Fred Meyer Faces $81M Suit Over Anti-Moonlighting Policy

By Ben Adlin

Fred Meyer broke Washington state law in barring nearly 13,000 of its low-wage workers from holding other jobs to make ends meet, according to a proposed class action removed to Seattle federal court.

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Wash. Justices Scrutinize Minimum Wage 'Live In' Exclusion

By Rachel Riley

Washington Supreme Court justices on Tuesday pushed counsel for an adult family home on the stance that its "live in" workers are adequately protected by existing laws and regulations, pointing to testimony its employees are always on call and sometimes at risk of physical assault by residents.

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Dr.'s COVID Falsehoods Are Free Speech, Wash. Panel Says

By Hannah Albarazi

A Washington state appeals court unanimously ruled Tuesday that the Washington Medical Commission overstepped its authority by punishing a doctor for COVID-19 falsehoods he published to his blog, but affirmed the commission's decision to discipline him for prescribing ivermectin to COVID-19 patients.

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White House Fights Seattle's Bid To Block DEI Grant Rules

By Rachel Riley

The Trump administration on Tuesday called on a Washington federal judge to let it proceed with federal grant conditions forcing recipients to drop efforts related to diversity and "gender ideology," contending that Seattle is challenging the terms based on mere speculation that the city may one day be targeted for "hypothetical noncompliance."  

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'Incurably Premature': Suit Over Alleged EB-5 Rule Tossed

By Rae Ann Varona

A Seattle federal judge on Monday tossed an immigrant investor's lawsuit challenging an allegedly arbitrary action that resulted in U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services revoking her visa petition, saying she could not sue since she did not first exhaust administrative remedies.

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Avalara Investors' Claims Pass Muster After 9th Circ. Revival

By Katryna Perera

A Washington federal judge has allowed a proposed class action to proceed accusing tax software company Avalara Inc. of misleading investors ahead of an $8.4 billion deal to take the company private, but said the suit failed to adequately allege negligence by individual board members, giving investors one week to amend those claims.

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Wash. Charitable Limits Don't Apply To Firefighter House Sale

By Jaqueline McCool

The Seattle Black Firefighters' Association is not a charitable organization, the Washington Court of Appeals said, affirming a lower court ruling that found the house the association occupies is not subject to charitable purpose restrictions.

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Feds Can't Avoid Property Owners' Navy Flight Takings Claims

By Madeline Lyskawa

A U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge rejected the government's attempt to shutter property owners' claims accusing the U.S. Navy of violating the Fifth Amendment by boosting flight operations at a Washington air strip, paving the way for a March trial.

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DOE Asks Judge To Pull Plug On States' Cost Cap Suit

By Tom Lotshaw

The U.S. Department of Energy has asked an Oregon federal judge to toss a New York-led lawsuit challenging a new policy that would cap certain overhead costs under energy assistance awards, arguing the change falls within its discretionary authorities.

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Roundup User Fights Uphill To Revive Cancer Suit At 9th Circ.

By Dorothy Atkins

A Ninth Circuit judge expressed doubts Tuesday that a lower court erred in tossing a personal-injury plaintiff's claims that Monsanto's Roundup likely caused his non-Hodgkin lymphoma, saying during a hearing the trial judge had a "great deal of discretion" to decide whether a general-causation expert's opinion was based on "junk science."

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9th Circ. Tosses Appeal Of Automatic Stay In Bankruptcy Case

By Alex Wittenberg

The Ninth Circuit threw out an appeal of an Arizona bankruptcy court order that reinstated a stay of state court litigation between a mother and daughter, finding that a lower court erred in hearing the case.

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Biz Groups Ask 9th Circ. To Block Calif. Climate Rules

By Lauren Berg

A coalition of business groups asked the Ninth Circuit to halt two new California climate regulations requiring large companies to publicly disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related financial risks, while they appeal a lower court's refusal to preliminarily block the rules that they say violate their First Amendment rights.

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Brief

9th Circ. Affirms Payment Plan For Poor Drug Dealer

By Elizabeth Daley

A Ninth Circuit panel has found that an Idaho federal court was within the law to require both an immediate payment and a payment plan over time for a fine and an assessment totaling $1,100 against an indigent drug dealer.

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Rebutting Price Impact In Securities Class Actions

Defendants litigating securities cases historically faced long odds in defeating class certification, but that paradigm has recently begun to shift, with recent cases ushering in a more searching analysis of price impact and changing the evidence courts can consider at the class certification stage, say attorneys at Katten.

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7 Document Review Concepts New Attorneys Need To Know

For new associates joining firms this fall, stepping into the world of e-discovery can feel like learning a new language, but understanding a handful of fundamentals — from coding layouts to metadata — can help attorneys become fluent in document review, says Ann Motl at Bowman and Brooke.

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'It's Confidential': Judiciary Chair Mum On Court System Strife

By Jeff Overley

The federal judiciary's leaders heard sharp criticism at a private meeting Tuesday regarding the U.S. Supreme Court's increasing willingness to block lower court decisions, according to remarks released publicly, and one of those leaders subsequently deflected requests for details during an official briefing.

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Feature

For Cahill Atty, Rare Disease Pro Bono Work Is Personal

By Mark Payne

John MacGregor of Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP didn't have any experience in healthcare law before taking on a pro bono client that supports people with a rare form of epilepsy. MacGregor's son is one of them.

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Willkie Taps PE Head To Co-Lead The Firm In 2027

By Andrea Keckley

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP announced Tuesday that the nearly decade-long head of its private equity practice will step up to co-lead the firm as its joint chairman at the start of 2027.

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Sotomayor Warns Civics Undereducation Leads To Bad Laws

By Kevin Penton

Those looking to change the nation's laws first need to understand how they work and why they are in place, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor told a packed auditorium at New York Law School on Tuesday.

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Analysis

The Patent Workforce Is Attracting Fewer Attys, More Agents

By Theresa Schliep

The pool of patent practitioners registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has undergone a dramatic shift over the past few decades, with the number of attorneys taking the bar exam decreasing at the same time more patent agents are entering the field.

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Acting US Atty Denies Prosecution Of Lawmaker Is 'Selective'

By Parker Quinlan

The U.S. Department of Justice has requested that assault charges not be dismissed against U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver, pushing back on claims the government is selectively prosecuting her following a confrontation with federal agents in May at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Newark.

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Former Judge Aims To Escape Suit Over Secret Atty Romance

By Ryan Boysen

Former Bankruptcy Judge David R. Jones wants out of a lawsuit claiming his secret romance scandal infected the restructuring of life insurance bond seller GWG Holdings Inc., arguing that he's clearly protected by judicial immunity.

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Husch Blackwell Used 401(k) Cash To Pay Bills, Ex-Atty Says

By Grace Elletson

A former Husch Blackwell LLP attorney sued the firm in Missouri federal court Tuesday, claiming it violated federal benefits law by delaying sending employees' 401(k) contributions to their retirement plan so that the cash could be used to pay for the firm's operating expenses.

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GOP Spending Bill Seeks $58M For Supreme Court, Marshals

By Courtney Bublé

The House Republicans unveiled their short-term spending bill Tuesday, and it includes an extra $28 million for security for the U.S. Supreme Court justices.

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Insurer Hits Hall Booth With $10M Suit Over Botched Defense

By Emily Johnson

A former client of Hall Booth Smith PC and its attorney allege the law firm botched its legal representation in an underlying suit related to a death at an indoor shooting range and caused the insurer $10.6 million in financial harm, according to a legal malpractice suit lodged in Georgia state court.

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Trump Taps US Atty Nominees For NC, NH And Louisiana

By Courtney Bublé

President Donald Trump has named U.S. attorney nominees for Louisiana, New Hampshire and North Carolina.

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Ga. Justices Won't Reinstate DA Willis To Trump Election Case

By Kelcey Caulder

The Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to review a lower court's ruling disqualifying Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the 2020 Georgia election interference case against President Donald Trump and his co-defendants.

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