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Texas
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April 12, 2024
Mediation Not Required In River Authority Price Hike Row
The Texas Supreme Court on Friday reversed a lower court decision that the San Jacinto River Authority was required to mediate claims with two Houston-area cities over unpaid amounts for groundwater services, writing that contract provisions for alternative dispute resolution "do not serve as limits" on a waiver of governmental immunity.
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April 12, 2024
5th Circ. Says High Court Ruling Buoys ERISA Suit
The Fifth Circuit has reinstated a proposed class action alleging an outpatient surgery network failed to trim expensive share classes and high fees from its retirement plan, after applying a newly enacted plan participant-friendly analysis of federal benefit law claims established by the U.S. Supreme Court.
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April 12, 2024
Nelson Mullins Lands Spencer Fane, K&L Gates Litigators
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP has added two new partners to its litigation practice from K&L Gates LLP and Spencer Fane LLP, one who practices franchise and distribution law and the other who handles healthcare enforcement matters.
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April 12, 2024
Gas Co. Accuses Tech Partner Of 'Snake Oil Salesman' Tactics
A Houston natural gas company asked a federal court Thursday to revoke a state settlement agreement between it and a partner who allegedly provided it with faulty monitoring equipment, calling the company a "modern-day snake oil salesman" that retaliated when it was "called on its failures."
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April 12, 2024
Off The Bench: Ohtani 'Victim' In Theft, Arbitration Nod To NFL
In this week's Off The Bench, Shohei Ohtani looks to get off the hook on sports-betting allegations while his former interpreter faces charges, the NFL wins a critical court victory in the Brian Flores lawsuit, and troubled WWE founder Vince McMahon cuts even more financial ties with the company.
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April 12, 2024
Feds Say Texas' Razor Wire Blocks Immigration Enforcement
The Biden administration urged a Texas federal court to toss the Lone Star State's lawsuit to maintain barbed wire fencing along the border with Mexico, saying the barrier prevents border agents from arresting individuals crossing unlawfully and providing emergency aid to migrants in distress.
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April 12, 2024
Hornblower Gets OK For Creditor Vote On Ch. 11 Plan
A Texas bankruptcy judge on Friday sent Hornblower Holdings' Chapter 11 plan out for a creditor vote after hearing the cruise and tour operator had resolved creditor objections to its plan disclosure statement.
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April 11, 2024
CFPB Says Credit Card Shares Disqualifying In 5th Circ. Case
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sparred Thursday with a coalition of trade groups over recusal standards in their Fifth Circuit lawsuit challenging the agency's new $8 credit card late fee rule, arguing that a judge's ownership of stock in a major card-issuing bank ought to be disqualifying in itself.
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April 11, 2024
Gerber, Others Must Face Calif. MDL Over Baby Food Toxins
A group of baby food manufacturers, including Gerber Products Co., Hain Celestial Group Inc. and Beech-Nut Nutrition Co., must face consolidated lawsuits alleging that heavy metals in their products cause autism spectrum disorder and other conditions in California federal court, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation ruled Thursday.
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April 11, 2024
State Rules Can't 'Obliterate' Federal Rights, Justices Told
The U.S. Supreme Court must clarify that states are categorically prohibited from requiring plaintiffs to exhaust local administrative remedies before pursuing claims that state officials violated federal rights, several Alabamans told the court Thursday, warning that state prerequisites obliterate federal rights.
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April 11, 2024
Fed. Circ. OKs Samsung, Apple Wins Over Mobile Magnets IP
The Federal Circuit on Thursday signed off on various rulings that both Samsung and Apple had won at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board against a Texas outfit that claims to have developed a way of using magnets to keep mobile devices in place as well as a way of cleaning their screens.
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April 11, 2024
Iowa Makes Illegal U.S. Reentry A State Crime
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed into law a bill that will let state police arrest individuals suspected of having entered the country illegally, raising the prospect of another legal battle over the federal government's jurisdiction over immigration affairs.
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April 11, 2024
2nd Circ. Rules Flores Can't Block NFL's Arbitration Challenge
The Second Circuit on Thursday handed the NFL a win in its effort to overturn a decision that kept former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores' racial discrimination lawsuit out of arbitration, ruling Flores cannot cross-appeal the NFL's appeal of a lower court decision leaving the suit in federal court.
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April 11, 2024
Ernest Health Hit With Suit After Cybercriminal Data Breach
A group of former Ernest Health Inc. patients has hit the Texas-based hospital system with a proposed class action after a notorious group of cybercriminals breached the company's systems, saying that the company should've done more to protect patient data in a Thursday complaint.
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April 11, 2024
Energy Co. Says Insurer Can't Execute $21M Death Settlement
A Berkley unit should be barred from executing a $21 million policy-limit settlement demand in a wrongful death suit, an energy company facing a separate suit told a Texas federal court, saying it will be left without coverage for a competing settlement demand if the insurer exhausts its policy limits.
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April 11, 2024
Drake Released From Astroworld MDL Ahead Of 1st Trial
The judge overseeing the multidistrict litigation created to handle claims stemming from the 2021 Astroworld music festival ruled Wednesday that rapper Drake could escape the sprawling lawsuits stemming from the crowd crush that killed 10 and left hundreds injured.
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April 11, 2024
Pro Sports Leagues Balk At Bally Parent's Ch. 11 Plan
Three major U.S. professional sports leagues, whose games are broadcast by Bally Sports Network parent company Diamond Sports Group, criticized the company's Chapter 11 restructuring plan, saying it fails to provide information about the debtor's go-forward operating business plan and any ongoing business agreements with distributors.
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April 11, 2024
Dallas Developers Must Each Pay Bond In $400M Foreclosure
A Texas appeals court on Thursday ordered developers to cough up more money as they appeal a ruling in a roughly $400 million foreclosure case involving an upscale residential tower in Dallas, saying that each of the debtors needed to file a bond as the case works its way through appeals.
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April 11, 2024
Drag Ban Opponents Defend Free Speech Stance To 5th Circ.
A coalition of LGBTQ advocacy groups, performers and venues challenging a Lone Star State law widely seen as a ban on drag shows told the Fifth Circuit that the attorney general "ignores established precedent" in his defense of the legislation, which the groups said chills "inherently expressive" performances.
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April 11, 2024
Arax Buys US Capital Wealth In Latest Asset Manager Merger
Wealth management platform Arax Investment Partners, advised by Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP, announced on Thursday that its assets under management will grow to $16 billion following its acquisition of independent wealth management firm U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors, in a deal marking the latest in a string of mergers between asset managers.
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April 11, 2024
Texas Staffing Co. Settles Noncitizen Bias Claims
A Texas staffing company settled the federal government's claims that it discriminated against a man by requiring he show his green card to prove he can work in the U.S., the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.
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April 11, 2024
NPE Patent Suits Up 24% In First Quarter Of 2024
Patent lawsuits from nonpracticing entities are on the rise yet again, with many being filed in the Eastern District of Texas, according to a new report.
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April 11, 2024
Houston Atty Beats Real Estate Deal Malpractice Suit
In a split decision Thursday, a Houston attorney accused of malpractice was handed a win by the majority of a three-justice Lone Star State appellate panel that cleared her of negligence in connection with a 2014 contract inked between the owner of a property management company and a pair of apartment complex investors, finding that she obtained no "improper benefit" from representing both sides.
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April 11, 2024
Medical Cannabis Ads Are Lawful In Miss., 5th Circ. Told
A Mississippi medical marijuana dispensary is urging the Fifth Circuit to find that state regulations restricting cannabis advertising violate the First Amendment right to free speech, and that the state cannot hide behind the drug's federal illegality.
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April 11, 2024
Kirkland, Jones Day Build $787.5M Sale Of Steris' Dental Unit
Medical device company Steris, advised by Jones Day, on Thursday announced plans to sell its dental segment to Kirkland & Ellis LLP-advised middle market private equity shop Peak Rock Capital for $787.5 million.
Expert Analysis
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Opinion
Justices Should Nix Section 230 Immunity For Tech
The U.S. Supreme Court recently agreed to decide two new cases that present another opening to curtail the broad immunity enjoyed by tech company-owned social media platforms under Section 230, and it's long past time for online publishers to be treated the same as traditional ones, says Douglas Mirell at Greenberg Glusker.
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3 Cases Show Tensions Between Arbitration And Insolvency
The intersection of international arbitration and insolvency may influence the formulation of litigation strategy on a global scale, and several recent cases illustrate the need for counsel to understand how courts are varying in their approaches, say attorneys at Skadden.
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Opinion
Air Ambulance Ch. 11s Show Dispute Program Must Resume
Air Methods’ recent bankruptcy filing highlights the urgent need to reopen the No Surprises Act’s independent dispute resolution program for air ambulances, whose shutdown benefits insurance companies and hurts providers, says Adam Schramek at Norton Rose.
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Class Action Defense: Don't Give Up On Bristol-Myers Squibb
Federal appellate court decisions in the six years since the U.S. Supreme Court decided Bristol-Myers Squibb show that it's anyone's ballgame in class action jurisdictional arguments, so defendants are encouraged to consider carefully whether, where and when arguing lack of specific personal jurisdiction may be advantageous, say attorneys at K&L Gates.
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Pro Bono Work Is Powerful Self-Help For Attorneys
Oct. 22-28 is Pro Bono Week, serving as a useful reminder that offering free legal help to the public can help attorneys expand their legal toolbox, forge community relationships and create human connections, despite the challenges of this kind of work, says Orlando Lopez at Culhane Meadows.
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Diamond Sports Cases Shed Light On Executory Contracts
Recent Texas bankruptcy cases involving telecast fees payable by Diamond Sports to certain Major League Baseball teams provide a window into the dynamic relationship that can develop between debtors and counterparties under some executory contracts, say Joseph Badtke-Berkow and Robin Spigel at Allen & Overy.
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Series
Playing In A Rock Cover Band Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Performing in a classic rock cover band has driven me to hone several skills — including focus, organization and networking — that have benefited my professional development, demonstrating that taking time to follow your muse outside of work can be a boon to your career, says Michael Gambro at Cadwalader.
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Series
The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Espinosa On 'Lincoln Lawyer'
The murder trials in Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer” illustrate the stark contrast between the ethical high ground that fosters and maintains the criminal justice system's integrity, and the ethical abyss that can undermine it, with an important reminder for all legal practitioners, say Judge Adam Espinosa and Andrew Howard at the Colorado 2nd Judicial District Court.
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What ESG Investing Ruling Means For Fiduciaries
A Texas federal court’s recent ruling — upholding a U.S. Department of Labor rule allowing retirement plan fiduciaries to consider ESG factors in certain investment decisions — provides welcome clarity for plans governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act that have long been buffeted by partisan noise and misinformation, say attorneys at Covington.
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Louisiana's Toxic Tort Barrier May Be Weakening
Louisiana's short prescriptive period to bring a survival action has long served as an important barrier against toxic tort claims, but the plaintiffs bar will likely rely on the recent Fifth Circuit decision in Jack v. Evonik to argue that anyone who arguably suffered injury based on exposure to some toxic substance may have a claim, say attorneys at Kirkland.
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How To Navigate The FTC's New Private Equity Frontier
The Federal Trade Commission's recent district court complaint against an anesthesia firm and its private equity partner tests key bounds of the agency's stand-alone authority, and defense strategies can include challenges to both the geographic and the service market fronts, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.
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Opinion
Newman Suspension Shows Need For Judicial Reform
The recent suspension of U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman following her alleged refusal to participate in a disability inquiry reveals the need for judicial misconduct reforms to ensure that judges step down when they can no longer serve effectively, says Aliza Shatzman at The Legal Accountability Project.
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How 2 Cases Could Undermine The Anti-ESG Movement
A decision from a federal court in Texas and another case currently making its way through Missouri federal court signal an emerging judicial recognition of the link between environmental, social and governance considerations and maximizing financial returns, say Amy Roy and Robert Skinner at Ropes & Gray.
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5th Circ. Ruling Shows Need For Proffer Terms Negotiation
The Fifth Circuit’s recent U.S. v. Shah decision, holding that a defendant breached his proffer agreement, illustrates why defense attorneys should insist on negotiating the terms of such agreements with prosecutors to protect their clients at trial, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.
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How And Why Your Firm Should Implement Fixed-Fee Billing
Amid rising burnout in the legal industry and client efforts to curtail spending, pivoting to a fixed-fee billing model may improve client-attorney relationships and offer lawyers financial, logistical and stress relief — while still maintaining profit margins, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.