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Public Policy
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October 17, 2024
FCC OKs New Rules Mandating Georouting For 988 Calls
Calls that come into the 988 suicide and crisis hotline will now be routed to centers based on where the call is coming from, following the Federal Communications Commission's decision to adopt rules requiring georouting on Thursday.
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October 17, 2024
Feds Drop Marketing Exec's Tricare Fraud Case In Florida
A Florida marketing executive previously convicted in a healthcare fraud scheme and then granted a new trial has had his criminal case dismissed by U.S. attorneys after he alleged prosecutorial misconduct, saying federal officials violated his constitutional rights and fed lies to a grand jury in order to secure an indictment.
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October 17, 2024
Mich. Urges 6th Circ. To Toss Enbridge's Line 5 Countersuit
Michigan's governor has told the Sixth Circuit she and another state official are immune from Enbridge Energy LP's lawsuit over efforts to shut down a natural gas and oil pipeline because the dispute implicates state sovereignty issues that place it beyond federal jurisdiction.
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October 17, 2024
Solar Site Settles Conn. AG's Claims Over Social Media Ads
The Connecticut attorney general's office has reached a settlement with EnergyBillCruncher.com to resolve claims that it ran deceptive social media ads falsely claiming that the "government will cover the cost" of solar panel installation and improperly displaying the state seal.
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October 17, 2024
Mont. Tax Board Upholds Assessment On Storage Facility
The owner of a Montana commercial property used to house storage units was unable to lower its value because the state Tax Appeal Board gave more weight to the state Department of Revenue's valuation using an income analysis.
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October 17, 2024
Sen. Report Slams Insurers For Medicare Advantage Denials
A trio of major Medicare Advantage insurers are driving profits by denying coverage for patient stays at "costly but critical" facilities for those recovering from injuries and illnesses, according to a report issued Thursday by a Congressional committee.
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October 17, 2024
Fla. Says DHS Hiding Immigration Data Needed For Elections
Florida accused the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday of withholding critical data necessary to verify voter eligibility, arguing that the agency's online service for verifying immigration status is inadequate and that the federal government has more information it refuses to disclose.
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October 17, 2024
Athletes 'Easily' Clear 3rd Circ. Employee Test, Atty Says
The lead attorney who persuaded the Third Circuit to hold that college athletes may be employees under federal wage law said Thursday that his clients are clearly employees under the test the court set out, drawing a favorable comparison to work-study participants.
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October 17, 2024
FTX Insider Cites 'Limited' Fraud Role In Bid To Avoid Prison
The former head of engineering at FTX asked a Manhattan federal judge to spare him prison time in light of his cooperation with prosecutors and what he said was a relatively "limited" role in the crypto exchange's billion-dollar fraud.
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October 17, 2024
Ex-Defender Returns To 4th Circ. With Sex Bias Case
A former North Carolina public defender appealed her bias case against the judiciary to the Fourth Circuit for a second time after a North Carolina federal judge refused to reconsider his ruling that she did not provide adequate notice to her ex-employer before filing suit.
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October 17, 2024
Unlimited Budget Won't Fix Secret Service Flaws, Panel Says
If Congress gave the U.S. Secret Service a carte blanche budget, the breakdowns that led to the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump in July would have likely still occurred, but additional funding could help allay its "do more with less" mindset, an independent panel said in a report published on Thursday.
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October 17, 2024
Alabama, Florida Get OK To Access $2.5B BEAD Funding
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced Thursday it has approved proposals from Alabama and Florida for $2.5 billion funding to begin implementing the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program to improve high-speed internet connectivity in underserved communities.
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October 17, 2024
States, Industry Urge DC Circ. To Scrap Truck GHG Rule
Dozens of states and industry groups are imploring the D.C. Circuit to pull the plug on a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule setting greenhouse gas emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles, arguing it mandates a transition to electric vehicles that the agency has no authority to push.
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October 17, 2024
Pa. AG Can't Get State Claims Restored In FTC Amazon Suit
A federal judge tersely denied a request from Pennsylvania's attorney general, who had sought to reinstate her state's consumer protection claims against Amazon in the Federal Trade Commission's antitrust suit.
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October 17, 2024
If Trump Wins, Here's Who Could Be The Next Boston US Atty
Acting Massachusetts U.S. attorney and former Ropes & Gray LLP partner Josh Levy may remain in his post under a Kamala Harris presidency, but a victory for Donald Trump in next month's presidential election would all but assure the state will have a new top federal prosecutor next year.
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October 17, 2024
House Resolution Introduced To Laud Hispanics In Legal Field
A Florida representative in the U.S. Congress earlier this week introduced a resolution to designate Oct. 15, 2024, as a day to "honor the diaspora of Hispanic culture, and the representation of Hispanics in the legal profession and the judiciary."
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October 16, 2024
TD Bank's $3B AML Deal Sparks Scrutiny Of Its Oversight
The long-standing, widespread compliance failures at the root of TD Bank's blockbuster $3 billion U.S. anti-money laundering settlement last week have stunned experts and brought tough punishment for the Canadian bank — but they're also raising questions about why regulators didn't act sooner.
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October 16, 2024
Ga. Election Board Couldn't Write Those Rules, Judge Says
A wave of controversial new rules promulgated by Georgia's State Election Board was struck down in its entirety Wednesday when a Fulton County judge ruled the board lacked the constitutional authority to write them, rendering the measures "unenforceable and void."
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October 16, 2024
Pa. County Accused Of Widespread Juvenile Detention Abuse
A former inmate at a county juvenile detention center in Pennsylvania is suing the county and multiple state officials, saying he was sexually abused at the detention center, victim of an epidemic of child abuse there.
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October 16, 2024
Colo. Says Tribes' Sports Betting Concerns Too 'Theoretical'
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has urged a federal judge to toss a lawsuit brought by two Native American tribes alleging the state can't regulate their online sports betting activities, arguing the tribes' concerns are "purely theoretical" because they currently don't have betting enterprises.
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October 16, 2024
Rail Agency Fired Vax Objectors In 'Sham Process,' Jury Told
Counsel for six fired San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District workers delivered opening statements Wednesday in a new trial over allegations BART discriminated against employees who sought religious exemptions from its COVID-19 vaccination mandate, calling the agency's review of their requests a "sham process."
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October 16, 2024
Feds, Md. Tell 4th Circ. Beltway Lane Expansion Is Fully Vetted
Federal and Maryland state transportation officials have told the Fourth Circuit that they thoroughly vetted air pollution, traffic congestion and other environmental concerns before approving an estimated $4 billion highway expansion project outside Washington, D.C., arguing that environmental groups have no grounds to sue to block the project.
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October 16, 2024
Rule Will Boost Alaskan Native Reps On Subsistence Board
The federal government on Wednesday announced a final rule that will strengthen Alaskan Indigenous representation on the Federal Subsistence Board by, for the first time, adding members nominated by the tribes that will be impacted by the board's decisions on the state's land and waters.
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October 16, 2024
County Asks Judge To Let State Court Handle Detention Issue
An Indiana county asked a federal court on Tuesday to refrain from hearing immigrant detainees' claims that it violated a duty to "take care" of them, saying the question involves complex local issues that should be resolved by a state court.
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October 16, 2024
9th Circ. Revives Mexican Dad's Bid To Challenge Removal
The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday affirmed an immigration judge's decision denying a Mexican citizen's cancellation of removal bid, but ruled that the Board of Immigration Appeals' application of an incorrect standard for reopening the father's removal proceedings warranted a remand.
Expert Analysis
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What Cos. Should Note In DOJ's New Whistleblower Pilot
After the U.S. Department of Justice unveiled a new whistleblower pilot program last week — continuing its efforts to incentivize individual reporting of misconduct — companies should review the eligibility criteria, update their compliance programs and consider the risks and benefits of making their own self-disclosures, say attorneys at Skadden.
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Defamation Suit Tests Lanham Act's Reach With Influencers
Recently filed in the Northern District of Texas, Prime Hydration v. Garcia, alleging defamation and Lanham Act violations based on the defendant's social media statements about the beverage brand, allows Texas courts and the Fifth Circuit to take the lead in interpreting the act as it applies to influencers, says attorney Susan Jorgensen.
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A Primer On EU's Updated Human Substance Regulations
The European Union's updated standards regarding quality and safety of substances of human origin meant for human application carry significant implications for companies that work with cells and tissues, and U.S. companies active in the EU market should pay particular attention to the import and export rules, say Geneviève Michaux and Georgios Symeonidis at King & Spalding.
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Opinion
Prejudgment Interest Is A Game-Changer In Ill. Civil Suits
Civil litigation can leave plaintiffs financially strained and desperate for any recovery, especially when defendants use delaying tactics — but the Illinois Legislature's move to allow prejudgment interest has helped bring litigants to the table earlier to resolve disputes, minimizing court expenses and benefiting all parties, says Benjamin Crane at Coplan + Crane.
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Series
After Chevron: New Lines Of Attack For FCA Defense Bar
Loper Bright has given defense counsel new avenues to overcome the False Claims Act elements of falsity and scienter, as any FCA claim based upon ambiguous statutory terms can no longer stand solely on agency regulations to establish the statute's meaning, which is itself necessary to satisfy the FCA's basic requirements, says Elisha Kobre at Bradley Arant.
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CFPB's Medical Debt Proposal May Have Side Effects
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s recent proposal to prevent medical debt information from appearing on consumer reports and creditors from basing lending decisions on such information may have initial benefits for some consumers, but there are potential negative consequences that should also be considered, say attorneys at Cooley.
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New NHTSA Fuel Economy Rule Adds Compliance Complexity
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's recently announced final rule on new corporate average fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks will create challenges for manufacturers, which must also comply with the EPA's multipollutant rule and California's zero-emission vehicle programs, say Joanne Rotondi and Hannah Graae at Hogan Lovells.
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Series
Teaching Scuba Diving Makes Me A Better Lawyer
As a master scuba instructor, I’ve learned how to prepare for the unexpected, overcome fears and practice patience, and each of these skills – among the many others I’ve developed – has profoundly enhanced my work as a lawyer, says Ron Raether at Troutman Pepper.
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15 Areas That Would Change Under Health Data Rule Proposal
If finalized, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology's proposed rule will significantly progress its efforts to advance interoperability, respond to stakeholder concerns and clarify compliance with the health IT certification program, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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The Road Ahead For Regulation Of Digital Twins In Healthcare
Digital replicas of cells, organs and people — known as digital twins — can facilitate clinical trials for new drugs by reducing the number of patients required, but data limitations can create logistical hurdles and regulatory efforts addressing digital twins are still in early stages, say consultants at Keystone Strategy.
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A Guide To Long-Term, Part-Time Employee Determinations
With final regulations under the Secure Act requiring 401(k) retirement benefits for long-term, part-time employees expected soon, Amy Sheridan and David Guadagnoli at Sullivan & Worcester look at how the proposed rules would shift the risk-reward calculus on excluding categories of employees, and what plan sponsors would need to consider when designing retirement plans.
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Series
After Chevron: Delegation Of Authority And Tax Regulators
The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service will face higher standards following Loper Bright’s finding that courts should determine whether agency rules meet the best possible interpretation of the tax code, as well as the scope of the authority delegated by Congress, says Edward Froelich at McDermott.
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Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act
As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.
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Decoding CFPB Priorities Amid Ramp-Up In Nonbank Actions
Based on recent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau enforcement actions and press releases about its supervisory activities, the agency appears poised to continue increasing its scrutiny over nonbank entities — particularly with respect to emerging financial products and services — into next year, say attorneys at Wiley.
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Series
After Chevron: What Loper Bright Portends For The NLRB
While the U.S. Supreme Court has a long history of deferring to the National Labor Relations Board's readings of federal labor law, the court's Loper Bright v. Raimondo decision forces courts to take a harder look at the judgment of an agency — and the NLRB will not be immune from such greater scrutiny, says Irving Geslewitz at Much Shelist.