Environmental

  • June 03, 2026

    OXEA's $8M Policy Covers Toxic Gas Exposure, 5th Circ. Told 

    The Fifth Circuit on Wednesday fielded dueling arguments from OXEA Corp. and insurance policy underwriters on whether the chemical giant is entitled to $8 million in coverage under an environmental pollution policy to cover part of a settlement reached with a contractor's employee who was exposed to carbon monoxide.

  • June 03, 2026

    Pillsbury Hit With Suit Over Alleged $145M Loan Fraud

    An investment fund has filed a complaint in New York State court accusing a Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman partner of conspiring with convicted fraudsters to con the fund into writing a $145 million loan to now-defunct financial services company Aspiration Partners.

  • June 03, 2026

    SEC Climate Rule Reversal May Spark Fresh Lawsuit

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's plan to withdraw corporate climate disclosure regulations could see the commission back in court two years after it was sued for adopting those same regulations, with investor advocates questioning the legality of the agency's change of direction.

  • June 03, 2026

    Iowa Creates Sales Tax Break For Nuclear Energy Facilities

    Iowa nuclear energy facilities that are beginning or restarting operation are eligible for a sales tax exemption on purchases of materials under a law signed by the governor.

  • June 03, 2026

    Derailment Litigants Say Flawed Tests Should Undo EPA Deal

    A pair of Ohio residents want a federal court to reject or significantly revise a proposed $350 million settlement between Norfolk Southern and the federal government over the 2023 East Palestine derailment, contending the deal was built on the flawed premise that the fiery train wreck and chemical spill did not leave behind significant contamination.

  • June 03, 2026

    4th Circ. Scraps Order Blocking Chemours PFAS Dumping

    The Fourth Circuit on Wednesday wiped out an injunction blocking the Chemours Co. FC LLC from discharging forever chemicals into the Ohio River, finding the environmental group spearheading a Clean Water Act suit against the company failed to show irreparable harm.

  • June 03, 2026

    Okla. Gov. Vetoes Solar Power Property Tax Break Exclusion

    Oklahoma's governor pocket vetoed a bill that would have excluded solar power companies and battery energy storage systems from a property tax exemption for manufacturing facilities.

  • June 02, 2026

    Feds Blocked From Divesting Wyo. Facility Stewardship

    A Colorado federal judge ruled that a Wyoming supercomputing facility used for atmospheric research must stay under a consortium of 129 universities' care pending litigation over the National Science Foundation's decision to divest the consortium of stewardship, saying the NSF failed to explain its decision and effectively ignored public comments.

  • June 02, 2026

    Feds Say Lejeune Plaintiffs Seek Billion-Dollar 'Windfall'

    The federal government has told a North Carolina federal court that Camp Lejeune litigants are trying to rewrite the 2022 federal law that allowed them to recover damages from their exposure to toxic water on the base to give them a "windfall" of billions of dollars.

  • June 02, 2026

    Lowndes Launches Homebuilding, Development Team

    Florida-based law firm Lowndes has established a new group that focuses on "the transactional and regulatory matters that shape residential development," the firm announced Tuesday.

  • June 02, 2026

    Aspiration Co-Founder Gets 14 Yrs In $248M Fraud Scheme

    Joseph Sanberg, co-founder of the now defunct, celebrity-backed and sustainability-focused financial services company Aspiration Partners, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison by a California federal judge, stemming from a years-long scheme where he defrauded more than 130 victims of at least $248 million. 

  • June 02, 2026

    Calif. Fights Federal Moves To Nix Its Truck Emissions Regs

    California's air pollution regulator has told a federal judge that Congress and the Trump administration violated separation of powers and federalism principles by passing unlawful resolutions blocking state emissions regulations for heavy-duty trucks, arguing the regulations should still take effect.

  • June 02, 2026

    Wash. Panel OKs Challenges To Seattle's Comprehensive Plan

    A Washington state appeals panel Monday revived a pair of challenges to an environmental impact statement published as part of Seattle's comprehensive plan for the city's next two decades of growth, ruling that the challenges aren't barred by recent state laws encouraging the construction of more housing.

  • June 02, 2026

    Green Groups Challenge EPA Chemical Leak Rules

    Environmental and public health groups are challenging softened monitoring and reporting requirements for chemical manufacturing facilities.

  • June 02, 2026

    EV Co. Hit With Investor Suit Over Sales And Deliveries

    Electric vehicle maker Lucid Group Inc. was hit with a proposed investor class action alleging that the company made misleading statements about its production and sales before revealing an issue with a supplier was affecting vehicle deliveries, adding to the list of shareholder litigation it faces over production.

  • June 02, 2026

    Enviro Group Seeks Delay Of AI Prompt Reveal In Shell Suit

    An environmental advocacy group is asking to pause a magistrate judge's order requiring it to turn over any artificial intelligence prompts its expert witness may have used to craft her report in a Clean Water Act case, saying a stay is necessary while it challenges the ruling.

  • June 02, 2026

    Brazil Facing 25% US Tariff Over IP, Other 'Unfair Practices'

    The U.S. Trade Representative proposed hitting Brazil with a broad 25% tariff following a trade investigation that it says uncovered a slew of "unfair practices that imposed burdens on American businesses," including poorly enforced intellectual property rights and preferential tariffs.

  • June 02, 2026

    Detroit, Water Authority Must Face Insurers' Flood Payout Suit

    A Michigan federal judge on Tuesday largely kept intact three insurers' lawsuit seeking reimbursement for payouts to residents of homes damaged after 2021 flooding, finding the city of Detroit and the Great Lakes Water Authority are not immune to claims alleging the sewer system couldn't handle a foreseeable amount of rain.

  • June 02, 2026

    9th Circ. Won't Recharge Kids' Suit Over Trump's Energy EOs

    A Ninth Circuit panel refused Tuesday to revive a group of youths' legal challenge of President Donald Trump's executive orders spurring the use of fossil fuels to meet the country's energy needs, concluding the plaintiffs "can only speculate" that the orders will trigger agency decisions that ultimately intensify climate change.

  • June 02, 2026

    Northrop To Pay $75M In Midtrial LA Contamination Deal

    Residents of a Los Angeles suburb who sued Northrop Grumman over alleged environmental contamination have asked a California federal judge to preliminarily approve a $75 million class deal struck midtrial with the aerospace company that also proposes their attorneys receive up to 40% of the fund — and possibly more.

  • June 02, 2026

    Trump Admin Sued For Canceling Offshore Wind Lease

    A coalition of Northeast states urged a D.C. federal judge Tuesday to overturn the Trump administration's decision to cancel an offshore wind lease and reimburse its owner for nearly $800 million of oil and gas investments instead.

  • June 02, 2026

    Dem AGs Slam Climate Science Removal From Judicial Guide

    The federal judiciary's decision to strike a chapter on climate change from its guide to scientific evidence is misguided, partisan and "will impede the judiciary's ability to pursue truth," according to a Tuesday letter from nearly two dozen Democratic state attorneys general.

  • June 02, 2026

    Texas AG Investigates Bayer, PepsiCo For Glyphosate Residue

    The Texas attorney general on Tuesday announced an investigation into glyphosate residue in food from major pesticide and food companies such as Bayer and PepsiCo, claiming some are sourcing food from foreign countries that may be contaminated with the substance.

  • June 02, 2026

    Trump Rescinds 50-Year Off-Road Rules For Public Lands

    Environmental groups are decrying the Trump administration's decision to rescind orders that limited off-road vehicle use on national public lands, arguing the safeguards provided a common-sense framework for reducing conflicts among land users while protecting clean water, wildlife habitat and fragile landscapes.

  • June 01, 2026

    5th Circ. Probes Standing In Challenge To EPA Asbestos Rule

    Fifth Circuit judges Monday questioned whether challengers to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule that addresses chrysotile asbestos, the only known form of the carcinogen still used and imported in the country, have a legal right to sue over their alleged injuries.

Expert Analysis

  • AI Regulatory Gaps May Fuel FCA Enforcement Action

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    The intersection of artificial intelligence and False Claims Act enforcement presents legal risk for government contractors across several industries, particularly in the absence of a federal regulatory framework explicitly governing its development and use, say attorneys at O’Melveny.

  • AI Agents Will Test The Bounds Of Expert Witness Rules

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    Rule 702 of the Federal Rules of Evidence does not address whether a testifying expert must be human, but as the rule’s amended admissibility framework intersects with the accelerating capabilities of agentic AI, courts may be forced to confront whether AI-generated expertise fits within existing evidentiary doctrine, says Steven Cordero at Akerman.

  • What New PFAS Rule Means For Tracking And Disclosure

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    In the wake of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's publication of its rule adding PFHxS-Na to the Toxics Release Inventory, companies should identify this substance in their facilities and supply chains, and prepare for disclosures to both regulators and the public, says Ayodeji Ayolola at Gordon Rees.

  • Reel Justice: 'Project Hail Mary' Can Aid Cross-Examination

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    In the new science fiction film, "Project Hail Mary," a character understood that survival depended on eliminating ambiguity — a useful lesson that trial lawyers can implement by asking statements that are delivered in the form of a question during cross-examination, says Veronica Finkelstein at Wilmington University.

  • AI-Proofing Class Action Notices From Pro Se Objection Surge

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    Class action practitioners should prepare for a likely surge in artificial intelligence-enabled pro se objections by implementing several practical strategies to navigate this shift, says Britany Wessan at Almeida Law Group.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: How Courts Can Survive The Tech Revolution

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    Colorado Supreme Court Justice Maria Berkenkotter and Colorado Court of Appeals Judge Lino Lipinsky de Orlov discuss how artificial intelligence has already fundamentally altered the legal system and offer tips for courts navigating deepfakes, hallucinations and a gap in access to AI tools.

  • What Jury Holdouts Can Teach Trial Lawyers About Strategy

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    Though a hung jury can be a disappointment, a psychological understanding of jury holdouts can help trial lawyers shape their damages arguments and understand leadership and group composition as a function of jury selection, says Clint Townson at Townson Litigation.

  • 'Mobile' Sources For On-Site Generation May Be A Risky Bet

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering treating large on-site generators used at data centers as mobile rather than stationary sources under the Clean Air Act, a significant policy change that would leave developers that adopt this solution at risk of regulatory reversals, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • 3 AI Adoption Mistakes GCs Should Avoid

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    The pressure in-house legal teams face to quickly adopt artificial intelligence tools, combined with budget constraints and the need to evaluate a crowded market of options, sets the stage for implementation mistakes that are often difficult to undo, says former 23andMe general counsel Guy Chayoun.

  • Series

    Playing Basketball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My grandfather used to say "I wear your jersey" as shorthand for wholly committing to support someone with loyalty and integrity — ideals that have shaped my life on the basketball court and in legal practice, says Tracy Schimelfenig at Schimelfenig Legal.

  • EPA Listing Signals New Scrutiny Of Drugs In Drinking Water

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    The recent publication of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's latest draft drinking water contaminant list highlights pharmaceuticals as a category of concern, marking the start of a process that could shape future research priorities, monitoring requirements, and federal and state actions, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Georgia Court Has Business On Its Mind

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    Thanks to recent legislation, the Georgia State-wide Business Court will soon offer business litigants greater access to the court than ever before, further enhancing the court's emphasis on efficiency, predictability and accessibility for sophisticated commercial disputes, says former GSBC judge Walt Davis at Jones Day.

  • Md. Justices' State Climate Tort Ban May Shape National Path

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    The Maryland Supreme Court’s recent ruling that federal law preempted state-level deceptive marketing tort claims brought by several municipalities could offer the U.S. Supreme Court a road map to use in the pending Suncor Energy v. Boulder County case to exclude states from the business of regulating global emissions, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • 4 Emerging Approaches To AI Protective Order Language

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    Over the last year, at least five federal district courts have issued or analyzed specific protective order provisions restricting the use of generative artificial intelligence platforms with protected materials, establishing that proactive AI-specific provisions are now standard practice and demonstrating that no single model works for every case, says Joel Bush at Kilpatrick.

  • Heppner Ruling Left AI Privilege Risk For Lawyers Unresolved

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    While a New York federal judge’s recent ruling in U.S. v. Heppner resolved a privilege question surrounding client-side artificial intelligence use, it did not address how to mitigate the risks that can arise when confidential information enters the operative context of an AI system used by an attorney, says Jianfei Chen at Quarles & Brady​​​​​​​.

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