8th Circ. Seems Skeptical About Nix Of Wells Fargo 401(k) Suit

By Kellie Mejdrich

The Eighth Circuit appeared skeptical Wednesday of the reasoning behind a lower court's decision to toss a proposed class action alleging Wells Fargo's 401(k) forfeiture spending violated federal benefits law, but still expressed doubts about the case's viability.

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UnitedHealth Customers Denied Class Cert. In PrEP Suit

By Emily Brill

Two UnitedHealthcare customers can't turn their Affordable Care Act lawsuit against a company subsidiary into a class action, a Minnesota federal judge ruled Wednesday, denying the pair's bid to represent thousands of customers in litigation accusing the subsidiary of failing to approve full coverage for PrEP.

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Coke Bottler 401(k) Suit Put On Ice For High Court Ruling

By Patrick Hoff

A Coca-Cola bottler can't dodge a proposed class action claiming its 401(k) plan was loaded with lackluster options, a Texas federal judge ruled, saying the company's dismissal bid must wait until the U.S. Supreme Court weighs in on the standards for claims of retirement investment underperformance.

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Brief

DOL Tweaks ERISA Regs After Fiduciary Rule Lawsuits End

By Kellie Mejdrich

The U.S. Department of Labor's employee benefits arm on Wednesday published technical amendments to its fiduciary investment advice regulations, to better reflect current policy following the conclusion of two lawsuits challenging a 2024 rule that would have expanded the definition of an investment advice fiduciary under federal benefits law.

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Ex-Execs Ask Justices To Review Ruby Tuesday Benefits Fight

By Emily Lever

Former Ruby Tuesday managers are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review their dispute alleging Regions Bank lost them $35 million in retirement plan benefits that were liquidated in bankruptcy, saying an appellate court erred in denying them monetary relief.

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Series

Law School's Missed Lessons: The Human Element

Law school teaches you to quickly apply intellect and logic when handling a legal issue, but every fact pattern also involves a person, making the ability to balance expertise with empathy critical to the growth of relationships with clients, colleagues and adversaries, says Rachel Adcox at Adcox Strategies.

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Sitting Judges Take Stand Over Threats Growing 'Ordinary'

By Jake Maher

On the heels of an ethics opinion giving them wider latitude to speak publicly, sitting federal judges brought attention Thursday to the increasing threats against them and their family members, warning about the dangers of such threats becoming "ordinary."

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Anatomy Of A Citation Hallucination: AI Edit, Associate Review

By Rachel Riley

Counsel for consumers in a supplement labeling lawsuit against Amazon responded Wednesday to a Seattle federal judge's order to explain an AI-hallucinated citation, saying the error was introduced by a generative artificial intelligence tool used to "harmonize" drafts of a brief, then missed by a fifth-year Boies Schiller associate tasked with checking the citations.

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Jackson Walker, US Trustee Reach Deal On Fee Settlements

By Vince Sullivan

The Office of the U.S. Trustee and law firm Jackson Walker LLP on Wednesday resolved the bankruptcy watchdog's opposition to a series of settlements tied to a romantic relationship between a former Jackson Walker attorney and a now-retired bankruptcy judge.

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Judge Quashes Subpoena Of 5 Firms That Repped Twitter

By Rae Ann Varona

A Delaware federal court ruled Thursday that six former Twitter employees cannot subpoena five law firms that represented the social media company in connection with its acquisition by Elon Musk, rejecting the employees' "conclusory allegations" that the company and Musk used the firms to make false promises of severance benefits.

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Nomination For New DOJ Fraud Chief Heads To Senate Floor

By Courtney Bublé

The nomination of Colin McDonald for the new position of assistant attorney general for fraud was sent to the full Senate on Thursday, after the Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 along party lines to advance his nomination.

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Judge Digs Into Counsel Over 'Astronomically High' Fee Bid

By Nadia Dreid

Attorneys who represented classes of people who say they received harassing phone calls from real estate agents in violation of federal telemarketing laws are asking for way too much of the $20 million settlement, according to the California federal judge who tore into them Wednesday.

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DOJ Antitrust Head Tells Staff: Don't Worry About Criticism

By Bryan Koenig

The acting head of the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division said Thursday that he pays no heed to criticism of the agency and tells staff to do the same, while asserting in Washington, D.C., remarks that there's no better time to come work for the DOJ.

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Fired 'Arctic Frost' Agents Accuse FBI Of Political Retribution

By Dorothy Atkins

Two former FBI agents who worked on the "Arctic Frost" investigation into President Donald Trump's attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss have accused the government of abruptly firing them in an unconstitutional act of "political retribution."

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