Wash. Justices Reinstate $185M Monsanto PCB Verdict

By Rachel Riley

The Washington State Supreme Court has restored a $185 million jury verdict against Monsanto in the first of a series of chemical poisoning trials tied to a Washington state school site, finding a lower appellate court misapplied choice-of-law principles when overturning the win for three school teachers.

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Cox Wants Justices To Erase ISP Liability Verdict

By Elliot Weld

Internet service provider Cox asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to vacate a $1 billion jury verdict holding it liable for its customers' illegal music downloads, saying it never took an affirmative action to further any infringement as would be required under high court precedent.

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Feds Rest $25M Crypto Theft Case Against MIT Grads

By Stewart Bishop

Manhattan federal prosecutors Thursday rested their case against two MIT-educated brothers accused of leveraging an Ethereum software glitch to fraudulently obtain $25 million in cryptocurrency, signing off with a series of the defendants' Google searches following the alleged theft that referred to famous white collar criminals and their prison terms.

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Analysis

Defamation Litigation Roundup: Drake, IRS, Greenpeace

By Theresa Schliep

In this month's review of defamation fights, Law360 highlights notable developments in California's anti-SLAPP law following a major Ninth Circuit opinion, as well as a decision — and appeal — in Drake's fight with his record label over Kendrick Lamar's diss track.

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Ex-NYU Doc's Disability Bias Verdict Gets Trimmed To $2.55M

By Patrick Hoff

A former New York University doctor had nearly $1.5 million cut from a $4 million verdict on claims he was unlawfully denied remote work while recovering from COVID-19 complications, with a federal judge saying evidence didn't support the level of emotional distress or punitive damages that jurors awarded him.

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NC Judge Won't Order CEO's Arrest In Pool Company Dispute

By Abigail Harrison

A North Carolina federal judge refused to further sanction a Chinese manufacturer on Wednesday after an American rival accused it of sidestepping court orders that seek information in fulfillment of a judgment exceeding $17 million.

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J&J's Janssen Says 3rd Circ. Should Reverse $1.6B FCA Win

By Jarek Rutz

Johnson & Johnson's Janssen Products LP urged the Third Circuit to overturn a $1.6 billion False Claims Act judgment over two of its HIV drugs, arguing the district court allowed whistleblowers to prove fraud based solely on "off-label" marketing rather than any false claim actually submitted to the government.

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Conn. Justices Urged To Define 'Written Consent' To Jury Trial

By Brian Steele

An investment bank and related companies want Connecticut's Supreme Court to restore their $10.4 million win in a fraud suit after an appellate court overturned a bench trial verdict because it said the parties had agreed to present the case to a jury.

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Takeda Fails In Bid To Avoid IBS Drug Antitrust Trial

By Bryan Koenig

A Massachusetts federal judge has teed up Takeda Pharmaceutical for trial next year on claims from health insurers, self-insured employers, retailers and wholesalers accusing it of paying Par Pharmaceuticals to delay generic competition to anticonstipation drug Amitiza, rejecting competing motions from the drugmaker and plaintiffs for early wins.

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Med Robot Co. Tells 9th Circ. Not To Revive 'Disfavored' Suit

By Bryan Koenig

Intuitive Surgical urged the Ninth Circuit not to revive a surgical repair company's claims alleging it blocked third parties from refurbishing components for its popular da Vinci surgery robot, defending the district court's findings that cases alleging anticompetitive harm to a single brand aftermarket are "rare and disfavored."

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Insurer Aims To Trim Woman's $7.5M Crash Coverage Suit

By Hope Patti

A food service distributor's auto insurer asked a Connecticut federal court to toss a woman's claim that it violated the state's unfair trade and insurance practices laws when handling an underlying crash dispute that resulted in a $7.5 million judgment.

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Delbarton Seeks New Trial After $5M Clergy Abuse Verdict

By Carla Baranauckas

The Order of St. Benedict of New Jersey, which runs the elite Catholic college-prep Delbarton School, is seeking a new trial or reduced damages after a New Jersey state court jury awarded $5 million in damages Oct. 18 to a former student in a clergy abuse case involving a priest who was a teacher.

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10 Quick Tips To Elevate Your Evidence Presentation At Trial

A strong piece of evidence, whether in the form of testimony or exhibit, is wasted if not presented effectively, so attorneys must prepare with precision to help fact-finders both retain the information and internalize its significance, says Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie.

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Series

Practicing Stoicism Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Practicing Stoicism, by applying reason to ignore my emotions and govern my decisions, has enabled me to approach challenging situations in a structured way, ultimately providing advice singularly devoted to a client's interest, says John Baranello at Moses & Singer.

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Judge Blasted For Violent Sexual Comments Against Minors

By Spencer Brewer

The Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct has reprimanded a municipal judge for directing sexual remarks at children and wishing sexual violence upon them, noting that the judge exhibited racial bias from the bench.

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Meet The Judge Hearing Comey's, James' US Atty Challenges

By Jack Karp

The South Carolina federal judge who will consider former FBI Director James Comey's and New York Attorney General Letitia James' challenges to the authority of the interim U.S. attorney who brought separate criminal charges against them is known for her rigorous preparation and exacting standards.

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Comey Wins Bid For Judge Oversight In Privilege Dispute

By Jared Foretek

A Virginia federal judge has appointed U.S. Magistrate Judge William E. Fitzpatrick to preside over the privilege review of seized materials in the U.S. Department of Justice's case against former FBI Director James Comey, denying the DOJ's proposal for an outside "filter team" of government attorneys to conduct the review themselves.

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NJ Attys Punch Up Governor's Race With Campaign Funds

By Jake Maher

New Jersey's legal community has donated more than $900,000 to the gubernatorial candidates this election, with the Democrat surpassing the Republican in contributions, campaign finance records show.

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Habba Cites Essayli Ruling To Defend Role In NJ Cases

By Carla Baranauckas

The U.S. Department of Justice has urged the Third Circuit to reinstate Alina Habba's authority in two criminal prosecutions, arguing a recent California ruling backs her power to supervise cases as first assistant, even if she's barred from acting as U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey under federal vacancy law.

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Sidley's 'Incomplete' Story Hid Fraud Scheme, Family Says

By Chart Riggall

A family alleging it was roped into an illegal tax sheltering scheme on the advice of a former Sidley Austin LLP attorney has urged a Georgia federal judge to keep its suit against the firm alive, arguing a jury should decide when the family knew enough about the fraud to move forward with its claims.

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Copyright Rules For AI Creations Too Strict, IP Panel Says

By Ivan Moreno

The U.S. Copyright Office's rule barring registration of works created entirely by artificial intelligence systems may be overly strict and unlikely to endure, according to a panel of legal experts who discussed the matter Wednesday at the American Intellectual Property Law Association's annual conference in D.C.

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Judges Say Judicial Freedom Key To Maintaining Rule Of Law

By Rachel Konieczny

Colorado state and federal judges provided a glimpse Wednesday into how courts decide cases when facing current challenges to the rule of law, agreeing that judicial independence is paramount to maintaining the heart of the United States' legal system.

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4 Things To Know About Fla. Bar Admissions Reform Ideas

By Madison Arnold

A work group has issued its final report on possible changes to bar exam admission requirements in Florida, proposing 12 potential alternatives to the current system of requiring graduates to come from law schools accredited by the American Bar Association.

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