Amazon Patron's Sales Tax Overcharge Suit Tossed, For Now

By Rachel Riley

A Washington federal magistrate judge has thrown out a consumer's proposed class action accusing Amazon of charging too much Tennessee sales tax, finding Wednesday that the plaintiff had not shown the e-commerce giant's alleged overcollection was driven by profit or other business motives.

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Scheduling 'Cascade' Hangs Over Amazon's FTC, Calif. Trials

By Bryan Koenig

Amazon.com sparred with the Federal Trade Commission in a Washington federal court filing over whether to stick to a late March trial kickoff, or whether the multiple trials against the company in 2027 must be pushed back because a California state judge has called a January start unrealistic.

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KPSI Held In Contempt For Selling Enjoined Products

By Elliot Weld

A Washington federal judge held KPSI Innovations Inc. and three executives in contempt after a rival litigant complained that they'd continued to sell fire-resistant construction assembly products after being enjoined from doing so.

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US Bank Keeps Workers' Break Suit In Seattle Federal Court

By Ben Adlin

A proposed wage-and-hour class action targeting U.S. Bank NA will remain in federal court, a Seattle judge ruled Tuesday, finding that the bank sufficiently showed that the dispute is worth more than $5 million and thus eligible for removal under the Class Action Fairness Act.

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States Say DHS Is Tying Grants To Immigration Agenda, Again

By Ganesh Setty

A coalition of 20 states and the District of Columbia told a Rhode Island federal court Wednesday that the Trump administration is still unlawfully tying certain grant funding to their assistance with immigration enforcement efforts, in violation of the court's permanent injunction rulings.

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Eldercare Co.'s Wage Class Fight Bound For Wash. High Court

By Ben Adlin

Washington's highest court agreed Tuesday to take up whether an appellate panel rightly revived two workers' proposed wage-and-hour class action against an eldercare provider despite the plaintiffs' membership in a separate class action against the company that was previously settled.

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Brief

9th Circ. OKs 90-Day Stay For Maker Of Eye Drops

By Nadia Dreid

The Ninth Circuit isn't going to rehear its decision preserving a win in a case accusing the maker of Clear Eyes drops of illegal price discrimination in favor of Costco, but it will hold off on issuing the mandate while the eye drop maker appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court.

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Stoel Rives Recruits Wash. Water Rights Atty From K&L Gates

By Rachel Riley

Stoel Rives LLP has tapped a Pacific Northwest water rights lawyer to join its Seattle office as a partner, deepening the knowledge of the firm's environmental practice group with expertise in regulatory and infrastructure matters in industries ranging from tech to agriculture, the firm said Wednesday.

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NLRB Memo Signals Narrower View Of Protected Activism

A recent National Labor Relations Board memo concluding that Microsoft lawfully discharged two employees who conducted a pro-Palestinian protest on company property indicates that the current NLRB general counsel may take a more restrictive view of when political or social advocacy qualifies as protected activity, say attorneys at Franczek.

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Why And How To Build A Neurodiversity-Informed Practice

By better understanding neurodiversity and implementing simple accommodations for clients with autism, ADHD or learning differences, attorneys can build stronger relationships with those who may otherwise struggle to obtain and benefit from legal services, while developing good habits that will benefit everyone they represent, says Ting Cheung at Sanford Heisler.

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Omni Bridgeway Raises $1B For New Litigation Funding

By Ryan Boysen

Litigation funder Omni Bridgeway has raised a new $1 billion fund from mostly repeat investors, with plans to deploy the money broadly across countries and case types while avoiding debt leverage.

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Alito Explains Recusal But Says It Shouldn't Become Practice

By Katie Buehler

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said this week he "reluctantly" recused himself from a dispute that could decide whether state and local government can sue Big Oil in state courts for damages related to greenhouse gas emissions, while suggesting the high court's members shouldn't make a practice of explaining their reasons for stepping away from cases.

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Justices' Docs Should Belong To Public, Gov't Watchdogs Say

By Jack Karp

Nearly two dozen government accountability groups are calling for Congress to enact a law that would make U.S. Supreme Court justices' papers government property that would someday be available to the public.

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Analysis

Uncertainty Surrounds Judge Newman's 11th Circ. Transfer

By Dani Kass

Chief Justice John Roberts' order to transfer the Federal Circuit Judicial Council's disability investigation of a suspended 99-year-old judge to another court offers the neutral evaluation the judge has long been asking for, but attorneys are concerned about the transparency of the proceeding.

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California Federal Judge Jeffrey White To Retire After 24 Years

By Bonnie Eslinger

Senior U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S. White will retire at the end of the year after nearly a quarter-century on the federal bench in Northern California.

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ABA Accreditor Leader Remembered For Passion And Intellect

By Emma Cueto

After her sudden death while leading the American Bar Association council that handles law school accreditation, Melissa Hart is being remembered as a passionate and fiercely intelligent jurist, mentor and leader who will be missed as the council navigates numerous challenges to its accreditor status.

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