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Compliance
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April 26, 2024
Real Estate Authority: Homelessness, PFAS, Flood Zones
Law360 Real Estate Authority covers the most important real estate deals, litigation, policies and trends. Catch up on this week's key developments by state — as well as on U.S. Supreme Court arguments over local homelessness policies, real estate attorney reactions to new rules on "forever chemicals," and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's latest take on building standards in flood zones.
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April 26, 2024
Mich. Biz Groups Can't Block Corporate Transparency Act
A Michigan federal judge denied a group of small businesses immediate relief from the reporting requirements of a federal anti-money laundering law but voiced concerns about the law's privacy implications in a Friday bench ruling.
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April 26, 2024
Fla. Wants DC Circ. To Pause Wetlands Permits Decision
The state of Florida has called on the D.C. Circuit to pause a lower court's February ruling that stripped the state of its federally delegated authority to administer a Clean Water Act permitting program until its appeal is resolved, arguing the decision is likely to be reversed.
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April 26, 2024
FTC Claims Amazon Execs Destroyed Antitrust Evidence
The Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general urged a Washington federal judge to force Amazon to produce documents detailing its preservation efforts in their high-stakes antitrust fight, arguing that discovery has revealed that ex-CEO Jeff Bezos and other executives used the encrypted app Signal to destroy relevant antitrust evidence.
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April 26, 2024
Locke Lord Strikes $12M Deal To End Claims Over Gas Fraud
Locke Lord LLP will likely pony up $12.5 million to settle claims it stood by as its clients carried out a fraudulent $122 million oil and gas scheme, with a Texas federal magistrate judge recommending approval of the settlement at a hearing in Fort Worth.
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April 26, 2024
The Week In Trump: Tabloid Testimony, High Court Drama
Donald Trump and his attorneys have been fighting high-stakes legal battles on several fronts as they grappled with a criminal hush money trial in Manhattan, argued at the U.S. Supreme Court for presidential immunity and tried to quash criminal election interference-related charges in Georgia.
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April 26, 2024
SafeSport Turned 'Predator Rather Than Protector,' Suit Says
A New Jersey gymnastics coach has claimed the U.S. Center for SafeSport, which Congress tasked with guarding young athletes from abuse and holding abusers accountable, "turned predator rather than protector" after allegedly unfairly suspending him without due process.
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April 26, 2024
Pa. Regulators To Probe FirstEnergy's $503M Rate Hike Bid
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is opening an investigation into a FirstEnergy unit's proposed annual rate increase that would boost its revenue by over $503 million and raise consumer power bills in four districts by between 9.2% and 11.8%, according to a new order from the regulator.
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April 26, 2024
As Leagues Enforce Betting Rules, A Potential Catch-22 Brews
Nearly 10 years ago, momentum for legal sports gambling began to accelerate with help from an unlikely advocate: NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who penned a New York Times op-ed signaling that major sports leagues' opposition to the practice was misplaced and a new strategy was needed. Today, he and other pro sports leaders are contending with fallout from the rapid rise of sports betting.
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April 26, 2024
Ex-Moody's GC Cops To Tax-Filing Fail On $54M Paycheck
The former general counsel for Moody's Corp. has pled guilty to willfully failing to file federal income tax returns for four years in which he collected $54 million in income, federal prosecutors announced Friday.
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April 25, 2024
Crypto Co. DCG Hires 1st Legal Chief Amid New York AG Fight
The head of cryptocurrency conglomerate Digital Currency Group on Thursday said the firm has appointed its first chief legal officer, hiring the former top lawyer of payment management firm Billtrust as DCG fights a lawsuit by New York's attorney general and other disputes.
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April 25, 2024
FDIC Tables Plans To Scrutinize Big 'Passive' Bank Investors
Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. leaders on Thursday debated two competing proposals intended to address concerns about asset managers and other investors amassing outsized influence over banks whose shares they own, ultimately taking the rare step of tabling the measures as neither garnered majority support.
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April 25, 2024
Ariz. Tribes, Groups Seek Stay In SunZia Power Line Ruling
Native American tribes and environmentalists are asking an Arizona federal district court for an emergency injunction that would stay a ruling that rejected their bid to block work on SunZia's $10 billion transmission line while they appeal the decision, arguing that construction is already going ahead in culturally sensitive locations.
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April 25, 2024
FTC Sues Bill-Payment Co. Over Misleading Ads, Junk Fees
The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday filed suit against a Seattle-based, third-party bill-paying company for allegedly tricking online consumers into using the company's service by disguising itself as consumers' billers' official payment channel and tacking on junk fees.
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April 25, 2024
Atty Sued For Malpractice Can't Rep His Firm, Ex-Client Says
A Seattle real estate broker suing her former attorney for allegedly botching arbitration proceedings has told a Washington state judge that that attorney can't both be a defendant and represent his firm in their counterclaims for unpaid fees.
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April 25, 2024
Crypto Co. Sues 'Crusading' Gensler Over SEC's Ether Stance
Cryptocurrency software company Consensys Software Inc. sued the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday in Texas federal court over the agency's treatment of the Ethereum network's ether token as a security after the company received a so-called Wells notice that agency staff intends to recommend an enforcement action over its products.
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April 25, 2024
Legal Battles Set To Begin On Broadband 'Neutrality' Regs
Now that the Federal Communications Commission's Democratic leadership brushed past GOP members' opposition to net neutrality rules, it faces what could be a higher hurdle — growing resistance in the courts to expansive views of agency powers.
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April 25, 2024
Biden Admin's Gas Venting Curbs Are Illegal, ND Says
A North Dakota-led alliance of states has accused the Biden administration of pushing through limits on greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and gas sector illegally disguised as a rule to reduce industry waste, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court.
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April 25, 2024
SEC Says Texas Crypto Mining Co. Execs Ran $5.6M Fraud
A crypto asset mining and hosting company and two of its principals face U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission claims they defrauded about 64 investors with an unregistered securities offering that raised $5.6 million, spending investor funds lavishly on themselves while neglecting to set up, or in some cases even buy, the mining equipment they had said they would get.
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April 25, 2024
Colo. Regulators Say Past Suncor Spills Forced New Permit
Colorado water quality regulators on Thursday urged a state judge not to pause the effects of a renewed water discharge permit that Suncor Energy is challenging as arbitrary and unduly expensive, arguing the new requirements in the updated permit are the company's own fault.
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April 25, 2024
FERC Says National Grid Held Up To Winter Weather
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission revealed during its monthly meeting Thursday that the nation's electric grid and natural gas systems largely operated without any major incidents when severe winter weather swept across the country in January, marking a stark improvement from previous winter storms.
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April 25, 2024
1st Circ. Tosses Second Vineyard Wind Challenge
The First Circuit on Thursday rejected a legal challenge to the federal government's approval of a wind energy project off the coast of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, the second such ruling in as many days.
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April 25, 2024
DOL Wage Trumps Local Pay Rate For FDA Contract, Board Rules
An appeals board has denied a nonprofit's request for increased payment for janitorial services at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's headquarters following a change to the local county's minimum wage, saying the government was only required to pay the federal prevailing wage.
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April 25, 2024
Autodesk Faces Investor Suit Over Internal Controls
Software company Autodesk has been hit with a proposed class action alleging the company's stock price dropped after investors learned it lacked proper internal controls due to issues with its free cash flow and operating margin practices.
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April 25, 2024
4 Takeaways From DOL's Final ERISA Investment Advice Regs
The U.S. Department of Labor’s finalized regulations broadening who qualifies as a fiduciary under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act will bring more investment advisers under the purview of federal benefits law, but the final version contains some important differences from what the DOL initially proposed. Here are four key takeaways.
Expert Analysis
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A Closer Look At Antitrust Agencies' Chat Platforms Guidance
Following the U.S. antitrust agencies' clarification that companies' preservation obligations extend through applications that automatically delete communications, firms should look at new compliance measures, including keeping control over retention settings, say John Ingrassia and Tim Burroughs at Proskauer.
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Expect CFPB Enforcement To Continue Ramping Up
From hiring and structural changes to continuous external pressure from a variety of sources, all signs indicate that the recent rise of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's public enforcement activity will continue throughout the rest of the year, despite ongoing litigation that could upend everything, say attorneys at Paul Hastings.
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ESG Challenges In Focus After Sierra Club Opposes SEC Rule
The Sierra Club's recent objection to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate-related disclosures for investors presents an unusual — pro-disclosure — legal challenge and an opportunity to take a close look at the varying critiques of ESG regulations, say Colin Pohlman, and Jane Luxton and Paul Kisslinger at Lewis Brisbois.
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A Snapshot Of The Evolving Restrictive Covenant Landscape
Rachael Martinez and Brooke Bahlinger at Foley highlight recent trends in the hotly contested regulation and enforcement of noncompetition and related nonsolicitation covenants, and provide guidance on drafting such provisions within the context of stand-alone employment agreements and merger or acquisition transactions.
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For Lawyers, Pessimism Should Be A Job Skill, Not A Life Skill
A pessimistic mindset allows attorneys to be effective advocates for their clients, but it can come with serious costs for their personal well-being, so it’s crucial to exercise strategies that produce flexible optimism and connect lawyers with their core values, says Krista Larson at Stinson.
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How Export Controls Are Evolving To Address Tech Security
Recently proposed export control regulations from the U.S. Department of Commerce are an opportunity for stakeholders to help pioneer compliance for the increasing reliance on the use of outsourced technology service providers, say attorneys at Benesch.
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5th Circ. Clarifies What Is And Isn't A 'New Use' Of PFAS
The Fifth Circuit's March 21 decision in Inhance Technologies v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, preventing the EPA from regulating existing uses of PFAS under "significant new use" provisions of the Toxic Substances Control Act, provides industry with much-needed clarity, say Joseph Schaeffer and Sloane Wildman at Babst Calland.
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Private Capital Considerations Amid Market Revival
As improved market conditions position traditional financing to regain lost market share, it's also worth considering the pace and structure of private credit and other forms of private capital, especially when seeking to set unique terms or build new corporate relationships, say attorneys at Skadden.
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Handling Customer Complaints In Bank-Fintech Partnerships
As regulators mine consumer complaint databases for their next investigative targets, it is critical that fintech and bank partners adopt a well-defined and monitored process for ensuring proper complaint handling, including by demonstrating proficiency and following interagency guidance, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.
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Trump's NY Civil Fraud Trial Spotlights Long-Criticized Law
A New York court’s recent decision holding former President Donald Trump liable for fraud brought old criticisms of the state law used against him back into the limelight — including its strikingly broad scope and its major departures from the traditional elements of common law fraud, say Mark Kelley and Lois Ahn at MoloLamken.
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Opinion
New Mexico Fire Victims Deserve Justice From Federal Gov't
Two years after the largest fire in New Mexico's history — a disaster caused by the U.S. government's mismanagement of prescribed burns — the Federal Emergency Management Agency must remedy its grossly inadequate relief efforts and flawed legal interpretations that have left victims of the fire still waiting for justice, says former New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas.
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Opinion
$175M Bond Refiled By Trump Is Still Substantively Flawed
The corrected $175 million bond posted by former President Donald Trump on Thursday to stave off enforcement of the New York attorney general's fraud judgment against him remains substantively and procedurally flawed, as well as inadequately secured, says Adam Pollock of Pollock Cohen.
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Opinion
Requiring Leave To File Amicus Briefs Is A Bad Idea
A proposal to amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that would require parties to get court permission before filing federal amicus briefs would eliminate the long-standing practice of consent filing and thereby make the process less open and democratic, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation and DRI Center.
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2 Recent Suits Show Resiliency Of Medicare Drug Price Law
Though pharmaceutical companies continue to file lawsuits challenging the Inflation Reduction Act, which enables the federal government to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices, recent decisions suggest that the reduced drug prices are likely here to stay, says Jose Vela Jr. at Clark Hill.
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4 Ways To Motivate Junior Attorneys To Bring Their Best
As Gen Z and younger millennial attorneys increasingly express dissatisfaction with their work and head for the exits, the lawyers who manage them must understand and attend to their needs and priorities to boost engagement and increase retention, says Stacey Schwartz at Katten.