Connecticut

October 20, 2025
Sandy Hook Families Oppose Reverting Equity To Alex Jones

Families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims have pushed back against a bankruptcy trustee's attempt to relinquish equity interests in conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' Free Speech Systems LLC, telling a Texas bankruptcy court Friday that doing so would frustrate their collection of more than $1 billion in judgments.
October 20, 2025
States, DC Fight Feds' Bid To Cut Billions In OMB Grant Case

Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia have told a Massachusetts federal judge to hold onto their case challenging the Trump administration's use of "a single subclause" buried in a U.S. Office of Management and Budget regulation to shut off billions in federal grants.
October 20, 2025
Drugmakers Say Conn. Law Illegally Extends Beyond State

A group of generic drug manufacturers has asked a Connecticut federal court to block the enforcement of a new price-control law against sales that occur outside of Connecticut, claiming that the law violates the U.S. Constitution.
October 20, 2025
Connecticut Official Had 'Dirtiest Hands Of All,' Jury Told

Former Connecticut school construction director Kosta Diamantis was a "corrupt public official" who pushed local authorities to hire a masonry contractor and a construction management firm that paid him a cut of their negotiated government contracts, prosecutors told a jury during closing arguments Monday.
October 20, 2025
Exxon Fights 2nd Circ.'s Atty Fees Ruling In NYC Climate Case

Exxon, BP, Shell and the American Petroleum Institute are asking the Second Circuit for en banc review of a panel's decision to award attorney fees to New York City, which is suing them for deceptive practices around climate change.
October 20, 2025
Emergency Tariffs Unlawfully Unprecedented, Justices Told

The International Emergency Economic Powers Act has never been used until President Donald Trump to impose tariffs, and nowhere does the law provide that explicit authority, a dozen states, several small businesses and a pair of Illinois toymakers told the U.S. Supreme Court Monday.
October 20, 2025
21 AGs Back Planned Parenthood In Funding Freeze Fight

A coalition of attorneys general from 21 Democrat-led states chimed in on Monday in support of Planned Parenthood's case challenging the Trump administration's push to cut off Medicaid reimbursements to its centers and affiliates, saying more than a million people could lose healthcare access if the First Circuit doesn't halt the move.
October 20, 2025
Connecticut Watchdog Atty Tapped To Lead Utility Regulator

Connecticut's governor announced Monday that he had chosen the legal and regulatory director for the state consumer watchdog agency, Thomas Wiehl, to serve as the chairman of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, and he tapped three others to serve as commissioners of the five-member body.
October 20, 2025
Conn. Firm, Former Client End Cybersecurity Dispute

A Connecticut personal injury firm and its former client have reached a joint stipulation of dismissal in a federal court dispute over the firm's hacked email system and a fraudulent email that resulted in the wiring of nearly $730,000 in closing costs on a residential property.
October 20, 2025
Conn. Court Won't Disturb Motorcyclist's $45M Crash Verdict

A Connecticut state judge declined to set aside or reduce a $45 million award to a Marine Corps reservist who was paralyzed in a motorcycle crash, turning away a towing company's argument that the court improperly admitted evidence and the jury was unduly influenced by sympathy for the victim.
October 20, 2025
Justices Won't Review Repeat Indictment For Medicare Fraud

The U.S. Supreme Court let stand Monday the repeat indictment of a health clinic manager for what the Second Circuit called a massive, yearslong scheme to submit false claims to Medicare and Medicaid, effectively rejecting the manager's claims that his original trial was irreparably delayed.
October 20, 2025
Justices Decline NY Schools' Bid To Block AG's Assault Suit

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied certiorari to a New York school district in a suit brought by the state's attorney general alleging the district failed to investigate or respond to reports of rape and sexual assault, which had previously been revived by the Second Circuit.
October 17, 2025
Dog Daycare Says Sentinel Insurance Co. Stiffed It After Fires

Sentinel Insurance Co. waited months to pay a dog daycare business after both of its Seattle locations went up in flames, then underpaid by hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to a lawsuit removed to Washington federal court.
October 17, 2025
Major Banks Colluded For 30 Years To Fix Rates, Suit Says

Several major banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo, have been hit with a proposed class action in Connecticut federal court alleging that for the past 30 years, they have been artificially inflating interest rates on variable-rate loans to consumers and small businesses.
October 17, 2025
Real Estate Recap: Lenders' Inner Circle, '25 Hospitality Deals

Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including a look at the real estate deal dynamics influencing the choice of lender counsel, and the law firms that guided the 10-figure hospitality mergers and acquisitions to date in 2025.
October 17, 2025
Ex-Official Enforced Fee Deal With Job Threat, Jury Hears

Connecticut school construction director Kosta Diamantis on Friday admitted during cross-examination that he threatened to yank a masonry subcontractor from jobs in Tolland and Hartford if it didn't pay him what he claimed was a legitimate, agreed-upon $70,000 fee for lining up an introduction to a general contractor.
October 17, 2025
Cessna Maker Blames Pilots For Fatal Crash Into Factory

The pilot and co-pilot of a Cessna involved in a Connecticut crash that killed four people did not follow the takeoff checklist or disengage the parking brake, then failed to respond correctly to the plane's "reduced performance," the manufacturer has told a state court.
October 17, 2025
Federal Courts To Scale Back Operations Amid Shutdown

The federal court system has run out of money and will scale back operations beginning Monday as a result of the ongoing government shutdown, possibly leading to case delays.
October 16, 2025
Schools Look To Duck Early Admissions Antitrust Case

A proposed class action against 32 colleges and universities fails to turn the "early decision" application process into an alleged conspiracy not to compete for applicants, in part because the schools have no reason to entice committed students away from their first choice of colleges, the defendants argued to a Massachusetts federal court.
October 16, 2025
Ex-Conn. Budget Official Testifies $70K Payments Were Legit

Connecticut school construction director Kosta Diamantis believed state ethics statutes and a 2016 U.S. Supreme Court case allowed him to pocket roughly $70,000 in return for introducing his former brother-in-law's masonry company to a prominent general contractor, a federal jury heard Thursday.
October 16, 2025
USDA Can't Curb SNAP Benefits As States Fight Data Demand

A California federal judge on Wednesday preliminarily blocked the U.S. Department of Agriculture from withholding potentially billions of dollars in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefit funds from states that refuse to turn over highly sensitive personal information on millions of SNAP food assistance benefit recipients.
October 16, 2025
Car Buyer Unclear About His Own Fee Suit, Dealership Says

A Connecticut car buyer isn't an adequate representative for a proposed class of consumers who were allegedly overcharged by a dealership for a service called VIN etching because he didn't know basic details when he testified in a deposition, the defense said in opposing class certification.
October 16, 2025
States Battle Trump Admin To Recover Solar Program Funds

Attorneys general from across the country are suing the Trump administration for allegedly violating the Constitution and federal law by canceling a $7 billion program providing solar equipment to low-income households.
October 16, 2025
3 Firms Seek Lead Roles In Conn. Medical Data Breach Suit

Attorneys with three plaintiffs' firms are seeking appointment as interim co-lead counsel and liaison counsel in a series of proposed class actions that they want to consolidate, over a Connecticut medical rehabilitation network accused of waiting nine months to let patients know it was hit with a cyberattack that exposed private information.
October 15, 2025
Conn. Pot Licensing Program Is Discriminatory, Suit Says

A would-be cannabis grower is challenging Connecticut's marijuana licensing program, claiming it unconstitutionally prioritizes in-state "social equity" applicants "above all others" in direct violation of the dormant commerce clause, according to a federal lawsuit.

Expert Analysis

What Baseball Can Teach Criminal Attys About Rule Of Lenity

Judges tend to assess ambiguous criminal laws not unlike how baseball umpires approach checked swings, so defense attorneys should consider how to best frame their arguments to maximize courts' willingness to invoke the rule of lenity, wherein a tie goes to the defendant, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.
Series

Performing As A Clown Makes Me A Better Lawyer

To say that being a clown in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has changed my legal career would truly be an understatement — by creating an opening to converse on a unique topic, it has allowed me to connect with clients, counsel and even judges on a deeper level, says Charles Tatelbaum at Tripp Scott.
Focusing On Fluoride: From FDA To Class Action

A class action filed two days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced plans to remove ingestible fluoride prescription drug products for children from the market may be the tip of the iceberg in terms of the connection between government pronouncements on safety and their immediate use as evidence in lawsuits, says Rachel Turow at Skadden.
How Dfinity Timeliness Ruling Can Aid Crypto Issuers

A California federal court's recent dismissal of a class action against Dfinity, holding that the claims were time-barred by the Securities Act's three-year statute of repose, provides a useful defense for cryptocurrency issuers, which often solicit investments years before minting and distributing the associated tokens, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.
Series

Law School's Missed Lessons: Rejecting Biz Dev Myths

Law schools don’t spend sufficient time dispelling certain myths that prevent young lawyers from exploring new business opportunities, but by dismissing these misguided beliefs, even an introverted first-year associate with a small network of contacts can find long-term success, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.
Move Beyond Surface-Level Edits To Master Legal Writing

Recent instances in which attorneys filed briefs containing artificial intelligence hallucinations offer a stark reminder that effective revision isn’t just about superficial details like grammar — it requires attorneys to critically engage with their writing and analyze their rhetorical choices, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.
9th Circ. Has Muddied Waters Of Article III Pleading Standard

District courts in the Ninth Circuit continue to apply a defunct and especially forgiving pleading standard to questions of Article III standing, and the circuit court itself has only perpetuated this confusion — making it an attractive forum for disputes that have no rightful place in federal court, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.
Series

Competing In Modern Pentathlon Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Opening myself up to new experiences through competing in modern Olympic pentathlon has shrunk the appearance of my daily work annoyances and helps me improve my patience, manage crises better and remember that acquiring new skills requires working through your early mistakes, says attorney Mary Zoldak.
Series

Law School's Missed Lessons: Teaching Yourself Legal Tech

New graduates often enter practice unfamiliar with even basic professional software, but budding lawyers can use on-the-job opportunities to both catch up on technological skills and explore the advanced legal and artificial intelligence tools that will open doors, says Alyssa Sones at Sheppard Mullin.
How AI May Reshape The Future Of Adjudication

As discussed at a recent panel at Texas A&M, artificial intelligence will not erase the human element of adjudication in the next 10 to 20 years, but it will drive efficiencies that spur private arbiters to experiment, lead public courts to evolve and force attorneys to adapt, says Christopher Seck at Squire Patton.
When Legal Advocacy Crosses The Line Into Incivility

As judges issue sanctions for courtroom incivility, and state bars advance formal discipline rules, trial lawyers must understand that the difference between zealous advocacy and unprofessionalism is not just a matter of tone; it's a marker of skill, credibility and potentially disciplinary exposure, says Nate Sabri at Perkins Coie.
Series

Volunteering At Schools Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Speaking to elementary school students about the importance of college and other opportunities after high school — especially students who may not see those paths reflected in their daily lives — not only taught me the importance of giving back, but also helped to sharpen several skills essential to a successful legal practice, says Guillermo Escobedo at Constangy.
Attacks On Judicial Independence Tend To Manifest In 3 Ways

Attacks on judicial independence now run the gamut from gross (bald-faced interference) to systemic (structural changes) to insidious (efforts to undermine public trust), so lawyers, judges and the public must recognize the fateful moment in which we live and defend the rule of law every day, says Jim Moliterno at Washington and Lee University.
High Court Birthright Case Could Reshape Judicial Power

Recent arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in cases challenging President Donald Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order primarily focused on federal judges’ power to issue nationwide injunctions and suggest that the upcoming decision may fundamentally change how federal courts operate, says Mauni Jalali at Quinn Emanuel.
Series

Law School's Missed Lessons: Appreciating Civil Procedure

If you’re like me, law school’s often complex and theoretical approach to teaching civil procedure may have contributed to an early struggle with the topic, but when seen from a practical perspective, new lawyers may find they enjoy mastering these rules, says Chloe Villagomez at Foster Garvey.