An Israeli spyware company isn't going to be held in contempt on allegations it violated a court order restricting its use of WhatsApp because the order wasn't so specific that it banned the company from using accounts it already had, only restricted it from making new ones, a judge has ruled.
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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2026 Law360 iOS App Law360 Android App Follow Law360 on Facebook Follow Law360 on LinkedIn Follow Law360 on Twitter

TOP NEWS

NSO Avoids Contempt As WhatsApp Says It's Still Hacking

By Nadia Dreid

An Israeli spyware company isn't going to be held in contempt on allegations it violated a court order restricting its use of WhatsApp because the order wasn't so specific that it banned the company from using accounts it already had, only restricted it from making new ones, a judge has ruled.

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Justices Reject 9/11 Plea Deals

By Madeline Lyskawa

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to tackle two cases challenging former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's decision to yank back plea deals that had already been inked with three 9/11 co-conspirators.

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Calif. Appeals Court Revives Claims In Northrop Wage Row

By Katherine Smith

A California appeals court has partially reopened a former employee's suit alleging that Northrop Grumman illegally issued multiple wage statements per pay period to some of its workers, ruling that a trial court must decide if the company's actions were in good faith before it can award damages.

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High Court Denies Review Of Navy Contract Termination Suit

By David Minsky

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to consider a federal contractor's dispute over the Navy's early termination of a fixed-price agreement due to staffing failures, after an appellate panel determined that the government had a right to cancel the contract for default.

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POLICY & REGULATION

Intel Seeks FCC Waiver For Vehicles Used In Chip Plants

By Christopher Cole

Intel Corp. has asked the Federal Communications Commission to exempt certain automated vehicles used in its chip-making process from an FCC restriction on foreign-made robotic devices.

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ENFORCEMENT

Ex-OpenAI Engineer Must Stay In Custody In Recording Case

By Hailey Konnath

The former OpenAI product team engineer accused of hiding a secret recording device in an executive conference room has been ordered to stay behind bars after prosecutors argued he has "considerable resources and ties to Saudi Arabia," according to news reports and the government's motion for detention.

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LITIGATION

Feds Say FBI Agents Can't Block Probe Of Mar-A-Lago Case

By David Minsky

The U.S. Department of Justice urged a Florida federal court to reject FBI agents' second request to clarify a prohibition on releasing information in a report on President Donald Trump allegedly storing classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, arguing it's an attempt to block a grand jury probe over mishandling the investigation.

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Air Force Must Redo Price Analysis In Construction Contract

By Ganesh Setty

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims ordered the U.S. Air Force to conduct a new price reasonability analysis for a worldwide construction services procurement, finding "a greater than an insubstantial chance" that the protester could become an awardee.

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BofA Pushes To Dodge Renewed Military Interest Claims

By Tom Lotshaw

Bank of America urged a North Carolina federal judge to reject military service members' attempt to revive dismissed claims asserting that its credit card practices violated lending protections, arguing that they misinterpret the law.

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DEALS & CONTRACTS

Army Corps Must Pay For Unauthorized Home Security Work

By Elaine Briseño

The Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals has found the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers responsible for damages at a rental house in West Africa, determining the lease did not authorize the government to make major security alterations to the property.

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Board Says Navy's 161-Day Extension Changed Its Deal

By Tom Lotshaw

The Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals has found the Navy improperly required a contractor to provide an extra 161 days of pier support for the USS Chosin, and ordered the Navy and the company to hash out appropriate compensation.

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EXPERT ANALYSIS

Where DOJ's Fraud Directive May Actually Affect Enforcement

The U.S. Department of Justice’s recent directive outlining corporate fraud enforcement priorities is mostly a management document instead of a policy, but one part may actually undermine the directive's goals by leading to worse outcomes for organizational defendants and less corporate self-disclosure, says Zachary Warren at Williams & Connolly.

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

Kagan: High Court 'Blinded Itself' To Election Ruling Effects

By Katie Buehler

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan criticized her conservative colleagues' approach to deciding election law cases Tuesday, saying they often rule without considering the real-world consequences of their decisions. 

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Retired Judges Say DOJ's Ethics Complaint Is Meritless

By Courtney Bublé

A coalition of 61 retired federal judges has admonished the U.S. Department of Justice for filing a complaint against federal judges in Minnesota for speaking to a newspaper about the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in their state.

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Polsinelli Seeks Sanctions For 'Knowingly False' IP Suit

By Elliot Weld

Law firm Polsinelli PC has asked a Tennessee federal judge to sanction a medical device company for advancing what it says were "knowingly false and materially incomplete" positions in a suit accusing the firm of pursuing bad faith patent infringement claims on behalf of a client.

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'Petulant' Attorney Behavior Requires New Trial, 5th Circ. Says

By Cara Salvatore

The Fifth Circuit ordered a new trial Friday for a woman who was halted while speaking at a Louisiana local council meeting, saying defense lawyers for two council members threw "a skunk into the jury box" with a bevy of improper maneuvers.

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Feds Offer Up-Front Payments For Fraud Whistleblower Tips

By Lauren Berg

The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday announced the creation of a whistleblower incentive program offering up-front monetary awards for tips that lead to criminal fraud charges.

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Atty Used Legal Cred To Prop Up Ponzi Schemes, DOJ Says

By David Aaro

A Florida attorney was arrested Tuesday on charges of using his legal bona fides to help run two Ponzi schemes that swindled investors out of nearly $2 million, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

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Ex-NOLA Injury Atty Gets 32 Months For Staging Crashes

By Christine DeRosa

A former New Orleans personal injury attorney has been sentenced to 32 months in prison for his role in a scheme to fake vehicle accidents with tractor trailers and other commercial vehicles so he could pursue lawsuits and extract settlements.

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COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

APC

American Civil Liberties Union

American Systems

Bank of America Corp.

Gleason Corp.

Intel Corp.

International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Meta Platforms Inc.

Northrop Grumman Corp.

OpenAI OpCo LLC

Pegasus

Spectrum Management Holding Co.

The Catholic University of America

The Florida Bar

The New York Times Co.

University of Virginia

Whatsapp Inc.

YouTube Inc.

LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

Burr & Forman

Davis Polk

Diversity Law Group APC

Duffie Law PLLC

Egerton McAfee

Finch Thornton

Gibson Dunn

Jackson Holcomb

Joseph Cohen & Del Vecchio

King & Spalding

Koskoff Koskoff

Lowell & Associates

Mark S. Zaid PC

McGuireWoods

Moorman Law Firm LLC

Polaris Law Group LLP

Polsinelli PC

Raj Ferber

Smith & Lowney

Solomon Ward

Williams & Connolly

Williams Mullen

WilmerHale

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals

California Supreme Court

Executive Office of the President

Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Communications Commission

Federal Election Commission

Federal Reserve System

Internal Revenue Service

National Archives and Records Administration

U.S. Air Force

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

U.S. Attorney's Office

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of the Treasury

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

U.S. Postal Service

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

U.S. Supreme Court