfers

By Courtney Bublé

A newly released legal opinion from the U.S. Department of Justice says the Trump administration is allowed to detail military lawyers to serve as immigration judges and special assistant U.S. attorneys in the District of Columbia.

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Senator Slams Trump For 'Blowing Up' Wis. US Atty Process

By Courtney Bublé

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., accused President Donald Trump on Monday of skirting the process to nominate U.S. attorneys in Wisconsin with his pick of a failed Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate for the office that covers Milwaukee.

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Law School Admission Council Pushes To Toss Antitrust Suit

By Andrea Keckley

The Law School Admission Council is continuing its push to toss a proposed class action accusing it of fixing application fees with its member schools, saying in a Pennsylvania federal court filing last week that the applicant's opposition to its dismissal motion "entirely fails to engage with the incoherence at the core of his case."

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Holyoak Leaves FTC For Interim US Atty In Utah

By Bryan Koenig

Melissa Holyoak left the Federal Trade Commission on Monday to become Utah's interim U.S. attorney, leaving the FTC down to two commissioners, both Republicans, in the Trump administration's latest use of interim U.S. attorney appointments.

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