11th Circ. Lowers Bar For Getting ERISA Claims Into Court

By Kellie Mejdrich

The full Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday overturned decades-old precedent that took a strict view of when federal benefits law claims could be brought in court, reviving a proposed class action alleging mismanagement of a seafood company's employee stock ownership plan.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Justices Turn Away Ex-Ruby Tuesday Execs' Benefits Case

By Kellie Mejdrich

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected former Ruby Tuesday executives' bid for review of their claims that Regions Bank underpaid them after their deferred compensation benefits were liquidated in bankruptcy, turning away a case the ex-executives said presented a circuit split.

Order List attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

2nd Circ. Seems Doubtful Of RTX Corp. Investors' Appeal

By Kellie Mejdrich

A Second Circuit panel Tuesday seemed leery of RTX Corp. investors' bid to revive allegations that the aerospace manufacturer violated securities laws by concealing an aircraft engine defect, with several judges pointing out how the complaint seemed to lack allegations that executives knew different disclosures were necessary.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Brief

X, Musk Reach Fresh Deal In Twitter Severance Class Action

By Dorothy Atkins

Elon Musk, X Corp. and its affiliate holding companies have reached a new deal to resolve a proposed class action by former Twitter Inc. workers over severance benefits related to Musk's take-private acquisition of the social media giant.

Report attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Snack Co. Health Plan Levied Unlawful Tobacco Fee, Suit Says

By Patrick Hoff

Snack food company Mondelez Global LLC unlawfully charged employees who used tobacco an additional $1,200 per year to obtain health benefits without adequately explaining how workers could avoid the fee, according to a proposed class action filed in Illinois federal court.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

CarePoint Owes 401(k) Payments Post-Ch. 11, Union Says

By Clara Geoghegan

A healthcare workers union has accused CarePoint Health and operators that took over two of its New Jersey hospitals of failing to make 2024 retirement fund contributions under a settlement in the defunct nonprofit's Delaware bankruptcy case.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Feds' Mich. SNAP Records Fight Paused Pending Calif. Ruling

By Rae Ann Varona

A Michigan federal judge Tuesday paused the Trump administration's lawsuit that seeks to force Michigan into handing over certain Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program applicant records, saying a California federal court overseeing the same "core legal issue" in a lawsuit filed by Michigan and other states should rule first.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Driven Brands Says Investors' Fraud Suit Is Hindsight-Based

By Sydney Price

Auto services holding company Driven Brands and its executives have asked a North Carolina federal court to dismiss a proposed class action from shareholders accusing the company of misleading the public about its internal controls over financial reporting, arguing certain financial results were not known to be inaccurate when they were initially reported.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Health Plan Takeaways After 2nd Circ. No Surprises Act Ruling

While the Second Circuit's recent ruling in East Coast Advanced Plastic Surgery v. Cigna gives health plans breathing room in finding that healthcare providers cannot enforce out-of-network billing dispute resolution awards in court, sponsors should not assume that declining to pay awards will go unaddressed by regulators, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Nelson Mullins Sued In SC Over October Data Breach

By Jake Maher

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP has been hit with a proposed class action in South Carolina federal court over a data breach that took place in early October.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Justices Won't Eye 'Weaponized' Sanctions Of Election Attys

By Jeff Overley

Despite outrage among Ninth Circuit conservatives, the U.S. Supreme Court declined Tuesday to scrutinize six-figure sanctions of lawyers who challenged Arizona election protocols, leaving intact discipline designed to "send a message."

4 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Reddit Fights Proskauer's 'Hot Potato' AI Client Bid In IP Suit

By Dorothy Atkins

Reddit Inc. has urged a New York federal judge to block its former law firm Proskauer Rose from defending Perplexity AI in Reddit's suit over alleged data scraping used to train artificial intelligence models, arguing the firm can't represent Perplexity after dropping Reddit as a client like ‌a "hot potato."

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Pa. Firm Can't Toss Uber's RICO Claims Over Insurer Payouts

By Linda Chiem

A Pennsylvania federal judge allowed Uber to pursue Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act claims alleging a Philadelphia personal injury firm schemed with healthcare providers to fabricate medical records and inflate accident claims involving Uber and FedEx drivers, saying Uber doesn't lose standing just because its insurer paid its legal fees in underlying litigation.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DOJ Cites Privacy Concerns In Rejecting NM Epstein Files Bid

By Courtney Bublé

The U.S. Department of Justice has rebuffed the state of New Mexico's request for the unredacted Jeffrey Epstein files for its investigation into possible crimes at Epstein's Zorro Ranch, saying it would hinder law enforcement operations.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Case Dropped Against Judge Accused Of Endorsing Violence

By Madison Arnold

Ethics charges against a Florida state court judge in Jacksonville alleging he made comments appearing to endorse violence, convey bias and demean individuals during several proceedings last year have been dropped.

Notice attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

What The Justices Won't Hear: A Roundup Of Cert Denials

By Taylor Bowie

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to grant a writ of certiorari to another batch of applications Tuesday, including cases involving six-figure sanctions, wine shipment laws and overtime claims. 

Order List attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court last week saw stockholders challenge Nvidia Corp.'s roughly $20 billion deal with artificial intelligence chipmaker Groq Inc., Hertz Global Holdings Inc.'s electric vehicle strategy and more than $1.5 billion in Humana Inc. stock buybacks.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »