Expert Analysis

• Regulatory Rollbacks Complicate Car Co. Compliance Plans

  

  As federal fuel economy and emissions regulations undergo seismic changes, and gas prices surge, automakers seeking to position their product lines for the future face a difficult strategic choice: whether to treat today's regulatory rollback as a lasting shift or as a temporary opening in an uncertain market, says Thomas Healy at Honigman.

• How PAGA Proposal Could Expand Calif. Labor Agency's Role

  

  The California Labor and Workforce Development Agency's recently proposed regulations governing the Private Attorneys General Act signal a more structured and agency-driven enforcement approach, so risk management will depend on employers' ability to evaluate opportunities for effectuating a cure and navigate a more active administrative process, say attorneys at Lathrop.

• The Paradoxical Duty To Adopt AI When You Can't Bill For It

  

  Both billing for hours saved using artificial intelligence and preserving billable time by not adopting AI may violate rules of professional conduct, but until bar associations' ethics rules catch up to this emerging economic dilemma, firms must decide how to adjust fee structures themselves, says Ines Lassalle at Peyrot & Associates.

• Sripetch May Prove To Be An Empty Victory For The SEC

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Sripetch v. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission held that the SEC need not prove pecuniary harm for disgorgement, but if the commission must still identify victims and distribute funds in a compensatory way, it faces the same economic problem as before the ruling, says Erin Smith at Compass Lexecon.

• Mapping 5 Fronts Of The Prediction Markets Regulatory Battle

  

  The legal framework governing prediction markets is under simultaneous challenge in five independent areas, and the outcomes will determine not just who can operate prediction markets, but the compliance obligations of every participant in the ecosystem, says Ivor Wolk at Manatt.

• UCC Digital Asset Update Is Altering Lender, Obligor Diligence

  

  The rollout of the Uniform Commercial Code's Article 12 is transforming digital asset secured lending, forcing lenders and obligors to rethink diligence, control, custody, monitoring and contract terms, as well as collateral practices and financing structures, as jurisdictions continue to adopt the amendments, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

• How Federal PFAS Bill Would Expand Liability For Companies

  

  Recently proposed federal legislation governing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances would not only phase out nonessential uses of PFAS and prohibit detectable environmental releases, but would also expand liability in ways that will matter to companies with current or historical PFAS exposure, says Ayodeji Ayolola at Gordon Rees.

• Using Past Tech Transitions As A Lens For Calif. Worker AI Bill

  

  Examining previous workplace automation battles reveals the goals of a California bill that would impose obligations on employers for layoffs and hiring cessations caused by artificial intelligence, and illustrates where it may prove difficult to administer and how to prepare for its enactment, say attorneys at Skadden.

• 3 Misconceptions About Justices' FCC Fines Ruling

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court's June 4 Federal Communications Commission v. AT&T decision rejecting AT&T’s and Verizon’s argument that the commission's forfeiture process violates the Seventh Amendment has yielded three common reactions that misunderstand the decision as a matter of law and how the FCC actually operates, says Samuel Feder at Jenner & Block.

• How A Founder's AI Pitch Deck Can Become A Crime Scene

  

  As recent indictments and prosecutions against tech executives illustrate, AI washing is a criminal enforcement priority, not a regulatory formality, highlighting the importance of ensuring that founders don't overstate what their artificial intelligence does, particularly in the initial pitch deck to investors, says attorney Alan N. Walter.

• How Hantavirus May Expand Cruise Ship Liability Concerns

  

  In an incident like the recent hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship, application of maritime negligence principles may expand beyond environmental exposure considerations to encompass how operators identify, respond to and manage emerging infectious disease risks in real time, says Eric Shane at Leesfield & Partners.

• SEC Disgorged Fund Distribution Is Next Query After Sripetch

  

  Following the Supreme Court's Sripetch v. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission decision, investor harm isn't required for the SEC to obtain a disgorgement award, but future cases must resolve whether the commission will be freed from a requirement to distribute disgorged funds to the victims of alleged misconduct, says Daniel Walfish at Katsky Korins.

• Direct Fed Payment Access Finally In Sight For Fintechs

  

  A recent executive order and a Federal Reserve proposal could finally allow direct payment system access for fintechs and other nonbanks, potentially reducing reliance on sponsor banks and reshaping competition, as well as prompting organizations to reassess partnership strategies as litigation and rulemaking unfold, say attorneys at Freshfields.

• How FCA, FCPA Risks Are Shifting As Feds Pull Back

  

  As the federal government continues its retreat from white collar enforcement, companies should expect False Claims Act risk to grow through private whistleblower suits and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act scrutiny to shift toward foreign prosecutors, requiring more adaptability as accountability becomes less centralized, says Temidayo Aganga-Williams at Selendy Gay.

• If Upheld, Wash. Millionaire Tax Could Upend State Law

  

  The Washington Supreme Court could open the door to broader income, rental and corporate taxes if it defies precedent and the historically established desires of voters by redefining the state constitution's concepts of “income” and “property” to uphold a new tax on wages over $1 million, says Richard Birmingham at Davis Wright.